Education Requirements To Become a Youth Worker

The term Youth Worker is somewhat of a catch-all phrase used to describe those Human Services professionals who specialize on working with young people. The two main roles that a Youth Worker holds are careers in various counseling capacities and that of Youth Advocates who will either lobby on behalf of individuals or groups of youth usually as part of a non-profit organization.

This job can be extremely empowering as the results of working with young people can often be seen very quickly and the energy of working with young people can be quite contagious in the best of ways.

The degree you will need to find employment will vary depending upon the career track you want to pursue. If you are interested in Youth Advocacy, you will want to earn a degree in one of the following Social Sciences:

  • Sociology
  • Social Work
  • Psychology
  • Counseling
  • Human Services

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Any of these degrees can be very helpful in beginning a career as a Youth Advocate although having a background in Sociology or Social Work can be particularly helpful in giving you the baseline knowledge of Sociological issues and Social Work in general.

If you are interested in pursuing a career as a Youth Counselor you will need to earn a minimum of a Bachelor’s in one of the previously mentioned degrees with a preference for those degrees that directly relate such as: Counseling, Psychology, Human Services and Social Work. Many jobs in this field will require that you be certified or licensed which will require that you have a Master’s degree in most cases. Licensure requirements for different fields will vary greatly and you will want to be sure to thoroughly research certification and licensure requirements for you field with your state’s board of licensing.