SOCIOLOGY
WHO CAN I CONTACT FOR HELP?
For career and job-related information:
Kate Whetman
Career Services Counselor
kwhetman@sa.utah.edu
801-585-5032
350 Student Services Building
Make an appointment with me to talk about pursuing jobs, fine-tuning your resume, perfecting your interviewing skills, and negotiating the best possible salary.
Academic advising is also available through the department of Sociology, Sara Leymaster can be reached at 581-4678 or socadv@soc.utah.edu. She is located in room 326 Behavioral Science Building.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH SOCIOLOGY?
- What Can I Do With This Major? (Information)
- What Can I Do With This Major? (Links)
- Who Hires Our Grads? - Click on this link and select the college of social and behavioral science. It is recommended that you look at placements for psychology and social work majors in addition to sociology, as they tend to take similar jobs.
Typical Career Paths:
- The most “typical” career paths are working for nonprofit associations, in government and/or in social service situations, including law enforcement and criminology
.- Research and academic goals mean advanced education, usually a Ph.D.
- Many students use this liberal arts degree to pursue jobs in business. People-related fields are of most interest, including management and human resources.
- There is some evidence that liberal arts grads climb the corporate ladder faster than business majors. Why? Because the liberal arts education teaches flexibility, willingness to try new things and embrace change as a positive thing…essential in today’s business world.
- Most students who want to focus their career on social service will plan to get more education down the road. This will not only increase their marketability, but will increase their earning power.
FAQs:
- Do I need a Ph.D. to do one-on-one counseling?
Great news! A Master of Social Work degree qualifies you to take the test to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and after two years working full-time in a supervised setting, you can hang out your own shingle.
- What is a Social Service Worker license?
This is a licensure that you can achieve with a bachelor’s degree and one full-time year of working in a supervised setting. Pass the written test and you can expect an automatic pay increase for positions with the state of Utah and other organizations as well. Many job postings will specify this license, but most are willing to under-fill with new graduates.
- What is the difference between a resume and a curriculum vitae (CV)?
A resume is a one-page overview of your skills and accomplishments. Short, incomplete sentences are used to convey essential points without going into great detail. Because of the brevity of a resume, each word must pack a punch. Utilizing good design tools is essential here to keep your reader’s eye moving down the page. Resume readers generally give a resume 20 seconds (!) to draw them in.
- What about graduate school?
You will certainly want to give graduate school some serious consideration if you plan a career in social service. A graduate degree will add considerably to your level of responsibility and your paycheck. Sociology is also an excellent undergraduate degree when pursuing other fields like an MBA. The Career Services Library has one entire bookcase devoted to information on graduate programs. For an overview of every accredited graduate program in the nation, check into the 6-volume Peterson’s Guide to Graduate Programs.
- Are there student or professional associations where I should be getting involved?
- American Sociological Association (ASA)
- University Of Utah Sociology department Student Advisory Committee
Volunteer experience and internships:
Volunteer opportunities abound in social service. These can be just as valuable as a paid internship. Both situations offer you a true hands-on, close-up view of what a specific job is like. Volunteering doesn’t have to be a major time commitment to be a great resume item. If you need upper division elective credit, read all about our Internship program to see if it’s right for you.
WHAT EMPLOYMENT POSSIBILITIES ARE AVAILABLE?
Volunteer experience and internships:
Volunteer opportunities abound in social service. These can be just as valuable as a paid Internship. Both situations offer you a true hands-on, close-up view of what a job is like. It doesn’t have to be a major time commitment to be a great resume item. If you need upper division credit, read all about our Internship program to see if it’s right for you.
RESUMES:
- There are two basic formats for resumes. The more traditional is the chronological which lists your education and work experience (with job duties outlined) in reverse chronology. With liberal arts majors (that’s you!) there tends to be such an eclectic mix of experience and interests that an employer reading such a resume says, “Wow! Great stuff…but where do I fit in?”
- For this reason, I often recommend the functional/targeted format. This allows you to focus on certain skills and accomplishments while de-emphasizing or ignoring items that do not relate to this particular job search. Check out these sample resumes provided and then come see me so we can fine tune your resume to make sure it shows you in the best possible light.
- Psychology, Sociology and Social Work Sample Resume (pdf)
TIMELINE CONSIDERATIONS:
Freshman
- Sign up with UCareerLink at http://careers.utah.edu. This will give you access to both student and career job listings and put you in the loop for occasional emails.
- Attend Student Employment fairs to connect with employers hiring part time.
- Still struggling with your major? Visit the Career Library for excellent resources.
- Come see me! We can talk about future plans and academic emphasis.
Sophomore
- Consider taking the Career & Life Planning class (Ed Psych 2610).
- Start considering your first internship.
- Attend career fairs to get a broader picture of employers who hire our students.
- Join student groups and volunteer (great resume items!)
Junior
- Start in-depth career exploration and do information interviewing.
- Continue to attend fall and spring career fairs.
- Do your first internship for credit.
- Start working on your resume.
Senior
- Consider a second internship for credit.
- If you are interested in business positions, start interviewing here in our office with both local and national employers. They often hire up to a full year before graduation.
- Let me know the minute you secure your job! Our goal is to turn you into a statistic.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
See the following web sites for job listings for our most frequent hires:
- Human Services Directory is a listing of social service and nonprofit agencies along the Wasatch front. There is also a very user-friendly hard copy in the directory section of the Career Library located here in our office. Use this resource to identify what agencies are involved in the issues/populations that interest you.
- Department of Human Services hires our recent grads for positions with Juvenile Justice and Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). These are jobs with the state of Utah, and as such, provide excellent benefits. Entry level salary is about $30K.
- Utah Nonprofits Association has over 300 member organizations. The job board on this web site will show you a huge variety of opportunities from custodial positions to running the show!
- Valley Mental Health is the largest private mental health provider in the state. They have a long and diverse list of job openings.
- UCareerLink is our own database of job postings targeting both current students and new grads. If you haven’t registered for this access yet, click here.
OTHER WEB SITES FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
SEE ALSO :
Psychology and Social Work Job Info by Major pages, as well as the terrific information found on our home page, such as information interviewing, cover letters, interviewing preparation and thank you letters.
“Snowflakes, leaves, humans, plants, raindrops, stars, molecules, microscopic entities all come in communities. The singular cannot in reality exist.”
~Paula Gunn Allen, Grandmothers of the Light
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