Are there a lot of available jobs for people who major in sociology?

Hi Aubrey! Sociology is a very broad field. You can go into law school, graduate school in psychology, social work, education etc. You can become a clinician, case manager, academic advisor, lawyer, paralegal, teacher, mental health counselor, and these jobs are always in need. As far as pay goes, social services is very underpaid; however, depending on how far you go you can make a decent amount with a good work/social life balance. One of the benefits I have working for a college is getting Fridays off in the summer and leaving early on Fridays during the school year. Although this may seem like nothing, a lot of other jobs are very demanding, stressful and do not give these perks. I would definitely advise you to figure out what your passion is and then go from there because you can major in sociology and still fulfill your passion to become a nurse for example if you take the pre-reqs. So it really depends on you, your situation and what you want from life.

Aubrey,

Hi! I majored in Sociology, many years ago. At that time, we did a lot of research and writing. I hope it is still the same. I went to college because I realized that HS had not taught me to think, form an opinion, and back it up. I did not do it to pursue a career. (It was a lot less expensive back then!) From there, I fell into a job in law enforcement, and there I stayed. While I never went for promotion, I did other things to use my education.

I got politically active, pushing for payraises, higher levels of professionalism, etc. When the city attempted to dissolve our department, I was the one who rebutted their "professional" study, and even held a press conference (I was president of the police association at the time). I later teamed up with another officer. He became the "handshaker and baby kisser" (politician), and I was the researcher/writer. Whenever he had a meeting with an elected official, I would brief him on what he needed to talk about. It worked out very well! None of this would have happened without the skills I learned in pursuing my Sociology degree.

I now work at a workforce center, helping people find jobs. I also do some part-time work for attorneys, as mentioned above. You never know where life is going to take you. I would not be too concerned about nailing it down with certainty at this point. However, you do need a general idea. There is a big difference between Sociology requirements and Pharmacist (I cheated and looked at your other question.) Of course, all jobs have good and bad. I had to arrest people that I did not think should be arrested (they had warrants), the workforce center is more concerned about generating statistics than actually helping people , etc. Trying to learn about the jobs at this point is a good move!

Anyway, a Sociology degree can be used in many different ways. It will be up to you to explain to the potential employer how the skills/education pertain to the job you are applying for. And, quite honestly, I've met many people with degrees totally unrelated to their occupations---bankers with chemistry degrees, etc.The MOST important thing is that you GET a degree. Stay focused on that goal!