# data[].attributes.headline
Top 10 tips: career options for sociology graduates 

# data[].attributes.subject
Top 10 tips: career options for sociology graduates 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Dr Malcolm J Todd is the head of learning, teaching and graduate employability in the Faculty of Development and Society at Sheffield Hallam University. He teaches sociology and is the author of publications on student learning, graduate employability and work experience. Malcolm is a trustee of The British Sociological Association
Sociology graduates are found in a wide range of occupations: The Higher Education Academy in the UK produces student employability profiles for most subject areas in the UK and they note that sociology graduates are found in a wide range of occupations. What I think is relevant here is that many sociology graduates are attracted to careers that centre on the challenges and demands that members of a society face. This leads to jobs in social services, education, criminal justice, welfare services, government, counselling, charities and the voluntary sector. They include charity fundraiser, community development worker, counsellor, lecturer, housing officer, teacher, probation officer, social researcher, social worker and welfare rights adviser. There are a range of specific abilities and skills associated with a degree in sociology but there are also wider transferable skills that you can develop. The UK Quality Assurance Agency lists these. The specific skills include ability to judge and evaluate evidence; understanding the complexity and diversity of situations, including organisations themselves; collecting information; making reasoned and logical arguments. Sociology students will also develop a wider set of transferable skills like team-working; verbal communication skills; showing initiative; being able to work in a way that is supportive of equality and diversity in the workplace.
Eric Harrison studied Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge, and later did a DPhil in Sociology at the University of Oxford. He is currently senior research fellow in the Centre for Comparative Social Surveys at City University London
Sociology is a good fit for a career in business: It is very hard out there just now. The truth is that no one with any kind of degree is going to walk into a job. I don't believe sociology is non-vocational, simply that it equips you for most vocations. The problem with vocational courses is that economic sectors wax and wane. A degree in tourism and hospitality is fine until the currency fluctuates or the summer is washed out, or the regional development agency closes down. But having transferable analytical skills allows you to move between sectors, making connections between the different situations that you've studied and spotting patterns. So sociology is extremely good for a career in business, probably better than business studies in fact.

Sociologists should have a head-start if it's marketing that interests you: Marketing is a good fit for sociology - especially if you've done the 'right' kind of sociology. Market researchers are interested in mapping the shape of society, and identifying different types of people with different characteristics, lifestyles and attitudes. Social class and status are used routinely - concepts from sociology - in order to target 'segments' of the population. So understanding the dynamics of class, age, gender and ethnicity should give a sociologist a head-start, at least.

The subject should be a good basis for a career in journalism: It's a very discursive subject, you're practiced at writing to time and to word limits, you're used to being presented with a brief (an essay title) and researching the background. It would equip you well for writing features, analysis and 'think-pieces'. You could also package yourself as someone who'd like to specialise in commenting on social affairs, social change and so on. It is a specialist career so you should consider a master's in journalism, but also practice writing. Get a blog and write regularly - about anything - so that you form the habit.
Suzanne Hallam is director of learning and teaching at the School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds
Your university careers service can help you after you've graduated: In the School of Sociology and Social Policy at Leeds University we offer a range of opportunities for students, including an industrial placement year and internships where students can gain valuable employability skills while studying. For people who have already graduated, I would suggest that they contact the careers centre at the university they attended as it is usual for services to be available post-graduation, this is certainly the case at Leeds. I would also say don't give up, it is a challenging economic climate and try to find creative ways of building your CV and skills.

If you're interested in the third sector, get experience in the private sector first: Our careers office advise students wishing to work in the third sector to begin in the private sector, where you can gain experience and access training. The skills you can gain in the private sector are sought after especially by charities and they can get you a foot in the door.
Dr Roger Slack is a lecturer in Sociology and Research Methods at Bangor University
Present your skills in an employer-friendly manner: Sociology provides a skill set that makes them [graduates] eminently suitable for jobs in a variety of sectors. Interpretation and evaluation of evidence, communication, and working in groups are the kinds of skills employers look for. The job market is tough but it is tough for everyone - the point is to present your skills in an employer-friendly manner.
Dr Alana Lentin is a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Sussex
Innovative employers value people with a critical mind who can think laterally: I think that, for various reasons, there is a public culture out there which devalues sociology, an opinion held by many employers unfortunately, but also which others reject. The notion that sociology isn't about 'the real world' is obviously false considering that it is precisely about the real world. However, the negativity about sociology for my mind comes from the fact that many (although far from all) sociologists have traditionally been involved in the critique of the status quo and have sought to overturn the way the world is. Think about Marx's dictum that the point is to change the world. As such, sociology has been held in suspicion by those who benefit from the way things are, especially in a capitalist society.

Now, all of this doesn't necessarily help when it comes to getting a job (although I think political sociologists in particular can help understand why the current economic climate is particularly difficult). For those suspicious of sociology, which often for some reason seems to epitomise the useless ivory towers, their opinion will probably not change. It is up to you as graduates to channel the skills you learned during your degree - power of analysis; the ability to summarize complex ideas; presentation skills; writing skills; team work; qualitative and quantitative research methods; interviewing; running focus groups; and so on - and show employers how these could be transferred for use at the workplace. Interestingly, the most innovative employers these days are not looking for one-size-fits-all employees but want people with a critical mind who can think laterally. I think that sociology's commitment to critiquing the status quo and developing solutions to social problems can be invaluable.

Want to enter academia? Start publishing and attending academic conferences early: A problem that a lot of people - especially at postgraduate level - develop is to focus too exclusively on their studies and to forget that unfortunately perhaps employers these days in a competitive environment look at the candidate's overall experience and will be particularly interested in what else you have done during your university career. I would particularly recommend that people doing postgraduate degrees who want to enter academia start publishing and attending academic conferences early!

Think about a combined sociology and modern language degree: In the UK there are too few people with language skills and international work experience. You will certainly stand above the rest if you can demonstrate this. A good idea for those thinking about doing a sociology degree but who haven't started yet is to do a combined sociology and modern language degree such as those we offer at Sussex. Students spend a year abroad during their degree either working or studying in the country whose language they are studying. For example, one of our students worked in an Italian school for a year before coming back to do her final year. Alternatively try to take advantage of the Erasmus study abroad programme while at university which funds you to send a term or a year abroad in Europe or more general study abroad programmes that allow students to go further afield to the US, Canada, Australia and more.

Check out the rest of the advice here.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more content and advice like this direct to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Careers update.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Career options for sociology graduates: top 10 tips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dr Malcolm J Todd is the head of learning, teaching and graduate employability in the Faculty of Development and Society at Sheffield Hallam University. He teaches sociology and is the author of publications on student learning, graduate employability and work experience.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Best UK universities for sociology - league table

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The study of human societies and how they interact

# data[].attributes.headline
University world rankings for Sociology 

# data[].attributes.subject
University world rankings for Sociology 

# data[].attributes.body
No. 27 !!!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021: Sociology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find out which universities are the best in the world for Sociology. in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Sociology is the one social science which embraces the whole range of human activities and this makes it a very wide field of study. As a result, it offers many opportunities for specialisation and these are reflected in the work of sociologists (see our Study Groups).

Students of sociology normally follow courses which offer a choice of specialisations as well as a grounding in the central tenets of the discipline. The following are some examples of specialisation:

Economy, Work and Organisation

The Conjunction of Biological and Social Relationships: the Family and Gender

Social Identity: Age, Class, Gender and Race

In living and communicating with each other human beings develop personal identities but these are clearly influenced by the reproduction of social institutions and the resulting structure of society. For the individual human being there may be family, friendship and community or alternatively these may be to a varying extent lacking.

There may also be religion, education, work, opportunities for recreation, etc. All are forms of social organisation. In all societies the young face the problem of developing their identity whilst the forms of social organisation offered by society attract or repel them. Alongside ´culture´ there are ´subcultures´ and other reactions which take a variety of forms.

Social Inequality

Inasmuch as human beings must extract from the environment in order to survive, inasmuch as they devise forms of organisation and technology to facilitate this, inequalities are formed.

Inequality exists in all forms of society and there is no convincing evidence that social equality is achievable. Nevertheless, human enlightenment has involved the pursuit of equality as one of its central principles.

The two great revolutions of the eighteenth century, the American Declaration of Independence and the French Revolution both declared the right of the individual to be treated equally with others.

There is not much evidence of the achievement of this principle despite huge increases in wealth made possible by industrialised production and this only makes it more important to examine why.

Social Norms and Deviance

Religion and Belief Systems

Organisations and Bureaucracy

Society and the Environment

The relationship between people and the environment is largely and significantly a production relationship. Developments in organisation and technology devised by human beings for the production process have however reversed the relationship in an important sense. Whereas human beings were previously subject to natural forces, subsequently the natural environment has been increasingly made subject to forces created by human beings.

Simple developments such as the clearing of forests for food production have been augmented by the industrialisation of agriculture and increasingly people live in a created environment. Only relatively recently, during say the past three decades, have people begun to take seriously the damage wrought by the industrialisation of production and all the forms that takes.

Sociology seeks to examine in particular the awareness that people have of their own lifestyles and the damage which indirectly these cause to the environment which is of course not only inhabited by human beings but by the other species too.

People, Health and the Sociology of the Body

Healthcare is an area of concern to people which has drawn in significantly sociological ideas and practices. As with other aspects of society the adoption of science and technology, whilst offering much of benefit to human beings, has also produced new forms of injury and illness. People are becoming increasingly aware of factors such as diet, exercise, travel and working conditions in relation to their health and general well-being.

Sociology is concerned with examining how people perceive health and illness particularly in relation to their lifestyles. Equally there is the need to examine the effects of medical attention on the people which they are intended to benefit.

Beyond the simple achievement of health some people seek access to medical techniques which alter the form of the human body. Plastic surgery is available for cosmetic reasons as well as for the treatment of injuries. It can be used to change appearances and even to change sex so that in a very real sense people can plan their own bodies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sociology is the one social science which embraces the whole range of human activities and this makes it a very wide field of study. As a result, it offers many opportunities for specialisation and these are reflected in the work of sociologists (see our Study Groups).

# data[].attributes.body
Links to career options, transferable skills

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Are you a student thinking about university? Maybe you are interested in sociology but want to know more about your career options or transferrable skills? Could you be a teacher of sociology looking for material to help promote your discipline in school or at open days?

# data[].attributes.headline
Job prospects with social science degrees

# data[].attributes.subject
Job prospects with social science degrees

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Students with an eye on their job prospects should take social science degrees, research suggests.

Social science graduates are more likely to be in paid employment than arts or science graduates, according to analysis of official data.

They are also more likely to be in managerial or senior roles, says a Campaign for Social Science study.

The authors analysed data on graduate destinations from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Career paths

Some 84.2% of social science graduates were employed three years after graduating, compared with 79% of arts and humanities graduates and 78% of graduates with science degrees, the figures suggest.

The HESA figures, published in August, revealed the career paths of more than 62,000 recent graduates, three and a half years after they left university in 2009.

The researchers define social sciences as including economics, management, business studies, anthropology, sociology, criminology, human geography, media studies, town planning, education and politics.

The figures showed that 7.6% of social science graduates in employment were classed as managers and senior officials, compared with 3.6% of those with science degrees and 6.2% of those with arts and humanities backgrounds.

The analysis found more than 70% of social science graduates were in professional or associated technical occupations, while some 7% worked in finance and insurance.

Teaching and training the next generation of social scientists is an investment that will repay itself many times over
Prof James Wilsdon, Campaign for Social Science

Social science graduates were also less likely to be in further study (10%) compared with 17.3% of those with science degrees and 11.5% with arts and humanities degrees.

"The idea that social science graduates work solely as social workers or teachers is shown to be unfounded," says the report.

Social science degrees encourage skills of analysis, interpretation and communication, which employers need, said Prof James Wilsdon, chairman of the campaign.

"It's time to banish any lingering myths about the value of a social science degree.

"Our report shows that employers in the public and private sectors are queuing up to hire social science graduates.

"The UK is a world leader in social science, and it's vital that we maintain this capacity. Teaching and training the next generation of social scientists is an investment that will repay itself many times over," said Prof Wilsdon.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Students with an eye on their job prospects should take social science degrees, research suggests. Social science graduates are more likely to be in paid employment than arts or science graduates, according to analysis of official data. They are also more likely to be in managerial or senior roles, says a Campaign for Social Science study.

# data[].attributes.headline
How to write a personal statement for sociology 

# data[].attributes.subject
How to write a personal statement for sociology 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to write a personal statement for sociology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Whether it’s by doing a job at McDonalds or volunteering to work in your community, show how your life has given you an interest in sociology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When mature student Sharon Styles decided to leave her job as an NHS administrator and go to university, she chose sociology as her route to a new career. Now in her first year at the University of Manchester, she says the subject relates to both her experiences and her future plans.

"I want to do something hands-on with groups that are unequal in society," she says. "[German sociologist] Max Weber talks about the 'iron cage' of bureaucracy, which is something I'm very familiar with. I'm interested in how you unravel that bureaucracy and how you can address inequalities. Take mental health, and how charities are stepping into the area where the state is no longer supporting people with mental health issues."

Students like Styles are applying the social sciences - psychology, economics, sociology, social policy, and education - to today's big questions. "To put it simply, the social sciences are about working out how we can do things better," says Richard Watermeyer, associate professor at the Centre for Education Studies at the University of Warwick.

To put it simply, the social sciences are about working out how we can do things better

Richard Watermeyer, University of Warwick

And it's not just all theory. Today's social science students are gaining skills employers want. John Wood has just finished his BSc (hons) in social policy at the University of Bath, which included a year-long paid placement at the statistics department of the House of Commons library.

"I'd get inquiries from MPs - for example, comparing funding for a local group with the rest of the country," he says. "It was my job to find that information, put those statistics into a table and write an overview of them, for someone who didn't know anything about the topic.

"The statistical and data analysis skills I gained were remarkable. It was a fantastic experience. I'm hoping to go into the charity sector and continue to do reports and research particular policies - I'm very interested in housing and working for an organisation like Shelter. The course was directly applicable to what I want to do."

Last year, the University of Manchester placed 20 students in companies including YouGov and thinktank new Economy. This year, graduates will go to the World Bank, the Home Office, Santander and Ipsos Mori.

Social policy courses provide the tools to weigh up the strength of a policy proposal.

"We ask: first of all, what are you trying to achieve with a particular policy?" says Dr Susan Harkness, reader in the social and policy studies department at the University of Bath. "What is the outcome you are hoping to achieve? And what's the best way of getting there? If you've got an innovative new policy idea, it's hard to prove that it works if it hasn't happened yet. So you can look at other countries and what's been tried in the past, to see what works and what doesn't."

The University of Warwick's new BA (hons) in education studies aims to look at the subject in a holistic way. "There will be many who have a leaning towards a career in teaching and it will provide them with a fantastic foundation for that - they will look at the sociological, philosophical, and more technical aspects of education, which will provide a great grounding," says Watermeyer.

"But education takes place in so many contexts - working with mental health patients, within prisons, in museums, art galleries, or science centres. The course lends itself to thinking about education - not just as a route to the labour market and for social mobility but also with regard to broader aims and ideals, like democracy and freedom."

Sociology also combines a range of topics, says Gemma Edwards, lecturer in sociology at the University of Manchester. She says there's a growth in the number of courses that look at environmental sustainability, the endurance of racism in society, globalisation and inequality. "It has its classical core - but it speaks to global challenges as they arise."

Watermeyer points out that the notion the social sciences are inferior to the life sciences is a false one: "Social scientists are the brokers between knowledge, the public and policy. Social science is about how we bring all those things together to enable us to reflect critically on how we do things. How do we make better policy? How do we get a better world?"
Keep up with the latest on Guardian Students: follow us on Twitter at @GdnStudents - and become a member to receive exclusive benefits and our weekly newsletter.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Want to know what makes people tick? Study social science

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When mature student Sharon Styles decided to leave her job as an NHS administrator and go to university, she chose sociology as her route to a new career. Now in her first year at the University of Manchester, she says the subject relates to both her experiences and her future plans.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why study a Sociology degree at university?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dr Sarah Maltby, lecturer in Sociology at City University London, talks about the relevance of a sociology degree to the workplace and our everyday lives

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As part of National Careers Week 2016, Nilufer Rahim tells us what it's like to work as a social researcher at NatCen.
What is your role at NatCen?
"I'm a Senior Researcher in NatCen's Policy Research Centre. My role is to manage qualitative research projects. That involves designing the research, collecting data, analysing and writing it up and liaising with clients. I also help out with winning new business and managing staff. The sorts of projects I tend to do are in employment and labour market research."
Do you need any special qualifications to do your job? What did you study?
"You need an undergraduate degree, I studied Sociology. Having a degree in a social science is an advantage."
What was your first research-based job?
"I started as a Research Assistant at a small research consultancy called Inclusion. It was a great introduction to applied social policy research and got me interested in labour market and employment research."
Why did you want to work at NatCen?
"I'd heard of NatCen's reputation for doing high quality research and thought it would be a good place to develop my research skills and get exposure to a wide range of projects and policy areas."
What is the most important or exciting part of your job?
"I like the variety. The range of projects you can work on is really diverse, from large-scale evaluations for central government or smaller studies for charities. We tend to work on 4 or 5 projects at a time and they can be on very different subjects so you're always learning something new and never get bored. Also, each day is different. One day you could be out on fieldwork doing interviews, another day you could be presenting your findings or you might be writing a proposal on another."
What has been the stand out moment of your career so far?
"Giving evidence based on our research to the Work and Pensions Select Committee in the House of Commons on the role of Jobcentre Plus. It was definitely one of the scariest things I've done but it was good to know that our research was being used to inform policy decisions."
What is the best thing about working at NatCen?
"Hmmm, there are a few things... The people working here are great. It's a very collaborative and supportive atmosphere. I've been lucky to have really thorough training at NatCen and learnt lots of new skills. The work is also incredibly interesting and our research is aimed at benefitting society."
If you weren't a researcher what would have been your Plan B?
"Something that involves cooking and eating!"
What are your top tips for anyone wanting to be a researcher?
" Prospects and the Social Research Association have useful information on starting a career in social research."
If you have any career-related questions you'd like us to ask our researchers please email info@natcen.ac.uk or tweet them to us: @NatCen

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is your role at NatCen? "I'm a Senior Researcher in NatCen's Policy Research Centre. My role is to manage qualitative research projects. That involves designing the research, collecting data, analysing and writing it up and liaising with clients. I also help out with winning new business and managing staff.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In a Cosmopolitan.com survey of nearly 800 twentysomethings, the five most popular majors among female respondents were psychology, English, biology, business administration, and sociology. But what exactly can you do with degrees in these fields? Five women who majored in sociology reveal their career paths.

I made a point to travel in college. We had something called a J-term at St. Olaf, a mini-semester held in January. It was the perfect solution for someone who wanted out of the state during Minnesota winter but couldn't afford an entire semester abroad.

My freshman year I studied Spanish in Ecuador. My sophomore year I studied social work and social change movements in Mexico, working in a Mexican women's prison. The summer before my junior year, I interned for a small nonprofit named Friendship Bridge in Guatemala that helped indigenous women through micro financing. My junior year, I went to Dublin and studied Irish literature with a focus on literary feminism. My senior year, I studied grassroots social work and social change with organizations in Ecuador.

After college I planned to move to New York City. I quickly realized that New York state wouldn't recognize my social work degree without a master's, which I couldn't afford. I began to look for jobs that drew on my skill set and found the Civilian Complaint Review Board. I was immediately drawn to the investigative nature of the work.

The CCRB investigates allegations of police misconduct, including the use of force and unlawful search and seizures, involving members of the New York City Police Department. It was my responsibility to maintain a docket of such complaints, interview complainants, witnesses and officers, occasionally canvas local neighborhoods, and analyze police records before reaching an evidentiary finding. It solidified a love for security and investigations-related work.

After nearly four years with the CCRB, I wanted a position with more responsibility and wanted to diversify my investigative experience. I found a position with the Office of Special Investigations where I investigated allegations of misconduct filed against members of the Department of Education. While I loved my work, there are inherent challenges to government work. At its core, you're often dealing with bureaucratic inefficiencies and change-resistance organizations. In late 2011, my long-term boyfriend was transferred to San Francisco. I quit my job, and we drove cross-country with our two dogs.

The job I have now didn't exist 10 years ago, and the job I'll have in 10 years may not have been created yet.

Just prior to the move, I saw a position with the recently created trust and safety team at Airbnb. Three months later, I was hired as the first trust and safety lead. Trust and safety deals very much with the things that can go wrong. These instances are rare, but my team is here to manage them when they do arise. We work a lot on prevention. For example, we recently created a Host Guarantee program, which covers hosts up to $1 million in the event of damages during an Airbnb stay. Earlier this year, I was promoted to operations manager and moved to Dublin to manage our international trust and safety teams in Europe and Asia.

When I look at my colleagues and my mentors, particularly in tech, I see that the most successful are often those who took an untraditional path. The job I have now didn't exist 10 years ago, and the job I'll have in 10 years may not have been created yet.

I had grand ambitions to be a college minister. I remember deconstructing an emotion-packed montage scene from The Family Stone for a mass media paper and knew I had found at least a portion of what I enjoyed doing.

After college I moved to New York City and found a job teaching small, after-school public speaking classes to high school students through the nonprofit Apex for Youth. I wanted to look for another job outside of teaching, but this was the most challenging, most enlivening job I've ever had.

I found another position on Idealist.org at the Women's City Club of New York, a nonprofit organization founded by suffragists. I was hired as the membership and development coordinator - essentially, I'd be sending out donor/member appeals, processing gifts, ordering office supplies, and filming events.

After a year, I saw a posting for a night copywriter for Comedy Central's websites for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Political satire fit my character and liberal sociopolitical bent, and also, how awesome would it be if I nabbed it? I investigated the contact person's personal blog and used her blog's title nonchalantly in my cover letter sign-off.

I watched Colbert four nights a week and pulled out the best moments of hilarity for the web.

I worked the night shift, 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., for a year and a half. I watched Colbert four nights a week and pulled out the best moments of hilarity for the web. I loved it, but the schedule wore on me. After less than a year, I asked to work remotely and moved home to Erie. A few months later, Comedy Central asked me to move back to New York, but I decided to stay where I was. For a while, I lived off of random Comedy Central web writing gigs and freelance pieces for local publications. I also wrote for and edited an independent travel and culture magazine Local.

A friend of mine suggested a job she'd heard about at Penn State Hershey, and I hesitantly applied, mainly because it wasn't something I had come across on my own. In my role as donor communications specialist for the Penn State College of Medicine/Penn State Hershey Medical Center, I am able to write a wide range of content - short blurbs for marketing pieces, long yarns for alumni newsletters, and compelling proposals to donors. I've lost a handful of people to cancer, both family members and family friends. The fact that I can help raise money for something like cancer research is a comfort to me. I am encouraged to grow professionally at Penn State, and my ideas are heard.

I also get to work the day shift.

Rosalia Davi
Age: 32
Degrees: B.A. in sociology, Stony Brook University (2004); M.A. in gender and cultural studies and M.S. in communications management, Simmons College (2008)
Current job: Assistant director of experiential education, New York Institute of Technology

My first job out of college was as an administrative assistant for Let's Get Ready, a college access nonprofit that helps low-income high school students complete college with the help of student mentors. I was promoted to program manager not long after I was hired. I managed the student directors who were responsible for running the programs and mentoring the students.

After graduate school, I moved to New York and started my job search over again during the height of the recession. My strategy involved reaching out to professionals in the careers that I was considering and conducting informational interviews with them. Through these conversations I secured a freelance position as a communications consultant at a boutique executive search firm called Bridge Partners LLC. I assisted with marketing and promotion of the company - blogging, writing press releases, and drafting content for two editions of the company's quarterly publication.

I then returned to Let's Get Ready as a development associate. I researched donors, edited proposals and applications for grants, and assisted in communications and marketing. I shared my goal of working in higher education with my colleagues, and one of them put me in touch with my now supervisor at the New York Institute of Technology. About two months after we met, she emailed me to let me know a position had become available.

In my role as assistant director of experiential education at NYIT's Internship Certificate Program in Manhattan, I pair faculty and employers with students to help them prepare for the working world. I also advise students on topics ranging from résumés and interviewing to major selection and career development. I also plan events and programs that focus on diversity in the workplace.

I love what I do because I have the opportunity to help college students during a critical junction in their lives, supporting them through the sometimes difficult journey of professional and personal development.

I was a single mom and worked full-time throughout undergrad and then again when I went to law school. They were different types of jobs, but just the kinds that paid the bills and helped me care for my son.

My first career-oriented job during college was with a foster family agency called Families First, where I did government relations work. I then worked in assisting legal positions at a couple of law firms, working on trial cases and labor law.

Toward the end of law school, I was a public defender in Sacramento County. The district attorney and the public defender both hire upper-division law students who have achieved certain academic standards. I worked under a bar-certified attorney and did much of the same work. I worked in the arraignment court, representing misdemeanor clients. It was fun and exciting, but it also showed me what I did not want to do. I love helping people, but doing so one at a time, case by case, wasn't satisfying to me.

After graduating I chose to forgo law practice and open a consulting firm with my dad, who is also an attorney. We do work in reducing recidivism rates through programming and services for parolees. We also work for child welfare and at-risk populations facing barriers to success. Our clients tend to be government agencies, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, and large businesses serving these populations.

I opened my business in 2004, and in 2009, I started campaigning for City Council. It was never my endgame to go into politics, but being a mom made me want to get involved in my community. I heard about a neighborhood organization forming, so I attended the first meeting. About a dozen neighbors were there with a variety of concerns, including the need for traffic control at the major intersection leading to our area. I agreed to take the lead on figuring out how to get that four-way stop installed.

That stop sign led to many other things - getting Safeway to put locks on carts to mitigate how many were in our neighborhood, establishing a community resource center, and bringing in a new fire station. Being a leader in my neighborhood made me reach out to others, listen to their shared concerns, and come up with solutions. It led me to the decision to take a larger role in helping my community and run for office.

What keeps you up at night, and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning and get involved?

When the election came in 2010, I was the first to beat an incumbent council member in 20 years. In 2014, when my first term was up, I was the first council member in nearly a decade to not have a challenger. When I started in 2010, I was one of three women on the nine-person council. In four years, the women have disappeared. I am the sole female remaining.

I have twice served as vice mayor, a city first. Then I was voted, again by my colleagues, to serve as the city's first full-term mayor pro tem. This means that I have the responsibilities of the mayor when he is unavailable. I am most proud of a different first. I am the only sitting council member to have given birth while in office. I ran the council meeting May 7, 2013, and gave birth May 9.

I have had tremendous support along the way, but it's always come down to this question for me: What keeps you up at night, and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning and get involved?

During my undergraduate years, I interned at the Rutland County Women's Network and Shelter where I did a lot of outreach and a lot of educating myself on the obstacles facing survivors of domestic violence, regardless of gender. That experience more than any other was my introduction to examining policy with a gender lens.

My first job out of college was a work-study position at the Women's International Perspective (the WIP), an online news publication at my graduate school. It publishes fact-checked articles by women from around the world.

For the first several months I worked on site migration from an old platform to the new one. After that, I started reading news headlines from the top publications and syndicating the best and most relevant to our site. I also combed top publications for solid analysis written by women to syndicate with us. I now produce my own content in addition to the other responsibilities. It's the first time I've felt like I have a voice that matters.

I also have a side job managing the social media accounts for scholar and activist Riane Eisler and her organization, Center for Partnership Studies. She works on economic gender equality, which is one of the things my internship taught me was most important for helping survivors get out of their abusive situations.

I plan to continue at the WIP while I figure out where I want to go for a Ph.D. in social or political psychology. If I want to work for economic justice, I need to learn as much as I can about solutions to what I view as some of the biggest problems facing the world today.
Follow Heather on Twitter.
Related:
5 Fascinating Jobs You Can Get With an English Degree 5 Fascinating Jobs You Can Get With a Psychology Degree 5 Fascinating Jobs You Can Get With a Business Administration Degree 5 Fascinating Jobs You Can Get With a Biology Degree 25 Millennial Women Get Brutally Honest About Their Post-College Reality How to Make Six Figures in Five Years Most Millennials Are Doing Worse Than Expected After College How Much Do Millennials Rely on Their Parents? How Does the Job Landscape Look for Millennials?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Fascinating Jobs You Can Get With a Sociology Degree

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In a Cosmopolitan.com survey of nearly 800 twentysomethings, the five most popular majors among female respondents were psychology, English, biology, business administration, and sociology. But what exactly can you do with degrees in these fields? Five women who majored in sociology reveal their career paths. I made a point to travel in college.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Studying sociology opens up a range of careers in areas such as welfare, education, social research, and local and central government

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

Take a few minutes to answer the Job Match quiz and find out what careers would suit you

Work experience

Look for volunteering or work experience opportunities with organisations and businesses that you're interested in working for, or that will help you develop the skills relevant to your career interests. For example, volunteering opportunities exist in schools, community education and social work departments, or with groups including young people, victims of crime or homeless people.

If you're looking for a career in an area such as law or the Civil Service, internships offer the chance for more structured work experience. Competition for places is strong, so research the company well before applying.

Opportunities and resources are advertised by the British Sociological Association. You can also get student membership with them, which provides access to a community of sociologists, networking events and reading material.

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

You may be thinking of entering a career within the areas of social or welfare but there are also opportunities with a range of other employers throughout the public and private sector. They include:

charitable, counselling and voluntary organisations

law firms

local and central government

media companies

marketing and PR firms

the NHS

police and probation services

schools, colleges and universities

social and market research organisations.

Opportunities also exist on a variety of graduate management training schemes.

Find information on employers in charity and voluntary work, public services and administration, social care and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

Studying sociology provides you with a range of skills that employers look for, including communication, interpersonal, problem-solving and analytical skills. You learn to:

appreciate the complexity and diversity of social situations

develop a cross-cultural understanding of the world

apply sociological theory to society's organisations, including schools, hospitals and offices

research, judge and evaluate complex information

make reasoned arguments

apply different research methods, analysis and statistical techniques

develop opinions and new ideas on societal issues

work collaboratively as part of a team on projects

think creatively and independently in order to understand, scrutinise and re-assess common perceptions of the social world

relate sociological knowledge to social, public and civic policy

organise your work and meeting deadlines.

Further study

You may consider going on to further study at Masters level in order to specialise in an area of sociology that interests you, such as social policy, political sociology or social research. It's then possible to go on to study for a PhD, which opens opportunities to work in research.

Alternatively, there are many courses available which can take you into different areas of work, such as:

community education

counselling

information management

journalism

law

social work

teaching.

To become a social worker, for example, an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in social work is essential.

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search postgraduate courses in sociology.

What do sociology graduates do?

Welfare and housing associate professionals (8%), protective service occupations (7%), care workers (6%), teaching professionals (4%), teaching and childcare support occupations(3%), admin (4%) and sales, marketing and related associate professionals (3%) are all among the top ten jobs held by sociology graduates.

For a detailed breakdown of what sociology graduates are doing after graduation, see What do graduates do?

Graduate destinations data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What can I do with a sociology degree? | Prospects.ac.uk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find out what you can do with your degree in sociology including job options, work experience, further study and skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Sociology is an increasingly popular course in the UK, and why wouldn't it be? Mankind is often seemingly incomprehensible in its behaviour, and for those people out there who relish the challenge to understand the seemingly unfathomable patterns of society, Sociology may satisfy your appetite.

If we've whet your appetite, but you need a bit more coercing, read our list of reasons to study a Sociology Degree.

1. Sociology will give you a better understanding of mankind

As a greek Poet once said "many are the Wondrous things, and nought more wondrous than man". Sociology's prime benefit is gaining a greater understanding of the complex and confusing yet charmingly simple nature of mankind, and the societies in which we organise ourselves. By studying societal behaviour we can make comparisons, attempt to solve issues and gain a rational undertstanding of some of society's more frustrating habits. This could also make you more employable, due to the fact that the UK employs a broad demographic in their work force, and therefore having a more comprehensive awareness of those cultures must be a good thing. If the idea of delving into human behaviour and analysing our societal dogma has excited that curious mind of yours, then perhaps a Sociology degree is the one for you.

2. Sociology students report high levels of Student Satisfaction

Perhaps it is this enigmatic character which leads students to enjoy the subject so much. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that Student Satisfaction is notably high among UK universities. Check out our Subject League Table for Sociology 2016. This means that a degree in Sociology is generally seen as rewarding and stimulating by students, very important factors we're sure you'll agree. Sociology is therefore a course which requires students to put the effort in, and subsequently get a high return through teaching, assessment and knowledge.

3. Broad skillset

The skills developed during a Sociology degree are applicable to many areas of work. Improved critical faculties allow students to make rational and measured decisions in the interest of fairness, whereas a synthesis of group and independent projects provide students with skills of team work, self dependence and autonomy. Furthermore, Sociology occasionally offers the chance of studying abroad, instilling skills of multi-culturalism in students. Check out Sociology courses with time abroad here.

Check out the CV skills a Sociology degree brings you with our Sociology Career Guide.

4. International Cohort

As you can see on our What do International Students study? page, Social Studies comes 3rd in the most popular subject areas for students from foreign countries. This implies several things: one implication is that the course is very inclusive, which we can suppose is appropriate for a subject which is based on studying different human societies. Another implication of an international cohort is the chance to learn about other cultures on a very personal basis. Of all the subjects to attract a broad demographic of cultures, Sociology will certainly reap the rewards.

5. Potential for Joint Honours

Another reason to study Sociology is the potential for combining it with another course. If you want to study both Sociology and Mathematics, there is Sociology with Quantitative methods, if you have a flair for foreign languages, try Sociology and Spanish, and for those sociologists with a musical side there is even Sociology with Music. Variety to your degree can help make your university experience that much more vibrant, and Sociology complements this very well.

Next page: 5 of the Most Isolated Societies on Earth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 reasons why you should study a Sociology degree

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sociology is an increasingly popular course in the UK, and why wouldn't it be? Mankind is often seemingly incomprehensible in its behaviour, and for those people out there who relish the challenge to understand the seemingly unfathomable patterns of society, Sociology may satisfy your appetite.

# data[].attributes.body
Sociology, criminology and education degrees