Struggling with Commute Stress, Doubt, and Burnout
Hi everyone, I need to vent because I don’t have many social work friends IRL. I’m early in my career and already struggling with doubts about my job and my decision to become a social worker.
I graduated with my MSW last August. After applying to nearly 100 jobs and hearing nothing for four months, I finally accepted the first offer I received and started in January. I do case management for people who were previously homeless, helping them maintain housing stability. I really like the agency I work for. I get excellent benefits, generous PTO and sick leave, a healthy work–life balance, and supportive coworkers. It’s one of the best workplaces I’ve ever been at.
That said, the work itself is overwhelming and challenging. My main responsibility is monthly home visits with clients to ensure they maintain housing and follow program and lease requirements. People assume it’s easy but it really isn’t because often times, clients also experience mental health challenges, legal problems, family dysfunction, and substance use, all of which effect housing. And then there are some clients that can be very difficult to engage with, and others refuse services altogether.
What’s really wearing me down is the commute. I spend 2–3 hours round trip every day, and it’s become unbearable. I knew the commute would be tough when I took the job, but I was desperate. What makes it so bad is that no matter what time of day it is, there is always heavy traffic where I live and it makes it so difficult to get to and from work. I plan to move closer once my lease ends but I still have 4 more months to go. Right now I have emotional breakdowns almost every commute and this week I had a pretty bad meltdown in my car and spiraled into an existential crisis. Those moments amplify my doubts about whether this job and social work in general is worth it. Then I started thinking that even though I like my workplace, the pay is still abysmal for someone with an MSW. Social work as a field is so challenging and we barely have any control over what happens. We’re constantly being delegitimized, devalued, and underpaid. I got angry about how messed up the systems are and how consistently it fails and harms people. All of it overwhelmed me. I raged at everything. At being paid under $45k with a master’s degree and struggling to cover the cost of living, at systems that fail my clients, at terrible infrastructure and the car‑centered reality in the U.S., and at the state of the economy and the country. Then I wondered how I’m supposed to help my clients if I’m barely holding myself together.
I’ve been feeling a lot of doubt and uncertainty, but I know it should get better once I move. I honestly think half my stress will be gone then. I’m grateful my workplace is healthy and that my supervisors are supportive and understanding, and I genuinely like my colleagues. I actually get excited when I get to be in the office with them. That sense of community is a real saving grace and a major reason to stay. I also like most of my clients and enjoy working with them, though a few really test my patience. But really, it’s navigating the broken systems that tests my patience the most. Many of the difficult interactions I have stem from clients’ trauma responses, past negative experiences with caseworkers, and the lack of necessary support.
My main concern is how to stop spiraling during these doubt-filled episodes. If I’m having intense emotions early in my career, will I last? I’d appreciate any advice and I’d love to hear others’ experiences with burnout, doubt, and coping while working within broken systems.