Sometimes it can be confusing when it comes to deciding on what career path to choose. Whether you’re a school leaver, a recent university graduate or you’re looking for a career change, deciding which direction to go can be a decision that’s hard to make.

Have you considered a career in community services work? It’s a very broad sector of the community that offers opportunities in many different fields and it’s currently one of the biggest growth sectors in Australia. Some people erroneously think community services work is all about volunteering with no pay. While it’s true it does encompass volunteer work as well, there are loads of paid jobs and careers in community services.

This article is going to highlight just a few good reasons to seriously consider a career in community service work.

So Many Job Options To Choose From

As mentioned, the umbrella of community services is very broad, which means that a whole host of different jobs and careers falls under it. In fact, community services is one of the most diverse sectors in the job market.

If you’re not too sure what kind of jobs and careers you could chase within the community services industry, let’s list just a select few to give you a general idea:

• Disability support worker
• Case manager
• Personal caregiver
• Aged care services
• Counselling
• Crisis intervention
• Therapists
• Community health workers
• Youth justice
• Emergency relief work

The list above is just a very small cross-section of the jobs and careers included in the community services industry.

 Community Services Workers Make a Difference In the Lives of Others

Many positions in community services work involve helping others. If you’re a people person who cares about making a difference, then working in this sector is sure to give you immense job satisfaction.

Every day that you go to work, your presence, support and efforts will be going towards improving the lives of other people. Imagine that you’ve been able to do something that helps create a brighter future for somebody else.

A career in community services is so much more than just a job. Some roles will even see you fighting for the rights of people who cannot fight themselves.

 You Can Earn a Comfortable Living

Depending on your job role, you can earn a very comfortable living in community services work. Not only that, there is so much scope for advancing your career goals and with that comes even greater financial rewards.

Even an entry-level worker in the field can be paid upwards of $26 per hour and that’s just the start. Gain more experience, increase your skills and education and seek out more advanced career paths and you could find yourself earning a lot more than that down the track. Possibly even as much as 4 times that amount.

If you’re looking for an industry with awesome career prospects that will set you up financially, then community services are certainly worth serious consideration.

 Community Services Offers Flexibility

It’s already been mentioned about the number of diverse job roles in community services work. Many of these roles offer flexible working hours as well.

That’s not where the flexibility ends though. You can also choose from an awesome range of working locations, from the big cities right out to rural settings and remote areas of the country.

 Getting Your Career In Community Services Work Started

To get started in a career in community services work, the first step in the process is to get some entry-level training. You can do this by first completing the Cert 3 Community Services course.

There are no specific requirements to undertake the CHC32015 Certificate III in Community Services course, except that you need to have a firm grasp of the English language, both written and verbal.

As far as the duration of the training goes, you have 2 options:

1. 12 months full time
2. 24 months part time

Both training regimes include virtual classroom work, along with a minimum of 120 hours of workplace placement for practical training.

In Conclusion

If you’re looking for a truly rewarding career with loads of options and flexibility, then consider getting started in community services work. This growth sector offers jobs and careers to suit just about everyone.