Which to Choose

Which of the following would you recommend best for a potential career:

• Counselling
• Nursing
• Social Work

So far i'm educated up to level 3 standard in counselling, which is basically the last step before university, and i've demonstrated understaing of theory and also use of skills.

However, i also work on the learning disability spectrum, with associated challenging behaviour, and i enjoy this job so i'm thinking of perhaps going into nursing.

What would you choose out of the three?

It really depends on the individual's level of empathy and his/her desire to care for other people. Theory is all well and good, but it means fresia all when it comes to bedside manner.

I know some people in nursing who'd have done equally well as a counselor or a social worker, because they're motivated by a desire to help others. Then again, I did have this one nurse once who had all the empathy of a sociopath. I've heard some people talk now about medical professions being a good thing to get into because of the money.

IMO, neither teaching nor nursing are careers for which monetary gain should be the first motivation. You have to really love what you're doing to get over the hump. Even then, lots of good people get burned out in those professions.


For me, out of those 3, I've considered both nursing and work as a counselor.