The Different Types of Jobs for Sociology Majors

The Different Types of Jobs for Sociology Majors
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What is Sociology?

A subdivision of the social sciences, sociology is the study of human social behavior and activity. It explores how humans interact with different types of group structures, organizations, social categories (like race and gender), and other forms that humans use to communicate with each other. Observing human interaction and verbal skills are one of the main assets for someone who is interested in the field of sociology.

Students who major in sociology or are thinking about majoring in sociology have good communication and observational skills with a variety of different people and may find that working in a career in which they speak to many or a very large group of people is very appealing to them.

Those sociology students may wonder what it is that their degree will get them once they leave college. The perception is that sociology degrees don’t lead to much in the way of employment prospects, but in reality, sociology majors actually have a wide range of different types of employment opportunities that they can choose from. In this article, learn the different types of jobs for sociology majors and ultimately, what kind of salary those jobs can bring.

Jobs for Sociology Majors

Jobs for sociology majors aren’t as hard to come by as some people may think. In fact, because sociology can cover many different things, there are several different types of paths that a sociology major can take. Job opportunities for sociology majors include administration, journalism, politics, counseling, and youth services.

Public/Government Services

Many sociology majors graduate from college and go into the field of public and government services. They can find many positions as specialists that relate to the employees who work within that particular office. These positions include foreign service officer, human rights officer, or a special agent. Government positions also include those within law enforcement, such as a correction officer or criminal investigator.

Administration

In the field of administration, there are positions for assistants in different areas, including government, legal, education, business, and research. Jobs include training assistant, planning assistant, or HR manager.

Counseling

Understanding human interaction also helps in the field of counseling others, helping them compare the actions of others against their own and how their own actions are seen by others. Positions such as youth counselor, domestic issues personnel, and PA assistant all involve helping others understand themselves and those around them.

The average salary for sociology majors is around $35,000 a year, which is about the average for any degree that is within the liberal arts.

Students that are thinking about majoring in sociology should begin to research the different types of careers that are offered to them and then sit down and discuss them with a school counselor, as well as family members and friends. Many people may not know that a sociology degree offers many different paths of success that can built off of a bachelor’s degree into a master’s or even a PhD.

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