What to Do with a Sociology Degree: Part One

If you are graduating college with a degree in Sociology, you are probably beginning to wonder what exactly you are going to be able to do with your hard-earned college degree. If so, you will be glad to know that there are numerous career choices for someone with the qualifications gained from studying Sociology. This article, the first in a series, will describe some of these possible career paths.

Environment and Society

If you are interested and passionate about the environment, then be sure to look into pursuing a career in this area. Careers include waste management firms, the federal government, national advocacy groups, and environmental advocacy groups. If this is something that you would like to pursue, then be sure to take courses in public speaking and communication, and a graduate degree will be useful for attaining advancement.

Human Services

If you are interested in using your skills and degree to help others, then you definitely want to consider pursuing a career in human services. There are a number of paths in this particular area, including counseling, working for federal, state, or local governments, working with religiously-affiliated service organizations, and hospitals (including mental health facilities). If you wish to pursue one of these careers, be sure to get as much academic experience as you can in relevant areas of expertise, such as counseling.

Education

There are also a number of careers available in education, which is ideal if you want to share your knowledge and skills with others. There are a wide variety of institutions in which you can find a position, ranging from public and private schools to a enormous variety of colleges and universities. Be aware, however, that teaching at the secondary level (as well as the elementary) often requires certification from whichever state in which you wish to teach, and many colleges and universities require an advanced degree (often at least at the masters level) in order to succeed.

Social Science Research

If interacting with people is not high on your list of priorities, then you might want to consider pursuing a career in research, which will allow you to pursue projects that are of interest to you while also practicing useful skills. There are a number of institutions and organizations that pursue sociological research, including various governments at the local, state, and federal level, national headquarters of various organizations, religious organizations, public opinion research polls, newspapers and magazines, and many more. To succeed in these various occupations, you will need quantitative research skills, communication and networking, and statistics.

Clearly, there a wide variety of careers that you can pursue with your degree in Sociology, ranging from education to research. As always, remember that the more advanced degree you possess, the greater the likelihood that you will obtain a job that is both enjoyable and lucrative. Regardless of what level you attain, that degree in Sociology will certainly open up a wide variety of doors and job opportunities for you to pursue.

Sources
The University of Southern Indiana has a number of resources for those interested in careers in Sociology.