From Accounting to Advocacy: Jennifer Moon’s Path to a Purpose-Driven Career

Jennifer Moon doesn’t spend much time wondering how she manages everything on her plate. Instead, she focuses on moving forward.

“I don’t think about it,” she said. “I just do it.”

That mindset has guided her through a demanding and deeply meaningful journey. One that will culminate this May when she graduates from Rutgers School of Social Work’s Intensive Weekend MSW Program.

Jennifer’s path to social work began in a very different place. “I started my career as an accountant many years ago,” she said. “But I always had a desire to be a social worker.”

That desire eventually led her into child welfare, where she spent more than a decade working with families. “I really enjoyed it,” she said. “It was gratifying work helping families come back together after experiencing trauma.”

But working in intake brought unpredictability and risk. “I didn’t always know what was going to be on the other side of that door,” she said. “I found myself being locked in clients’ homes, having to call 911, sometimes in the middle of shootouts.”

Despite the challenges, her commitment never wavered. “At the end of the day, I was just helping families, regardless of all of that. I really enjoyed it.”

In 2021, Jennifer pivoted again, stepping into long-term care during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I went to work in an industry that I never thought I would,” she said. “I was the director of admissions.” While the role expanded her skill set it also clarified her goals. “I decided that’s not really where I wanted to be,” she said.

That clarity, combined with encouragement from her family, led her back to a long-delayed decision. “I applied to the Intensive Weekend MSW Program three times,” she said. “I got in all three times, but I never went.”

It was her sister who kept pushing. “She was like, ‘You need to go. You need to get your master’s degree.’ And I was like, ‘But why?’” Jennifer recalled. “She said, ‘You just do.’”

A candid moment with Jack Lewis, DSW, Director of the Intensive Weekend MSW Program, sealed the deal. “He said, ‘Had you gone the other three times that you applied, you would have been done already,” she said.

The Intensive Weekend MSW Program turned out to be exactly what she needed. “The way it’s designed is perfect for someone that’s working,” she said. “You have other responsibilities and you can’t be in a traditional program. It is the perfect program for people like me.”

Even more impactful was the support system she found there. “Everybody says they’re going to support you,” she said but wasn’t sure if she believed it. The reality exceeded her expectations. “Everybody has been supportive from the beginning all the way through, and this is why I love this program so much.”

Returning to school wasn’t without hesitation. “As an older adult, I didn’t want to go to school with 20-year-olds. I thought, ‘What am I doing right now?’” she said. But she quickly proved to herself that she belonged—and excelled. “Not only did I get into this program and do well,” she said, “but I was also just inducted into the Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work.”

Today, Jennifer works as a social worker at RWJBarnabas Health in a neurology clinic specializing in multiple sclerosis, while also serving as a per diem crisis clinician at Mountainside Hospital. Her days are anything but routine.

She supports patients in a variety of ways, including coordinating care, providing counseling, and responding to urgent needs. “If a patient has a high depression score, I’ll talk to them,” she explained. “Sometimes I come in and end up sending people to the hospital for suicidal ideations.”

Through it all, her core identity remains the same. “I’m a helper,” she said. “People come to me all the time, and I’m always advocating.”

Her practicum experience helped sharpen her direction. After realizing her initial placement wasn’t the right fit, she took initiative and found a better match in an intensive outpatient program. “That’s the whole point of a practicum placement,” she said. “You need to learn, you need to progress, and you need to tie it back to your studies.”

Looking ahead, Jennifer is drawn to working with individuals who have experienced trauma. “Whether that be childhood trauma or PTSD, that’s where my interest is,” she said. She’s also considering school social work.

For now, though, she’s focused on reaching the finish line and taking a well-deserved break. “After graduation, I always say I’m going to pass out when I walk across the stage,” she joked. Then comes a reward she’s very much looking forward to: a trip to Antigua with her husband.

As she reflects on her journey, Jennifer hopes the profession she’s joining continues to grow. “I just hope that we keep advocating. For ourselves, for the profession, for our patients,” she said. “It’s really an important profession.”

And for anyone still on the fence about pursuing social work, or returning to school, she offers simple, powerful advice: “Just give it a try,” she said. “Because it is so worth it.”