One of my favorite things to do is call my parents out when they make a “total dad/mom move”.

And it’s almost unfair, because there really aren’t a lot of things that make me say “total mom move” to my mother anymore.

So I was really excited when I came home from college for the summer to my mom telling me that she had scheduled 18 doctor’s appointments, 2 haircuts, and 4½ dentist appointments for me.

Total mom move.

So yeah, you won’t be surprised to hear that I was at the dentist the other day.

And it was one of those classic movie-moment dentist situations, you know? Like the ones where the hygienist keeps asking you questions while holding sharp tools inside your mouth and casting you some serious judgmental side-eye when you don’t respond coherently to her questions.

In my defense, I was trying really hard to answer all of her questions and make friendly conversation amidst all the floss and tiny wrenches inside my mouth.

Which, apparently, she noticed, because it didn’t take long for her to say to me, “Let me guess – you’re studying social work in school.”

I kinda scoffed a little bit (I mean, as much as a person can scoff while someone else is flossing their teeth, anyway). You don’t know me, I thought to myself.

But who was I kidding?

She was completely right.

Which got me thinking what exactly gave it away.

I thought back on the experience and I can’t pinpoint any one specific behavior at that moment in time that might have revealed my identity to her.

But I was able to come up with a few universal experiences for most social work majors.

1. People ask you all the time if you’re going to be a “baby snatcher”.

Sorry, a what?

2. And when you tell them no, they ask you what the hell it is you’re actually going to do.

It’s kind of amazing how few people know the range of work that social workers actually do. We aren’t always the bad guys!

3. Because most people assume that if you’re not going to be a baby snatcher, you’re probably going to be a therapist.

Completely different fields, actually. But I guess it’s possible.

4. The only homework you ever have is writing papers.

Or case notes. Or social histories. Or biopsychosocial assessments. What’s a worksheet again? We don’t have those.

5. You hear, “So you’re not in it for the money” far too often when you tell people what your major is.

No actually I signed up for this thinking I would be the next Bill Gates. Well that’s a disappointment.

6. Along with the classic uncomfortable pause, followed by, “Oh, well good for you!”

You think I didn’t notice your hesitation. I did.

7. People tell you, “Stop psychoanalyzing me!”

To which you respond, “Stop placing me in the same category as psychology majors!”

8. You notice when people are avoiding eye contact while talking to you.

The amount of eye contact I make isn’t uncomfortable if you’re not even looking at me in the first place.

9. You thank God every day that you never have to do math again.

Besides, like, petty math. You know, like how many of Suzie’s kids belong to Jim and how many belong to Richard. I digress.

10. Someone in your family was probably also a social worker.

Is there a social work gene? Idk science really isn’t our thing, so...

11. You find yourself nodding and saying “mhmm” a LOT during casual conversation.

We may not be good at math or science but at least you know we’re good at listening.

12. You spend most of your time in the classroom surrounded by females.

Smh gender roles.

13. You’re really close with all the other social work majors.

And not just because you’re professionally obligated to be accepting of people 😉

When I was a freshman in college, my dad always used to tell me, “Just wait until you get farther into your major. That’s where you’ll make your real friends.”

And you know, I never really believed him.

But, three years (and three majors) later, and I’m starting to think he might have been right.

So no, I might not be the biggest fan of science or math or business.

And I might not make more money than my biochemical engineering counterpart.

And I might still suck at trying to talk while I’m at the dentist.

But I’m okay with it.

You wanna know why?

I’ve found something in social work that I just haven’t quite found anywhere else yet.

And I would be lying if I said I could put my finger on exactly what it is.

Maybe it’s the career itself. Maybe it’s the people within. Maybe it’s really just the fact that I never have to do math again (thank you God).

Whatever it is, all I know is that social work makes me happy.

And how freeing is that?

That that’s all I have to say – and it’s way more than enough.