Will My Sociology Degree Prepare Me to Work In Diverse Fields?

Will My Sociology Degree Prepare Me to Work in Diverse Fields?A sociology degree will prepare you for a career in almost any profession. That is because the skills you learned earning a sociology degree (see: Best Top 10 Online Sociology Degree Programs) transfer well to many disciplines. There are many private sector careers you may not have thought about.

Skills that Transfer to Other Careers

The website, One Day One Job, lists several skills you learned in your university sociology program that will serve you well in many professions. First, you studied statistics and saw how they are applied to analyzing societal trends. You viewed social institutions quantitatively. Second, you studied effective communication. You learned to write succinct reports and documents that delivered needed information in a timely manner. Your school texts contained charts and tables that you learned to interpret. That leads to the third skill set: you can assimilate information and draw conclusions from data samples. Fourth, you learned to speak effectively. The ability to communicate directions and other information orally is a very marketable skill.

Career Paths that Use those Skills

You might consider a career as a research assistant. You would work in industry, non-profits or in the university setting. Your ability to see society as a macrocosm would equip you to help employers research and predict societal trends. You might consider a career in media. Your strong speaking skills could land you a job as a broadcast news analyst or news director, a radio or television announcer or many other positions in the field. A career in public policy would be right up your alley as well. Your communication skills and persuasiveness would make you a great lobbyist, and your ability to draw conclusions from data could help non-profits and companies develop strong policies and guidelines. Your education and skills are also perfect for a career in business, according to The Guardian. Again, your analytical skills apply here. In fact, the website asserts that a sociology degree may equip you for business better than some business degrees because you learn to “read” people. That ability, combined with your skills in assimilating and interpreting information, could help you get a career in marketing. Market researchers “map” society according to demographics, lifestyles and other characteristics, then develop or promote products and skills targeting that sector. Another career possibility is journalism. In your degree program you learned to turn out succinct and grammatically correct reports. You also learned to be objective. These are both skills necessary in this profession.

What about Social Work?

Some sociology majors choose to work in the field of social services and return to school for a Master’s in Social Work. Hospitals, rehabilitation centers, hospice agencies, private prisons and juvenile detention facilities all employ social workers. Business, or industry, social work is a discipline that may hold career possibilities for you as well.
If you are interested in a career outside social work, be aware that governmental jobs may pay more than the private sector. That is not the case in healthcare, however. In fact, if you know you want to work outside social work or in a private sector social work job, you can specialize your degree with courses that will make you even more marketable.

The knowledge and skills you acquired in a sociology degree will prepare you for many different careers. Businesses are discovering the value of sociologists in dealing with personnel and in establishing good community relationships as well as many other duties.