As we decide on our various courses of study and when we are close to the end of our academic journey we begin to consider our fate outside the walls of our studies.
Like many other students, sociologists also ask themselves the million-dollar question, “Where can I work with my certificate?” The purpose of this article is to answer this question.
Where can a sociologist work in Nigeria?
Nigerian sociology graduates can choose to work in any of the following career ventures:
- Social work
- Education
- Counseling
- Public administration
- Bank
- Economics
- Criminology
- Law enforcement
- Journalism
- Politics
- Analyst
- Nongovernmental organizations
What is Sociology?
Sociology is the study of human behavior and how humans interact with each other. It examines various groups, social, and religious, and how people relate within these groups. It studies the structure of human society.
Sociology analyzes the consequences and causes of a person’s personal experiences such as love, friendship, racial discrimination, identity crisis, and family issues.
It also studies issues that affect the general human population such as population increase, diseases, epidemics, death, and war.
It analyzes our community, personal life, and the world in general. It studies both personal and general issues in human social behavior. A sociologist is a person who practices or studies sociology.
Sociology is divided into the following branches
- Educational Sociology
- Family Sociology
- Rural sociology
- Medical sociology
- Medical sociology
- Medical sociology
- Criminology Sociology
- Industrial Sociology
- Knowledge Sociology
- Historical Sociology
- Religion Sociology
- Theoretical Sociology
How does a Background in Sociology help you in your Career Path?
Economics: Sociologists study human behavior and what affects them, it studies the family, community, and the world at large. A background in sociology makes it possible for you to ascertain how various decisions might affect your finances and life in general.
Criminology: this deals with the study of crime, how it can be prevented, different ways of detecting it, and the punishment for offenders. Sociologists during the cause of their study encounter different people, criminals, and victims too. With this knowledge, they can think like criminals and also like victims which can be a great tool in solving criminal problems
Journalism: in this profession, you are required to source for stories, get people to talk about their experiences, and meet with people with different personalities and from different works of life. Sociologists are great observers and in a journalism career, a sociologist can observe situations with a better grasp of how these situations affect the different people involved. This helps them to their stories in a way that appeals to the people.
Law enforcement: this profession is tasked with keeping the law and order in our society. Sociologists study the cause and effect of human behavior, they are taught how to control different situations this can act as a good basis for a career in law enforcement.
Social work: this profession is concerned with helping people in difficult situations, they help them get through their struggles. The people commonly in need of help are children and women. Based on the studies undergone by sociologists they are already familiar with these situations and will be better able to help these families. Sociologists can work as probation officers, counselors, child welfare officials, etc.
Nongovernmental organizations: these are humanitarian organizations formed to better help communities and society at large. Sociologists are more connected to people because they understand their situations and can relate to them better. Sociologists can create charity organizations, fundraisers, and community awareness campaigns to help the people in society.
A sociologist can also work as a human resource manager, business analyst, consumer resource manager, employee specialist, human rights officer, legislative aid, juvenile court specialist, program supervisor, census researcher, data analyst, market researcher, substance abuse specialist, foreign affairs officer, etc.
Government Jobs for Sociology Majors
Sociologists can be accepted to work in the following government positions
- Public relations specialist
- Social workers
- Substance abuse specialist
- Market research analyst
- Child/ youth specialist
- Foreign affairs officers
Highest-Paying Sociology Jobs
Here’s a list of some high-paying jobs a sociologist can apply for
- Digital Marketing
- Consultants
- Urban planner
- Community service manager
- School counselors
- Policy Analyst
- Probation official