Alright, I have been pondering majors for a while ago and decided on an Applied sociology major months ago. I know most people view this major as having very scarce job opportunities once you graduate. Through the research I have done through my limited resources,(Internet and books) and it appears to me that there are several fields and industries for applied sociology to fit, however despite the numerous fields there are low amounts of jobs per field. What I am looking for here are careers options that are related to sociology or that an applied sociology major would be useful for in that career.
A career path I have been considering is going into law enforcement as a criminologist and possibly end up working for the FBI or an agency of that sort. If that fails I was thinking a career path more business related. These are my two biggest areas of interest in sociology, but I’m not closed minded to all the other fields.
In addition, I realize post-graduate studies such as a masters is almost 100% necessary for sociology and I’m ok with that but I still need help knowing where my studies apply. Also what would be a good complementing minor?
Lastly, If anyone wants to suggest what they (or someone they know) has done with a sociology major, and they were successful, feel free. PLEASE don’t just suggest another major, and if you don’t no anything about what I’m asking please don’t reply because I really need guidance on this. Thank you.
Graduate school is not “almost 100% necessary” for sociology majors; there are lots of fields you can fit into and not necessary limited opportunities. You just have to think broadly and creatively. Don’t limit yourself to the seemingly directly related jobs (like law enforcement - which would be a great choice) but think about ones that may be more indirectly related but where your sociology major could definitely work (user experience, market research, human resources, behavioral economics, nonprofit fundraising, research associate work at think tanks, social science analyst positions).
I will be frank, though, and say that the unemployment rate for some social science majors (sociology included) is a bit higher than the rate for math and engineering and technology majors. I think that’s because many social science majors struggle in the first few years after college to figure out exactly what they want to do and what it is possible for them to do (let’s be real - most social science majors don’t pick their major because they think of direct job applications, lol!) I also think that’s because a lot of social science majors don’t take the time in college to develop the skills and experiences that make them attractive to employers the same way that STEM majors do. Honestly, they are not really encouraged to do so.
So let me be the one to do it! If you want to get a job after college, you have to learn some skills that are really compelling and complement your major and you have to do internships, maybe work part-time. A great minor is a statistics minor; sociology is a field that is supported strongly by statistics and statistics are an in-demand skill by employers. Computer science is another one - having supportive CS skills can help you out a lot. Economics is a third good one. If you have some pre-professional majors at your school like business, that could be a good minor too.
Second, pursue some experiences that tie together. And think small and broad. Many many many students want to intern with the FBI - but lots of local law enforcement agencies have summer internships, too, and you may get more hands-on skills and supervision there. (I know NYPD has an internship program, for example). Lots of students want to intern with the federal State Department - but each state has a state department too, and there’s city government as well. There are lots of prestigious internships with large financial institutions and consulting firms, but smaller companies have them too. Apply to everything, and apply early. It’s also impressive if you work a part-time job or internship during the regular academic year, because you show that you can balance work with school and there’s a longer-term investment there.
I’ll end by saying that most social science majors ARE gainfully employed post-college, and most in jobs that require a college degree (there’s data to back this up - several workforce analyses of recent graduates).