Majoring in Sociology
Jan 28, 2023When you start college, you have to think about what you might want to do for the rest of your professional career. It’s daunting to sit down and truly think about what the rest of your life might look like. You need to make sure that you choose something that you love, or it might be hard to keep it up!
That’s why sociology is a great option to give you a wide range of jobs. Sociology major jobs are found throughout all professional areas including public relations, marketing, counseling, social services, and more. There are more sociology major jobs than you may have realized!
If you’re considering sociology as a major, then speaking with a college consulting firm like those of us here at Clark College Consulting may help give you more insight into what is right for you. In the meantime, if you’re considering majoring in sociology, here’s what you might have to look forward to.
What Do Sociology Majors Study?
In short, sociology majors study human behavior. When you study sociology as a major, you’re looking deeply into human interactions. Sociology also includes the study of humans as individuals and their place in different communities, organizations, cultures, and societies.
While you may believe that sociology and psychology are the same majors, there’s a very important difference between the two. Sociology does study humans as individuals, but it does so in a way that discusses humans as individuals in shared spaces. In contrast, psychology studies humans as individuals but concentrates on their individual thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
When you study sociology, you can expect to study societies as a whole over time as well as more recent interactions - everything from how strangers interact with each other at places like bars and coffee shops to the social structures of ancient civilizations. It’s a fascinating subject and one that can provide some amazing sociology major jobs.
How Do You Know If You Should Major in Sociology?
Sociology majors are interested in, above all else, studying human behavior. The crux of sociology is studying human interactions, belief systems, perspectives, and values. This is so that sociologists and sociology majors can better understand society as a whole.
Students who are curious about the world and the human condition are perfect for studying sociology as a major. They should be critical thinkers who want to understand human society and why humans act the way they do in certain situations. They should want to be big proponents of social justice, wanting to understand why certain issues in society exist and how to solve them.
Students who choose sociology as a major want to learn more about the human condition and how social issues like crime, poverty, racism, and more affect society’s growth and development. They want to know what works and what doesn’t work, and how to fix these issues. Students should be prepared because sociology major jobs often take the form of public speaking, communications, counseling, and other intensely personal work.
If any of these traits sound like you and these potential sociology major jobs appeal to you, then taking the plunge into this field of study might just be for you!
What Classes Do Sociology Majors Take?
Just like all majors, before you begin studying the more detailed aspects of sociology for your degree, you must first take your general education classes. These classes include your basic math, English, science, and history courses as well as a smattering of other courses like fine arts, physical education, and others. Except in special circumstances, you’ll first have to complete these general education classes before you can proceed to your more major-focused classes.
As a sociology major, you’ll have to take a wide range of different sociology-focused courses totally at a minimum of 18 credit hours. You’ll start with basic sociology classes that focus on what sociology is about and what it entails but will end your course of study with many upper-level sociology courses. These courses discuss research methods, history, past and contemporary theory, and more.
Sociology courses also typically require a capstone course involving a long research paper, some kind of fieldwork, or another semester-long project.
What Kinds of Jobs Do Sociology Majors Have?
With their understanding of both the humanities and the sciences, sociology majors are prepared for a wide array of careers with the knowledge gained during their courses. However, there are a few types of jobs that sociology majors tend to gravitate toward.
Social service jobs like counselors, social workers, and teachers are popular among students with sociology degrees. Others still like to focus on jobs that allow them to put their human analysis skills to use and will apply for jobs in human resources or research.
Because sociology majors are so good at reading people, they make great choices when in a workforce that does a lot of meetings with clients or works in development for client-specific content. Sociology majors make for excellent law professionals like paralegals or court workers as well as marketing and public relations. Being able to read people and do it well is an invaluable skill in many different workplaces.
Depending on what kind of job you’re interested in, a sociology major’s salary can vary anywhere from $34,500 to $71,000 on average. In fact, according to ZipRecruiter, the national average for a sociology major’s salary is $58,691 a year, or $28 an hour. That’s not too shabby!
Clark College Consulting
Here at Clark College Consulting, we want to be able to help you get into the career that you want with a job you deserve, and that starts with helping you choose the right major. When you come to our consulting firm, we can go over the finer details of what to expect in college and what each major you’re interested in really entails, whether that be nursing, political science, or even sociology.
If you’re interested in speaking with Clark College Consulting to help you make the best college game plan, then contact us today!
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