A sociology degree can open up a variety of career paths. There only 2,600 jobs in the entire U.S. for a person with a sociology degree to become a sociologist. The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t expect that to change in the near future. If you’re planning on a sociology degree, consider a profession that can utilize the degree. The average salary of someone with a degree in sociology is $79,750 per year, but what about other careers for the graduate with a sociology degree?
Economist
Of the careers on this list, the economist can see a higher annual pay than others. Someone in this position can work for a variety of governmental agencies from the federal level all the way down to the local level. This person has to enjoy statistics and research. There are often vital deadlines that the economist has to meet. The economist can expect to make around $101,050 annually. While some positions require a master’s degree, government positions at a federal level only require a bachelor’s degree.
Guidance Counselor
A sociology degree makes sense when it comes to working as a school or career counselor. You’ll be helping people make decisions on the path of their entire life, so it’s important to have the right skills to be able to provide this kind of guidance. A sociology degree would have taken you through subjects like diversity and families, power and inequality, social theory, social research and sociological reasoning with data. All of those classes would fully prepare you to help people make career and life choices. A guidance counselor can expect to make approximately $50,000 annually.
Archaeologist
While an archaeologist will spend time digging in the dirt, they’ll spend more time researching and analyzing any artifacts that might be found in a dig. They are also concerned with how to preserve artifacts properly. Whether it’s bones, ancient tools or pottery, items found in the ground could be hundreds, even thousands, of years old. The person with a sociologist’s degree will be able to process, research and preserve artifacts as well as categorize them. An archaeologist can make about $61,000 per year working for the government, a private firm or a research organization.
Human Resource Manager
The HR manager with a sociologist degree can enjoy working with employees and mediating disputes. The manager will likely start with an entry-level position after graduation before moving to the position of manager. An entry-level position can see approximately $58,000 annually while a manager could make over $100,000 per year. The amount per hour will depend on experience.
Market Research Analyst
A sociologist has to look at data and make predictions on the outcome of certain scenarios based on statistics and information. This can be a handy skill for the market research analyst who will take consumer data and predict the types of products and services the public will want. This is a job with expected growth in the next 10 years, and the median pay is approximately $63,000 annually.
While the position of sociologist won’t be expanding to include more positions in the near future, a person with a degree in sociology can easily transition to another field that interests him or her. The average salary of someone with a degree in sociology varies depending on their interests and eventual career choice.
Related Resource:
Best Top 10 Online Sociology Degree Programs
