What It’s Really Like To Be A Young Support Worker In The Health System

If going to work happy and leaving at the end of the day feeling the same way and knowing you have made a difference is important to you, you may want to consider a career as a support worker in the disability sector. That’s what Bonnie Wilson, Team Leader at Community Living Australia, told GOAT when asked why she enjoys her job so much. She revealed how working with the team at Community Living Australia brings so much happiness to both the support workers and the children and adults living with disability they work with every day. Bonnie said she knew she wanted to work with kids with disability while studying teaching at university, “I actually had the most fun in the classroom where they had the kids with disabilities… I said to myself, ‘this is where I want to be all the time, helping out the best I can’.”

“Ever since I’ve gotten into disability work, I’ve absolutely loved it, I’ve never looked back. Never thought ‘I should be in schools’, I just thought ‘this is exactly where I should be’.”

Bonnie explained making a difference in the children’s lives makes her job even more rewarding, “With disability, you can change lives every day. You can see the change you’re making.”

“I see it when they’re coming out smiling, I see it when they’re getting into the community and they’re loving it so you can see the change we’re making on a daily basis.”

If you’re someone who’s outgoing, empathetic and wants to have fun at work every day while making a difference in people’s lives, this career path could be the one for you.

“I didn’t realise how much fun it is. You’re enriching people’s lives and I believe that not a lot of people realise that. I think there’s a stigma that ‘Oh, you’re caring for people with disability’, but it’s so much more than that and I don’t think people realise,” Bonnie said.

“I think people automatically assume ‘Oh, I’ll just be in someone’s home’, but there is a huge range of things that we do. We look at the support worker and place them where their skills and abilities lie and we put them with clients that they would match well with.” “We match you where we think you’ll do great work, so I think people need to realise it’s not always what they think it is.” “Anyone who’s interested in making a difference to their lives, but also coming to work happy every day and leaving work happy. For me that’s the biggest thing… Here, you’re surrounded by happy people. They might have disadvantages, but they’re living their lives to their absolute best and it’s incredibly rewarding. Bonnie added that she also doesn’t think many people realise their university degrees, and skills they have acquired in different fields, could get them far and benefit them in a career in the disability field. “As an education student I didn’t realise my education degree could get me so far in the disability field… It’s not discussed widely enough that other sectors are connected to disability like the healthcare system – nursing, education, everything.” She also discussed how the experience and skills gained from working in the disability sector can benefit people looking to follow other career paths. “Even people who are studying a degree or are wanting to end up in another field can significantly benefit from working in the industry. You get to apply the skills you are learning, learn new skills and gain experience working with a cross section of the community. This invariably will support people, particularly heading into other service and health related industries to have a broader range of experiences and skills and to be more effective practitioners.” Rowan Elliot, a Support Worker at Community Living Australia, also told us there aren’t enough male workers in the field and that it’s important to see more men in the industry.

“We need to raise some awareness and get rid of some of the stigma [surrounding male support workers]… and showcase that it’s OK for men to go into a caring role as well.”

Rowan added that support workers will always be needed and that creative people will also really thrive at Community Living Australia. He described the perfect candidate as, “Someone who’s got a lot of creativity, with fresh ideas and energy and the ability to really help the individual they’re supporting to get the most out of life and assist them to reach their potential.” If you’re interested in working with a cross section of the community and developing your professional and personal skills find out more about Community Living Australia here.