What Career Can You Have If You Study Community Services?

What Career Can You Have If You Study Community Services?

The number of people living in the communities of Australia continues to increase; the populations of these communities are also becoming more diverse due to the number of people from elsewhere coming to live in the country. Many of these people need help to maintain their lives, and that of the community they live within. This is where the people who work within community services come in.

If you believe in the importance of caring for people, and see a role in this area as where your future lies, then you should consider studying for a community services qualification. You can check out some of the courses you may want to consider by clicking this link. After you have gained your qualification, there are many jobs you may want to consider, depending on what type of community service you want to be involved in.

What community service jobs are available?
There is a wide range of options when it comes to jobs working within the community services arena. Some of the roles are more hands on, and involve providing personal care and support to individuals. Other roles involve managing projects which enable communities to maximise the potential of their own talents to solve problems, and improve life within the community. We are going to take a look at some of the different jobs you may want to consider if you gain a qualification in community support.

Community support worker
If you relish the opportunity of working with individuals on a one to one basis, to help them overcome difficulties in their life, then a role as a community support worker may be perfect for you. This type of role tends to emphasise support rather than care. The aim is to offer support and encouragement to individuals to enable them to carry out the day to day tasks that will allow them to live as independently as possible within the community. If you decide on a career as a community support worker you can expect to earn a salary of around AUS$39,000 to AUS$57,000.

Community development worker
If you want to spend your working life helping people, but prefer working with groups rather than individuals, then you may want to think about finding a job as a community development worker. There are many different roles that fall under this umbrella; they all have one thing in common, anyone who has one of the roles is involved with helping a community to use the talents and abilities of its members to overcome any problems it has and improve life within the community. As an example of the roles you may want to look out for, and the salary you can expect to earn; a project co-ordinator can expect to earn around AUS$75,000 and a training and development manager can expect to earn around AUS$107,000.

Community care worker
The role of a community care worker is pretty much as you would expect it to be. If you decide to take a job in this field then you will be responsible for helping individuals care for themselves. You could end up working with young people, the elderly or with people who have disabilities. The care provided varies from person to person but can involve help with shopping, cooking, washing and dressing. If you embark on a career as a community care worker you can expect to earn an average salary of between AUS$39,000 and AUS$57,000.

Community Health Social Worker
The overall health of a community depends on the individual health of its members. Community health social workers study a community and ascertain what problems are present. If many members of a community are experiencing difficulties with a particular health issue than a community health social worker can put help and programs in place to assist the community in dealing with the issue. In doing this work community health social workers can help improve the overall health of the communities they work within. If you are interested in working as a community health social worker you can expect to earn an average salary of between AUS$40,000 and AUS$80,500.

Community Mental Health Worker
A community mental health worker is there to offer advice and support to members of the community who suffer from long term mental health issues. They aim to help individuals live an independent life within the community instead of being institutionalised. Generally, this type of role is concerned more with helping people develop their skills and coping mechanisms rather than with providing personal care. If you are interested in pursuing a career as a community mental health worker then you can expect to earn between AUS$38,000 and AUS$65,000 on average.

Community youth worker

If you love being with young people, and helping them, then you may be interested in a career in youth work. Community youth workers are there to help individual, or groups of, young people to lead productive and fulfilling lives. Generally, the young people involved have issues that they need to overcome. They need help by way of things such as counselling, accommodation, education and training. A community youth worker gives them the support they need and coordinates all of the assistance they require. If you decide to look for a job as a community youth worker you can expect to earn on average between AUS$41,000 and AUS$54,000.

This is only a selection of the jobs you may want to think about looking for if you gain a community services qualification. There are many different career prospects for you once you have completed your study. You can even specialise in the field you are interested in while you are studying; this may make it easier for you to secure the role you want. If you believe that helping people for a living would be a good fit for you then you should start looking for the right course of study to enrol on so that you can prepare yourself for the career you really want.