by Robert S. Schachter, DSW, ACSW, Executive Director, National Association of Social Workers, NYC Chapter
(September 1999)

Getting that letter of acceptance to social work school was a personal moment. I was excited and called someone who would appreciate what it meant to me. But I couldn't get the words out. A feeling in my belly emerged so big that by the time it rose past my throat I was crying.

Almost everyone I know who is a social worker feels something especially significant about entering this profession. Very few of us were ever handed anything on a platter. We tend to be survivors who have gotten our lives together in spite of enormous obstacles. We want to remain conscious of these experiences and to learn how to provide opportunities for others in the most effective ways possible. This is what social work education is all about.

I've been in the field now for over 20 years and have had exposure to a wide array of academic and professional disciplines as well as some eastern practices. Not one of them has anything over social work as it has evolved in this country over the past 100 years. Underlying the classes, the readings, the assignments and the fieldwork is an enormous wisdom. We're privileged to have the chance to tap into this. And there is no better place for this to happen than at Hunter.

Whether your experiences are good, bad, joyous or painful, it ultimately makes no difference. That wisdom is there for the mining. But let's not make any mistake about social work. It is one hellava tough profession. It takes a very savvy practitioner to survive.

A lot of this has to do with money: the desire in our society for the largest possible corporate profits, avoiding taxes, shrinking the size of government, limiting access to health and mental health services, and squeezing social agencies until they virtually run on empty. And a lot has to do with a white, male dominated class system where those on top essentially dismiss what it means to be human. A great deal of what social workers experience, with their clients and with how the public regards us as professionals, substantially follows from this.

To be a savvy social worker means a lot of things. It means the recognition that one, individual social worker cannot really make a difference in isolation from other social workers. One social worker can be effective with people only because the profession is united to make it happen, through legislation, a code of ethics, standards, and the collective transmission of practice wisdom through education.

The greatest representation of this unity in the profession is the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). In New York City alone we have 10,000 members. This allows us to pool our resources to work on passing a licensing law, to address the weaknesses in service delivery organizations (often resulting from managed care), to have a voice in the political system, and to speak through the media.

Through membership, that is "association" of professional with professional, we can also offer opportunities for continuing education, information on what is happening in the field, support for career development, and offering an essential benefit like liability insurance.

Students can join NASW at a tremendous discount, with savings on membership for several years following graduation.

The leadership at NASW wants to welcome you to the social work profession in New York. You, yourself, are right now emerging as a leader by virtue of who you are, your education, and responsibilities. We look forward to a very long-term relationship.