Career Choice Among Cambodian American Social Service Providers Serving Cambodian Communities: A Qualitative Analysis

Background and Purpose: Despite an expected employment growth in the field of social work over the next decade, the need remains to address underrepresentation of Asian Americans in the profession. The U.S. Asian population is comprised of 19.9 million people or about 6% of the total population and is projected to increase to 46 million by 2060. Yet research suggests that Asian Americans are overrepresented in STEM fields but underrepresented in other fields including social work where they make up approximately 3.6% of the workforce. While past research has explored factors that affect Asian Americans’ career choice, much of the literature is based on studies that capture the experiences of students and focus on a broad category of Asian participants. There is limited evidence on the factors that affect career choice among specific sub-groups of Asian Americans and from the perspective of workers. To address this need, this study explores the factors that facilitate or hinder Cambodian Americans’ choice to pursue careers in the field of social work.

Methods: Using a purposive and snowball sampling strategy, social service providers who self-identified as Cambodian American were recruited from Cambodian American ethnic agencies. Ethnic agencies are human service organizations that were founded, governed, and serving Cambodian Americans. A total of 26 semi- structured interviews were conducted at a time and in a location selected by the participants. Data analysis followed the constant comparative method.

Results: Results revealed three domains of factors that shaped the participants’ choice to pursue a career in the field of social work. The first domain centers on the participants’ early exposure to the profession and understanding of the social service needs of the Cambodian community. The second domain relates to the participants’ personal experiences, qualities, and values. Many participants shared personal experiences with hardship and how it shaped their decision to pursue a career in social work because it provided them an avenue to give back to the Cambodian community, help others in similar situations, and the opportunity to self-healing. The final domain of factors captures the barriers that participants experienced during their academic and professional journey. Half of participants expressed experiencing difficulties navigating cultural and familial expectations to pursue academic majors and professional careers that are socially more prestigious or provide better financial security.

Conclusion and Implications. Findings highlight the importance of understanding the nuisances among Asian American sub-groups and affect individuals’ career choice and development. To increase representation of Cambodian Americans in the field of social work, social workers must develop strategies increase exposure of profession and enhance the narrative about the purpose, role, and value of social work in the Cambodian community.