In Luke 10 verse 30, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. I can remember growing up as a child, listening to my parents read stories from the Bible to me and my siblings every night. Some nights, I would quickly fall asleep while others nights I stayed awake eager to hear the adventures of Noah and the Ark and the story of Adam and Eve. One of the many stories I can recall today, is the story of the Good Samaritan.

            In the Bible it reads, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him and fled, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the road when he saw him; he passed by the other side. In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the same place and saw him and passed by to the other side. But a Samaritan on his journey come up to him and when he saw the man had compassion. He went over him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn and toke care of him. The next day he took two denaril (money), gave them to the innkeeper and said take care of him. When I come back, I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you have spent". As a kid, this story had a big impact on me. I loved helping my mother or anyone else who needed it, but as I grew older I did not have the time to help others as I did in the past. That is why I chose social work for my career web project.

            The job might not entitle wrapping wounds and healing cuts with oil and wine, but it would allow me to help the homeless, and reach out to the struggling communities around me. While doing research about this career, a social worker’s day would be time consuming. In the future this may become a problem for me, because I would love to settle down and have a family, while also pursuing other interests. Another downfall was the salary; the minimum estimated pay is around 50,000 dollars a year. This is a good amount of money; however, I am hoping to pay my parents back for putting me through school and build a family on this salary also. I thought about the Good Samaritan and how he helped the wounded man. Even though I know the income would be low, the satisfaction of knowing I helped someone today would be enough pay for me.  

            I know I can not reach out and help everyone like I want to. But I am going to strive to make this society a better place. I want a career where I can be a Good Samaritan and know that I will be counted on by many. There are many careers out there that help people, and this web project has given me the chance to explore it. Whether I choose social work, criminal justice, or a totally different field, I will be satisfied with making this society a better place.