Üsküdar Üniversitesi organized an event, moderated by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Social Services Department Head Assoc. Dr. İsmail Barış, titled “Career Planning in Social Services.” Speaking at the event, Dr. Özcan Kars, President of the Association for Gifted and Talented Children, said, “The pinnacle of a career can be reached not with great deeds, but even with a tiny act of kindness. The pinnacle of a career is where you touch a person's heart.”
“The ultimate goal in career planning should be ‘happiness’”
Kars stated that the Social Services Department offers a very wide career field, emphasizing that the ultimate goal should be happiness; “There are many paths in the Social Services Department. Here, you can be a researcher, a career specialist, etc. Whatever you do, focus on happiness. The secret to being happy is helping a living being in need. You will be happy when you feed a stray animal. If we want to be happy, we must make people happy. Don't withhold a smile from people.” he said.
“The field of social service and aid is not an area of competition, but one of collaboration”
Kars stated that career is understood as a race and an area of competition; “Don't view career as a race. Those working in social service and social aid are not our rivals but our colleagues. These are friends with whom we will walk together, not elbow out. We will walk together in cooperation, working as a team. We need to develop our teamwork skills. Individualism has made us forget how to work together. We should improve our teamwork ability by playing team sports like handball.” he said.
“The pinnacle of a career is where you touch a person's heart”
Kars emphasized that the pinnacle of a career can be reached not with great deeds, but even with a tiny act of kindness; “The pinnacle of a career is where you touch a person's heart. A career's pinnacle is not just your journey; you will be in contact with many people along the way. Every journey has different equipment and materials. You, too, should embark on your career journey with solid equipment and develop yourselves in different areas. The education you receive solely from the university will not be sufficient for your career journey. You need to educate yourself lifelong. You will see that there is not just one peak throughout your career journey, but multiple paths and peaks.” he stated.
“Social service cannot be postponed and requires hard work”
Kars stated that those working in the social services field must work very hard, explaining that there is no opportunity to postpone tasks until tomorrow as urgent human needs are addressed in this area. Kars; “A concept called ‘21st-century skills’ has emerged. Education, success, talent, skills, and work experience are highly important in this regard. The social services field requires very hard work. People's needs for help are urgent, and immediate intervention is necessary. A career is a strategic move, like chess. One needs to plan their career by thinking, ‘Which piece would I want to be in chess, and what moves would I need to make?’ A career is not about reaching the top instantly; it happens over time and through a process. Mevlana says, ‘You say it's hard. It must be hard for it to be a test,’ meaning this is not an easy path.” he said.
“Problems should be solved without labeling people as problematic”
Kars stated that it is necessary to know the foundation people who are pioneers in science and art; “In Sultan Fatih’s Deed of Foundation, it states, ‘Let the relatives of martyrs and the needy eat in soup kitchens.’ There is a provision that for those who cannot come to the soup kitchen, officials should leave food at their homes without anyone seeing. This is a great delicacy, and one should draw inspiration from such beautiful examples. In the field of social services, people should not be labeled as ‘problematic individuals.’ Their problems need to be solved with grace. A social worker is someone who loves life, does not shy away from struggle, is warm but realistic, and unprejudiced. You should know the society you live in, be enterprising and open-minded.” he concluded.