About Careers in the Social Science Field
Social science covers a wide range of academic fields. People with jobs in these fields work in occupations ranging from research to teaching. Many social scientists also serve as consultants for private enterprise or for the government. Working in social science requires planning, however, to make sense of the many types of jobs available.
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Competition
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that job competition is tough, though not fierce. People who have graduate-level degrees in social science fields have the best chance of getting a good job. The field also is open to people who have hard skills they can offer employers or training in multiple fields.
Opportunities
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Most people who work as social scientists have advanced degrees. These degrees range from master's degrees in therapy or social work to doctorates for people wishing to work in academia. People who have a bachelor's degree in a social science field, which includes psychology, sociology, gender and cultural studies, political science, anthropology, archaeology and criminology, can find jobs as research assistants helping others on grant-funded research projects.
Advantages
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People who work in social science often are on the cutting edge of research into human behaviors. Social scientists study questions about why people engage in certain behaviors, and one of the best parts about being a social scientist is finding out a key to behavior that can benefit society. Criminologists, for instance, study why people commit crimes and what society can do to prevent these crimes---information that can benefit society at large.
Disadvantages
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Careers in social science are not often among the top income-earners. With a bachelor's degree, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that one can expect to earn somewhere around $30,000 annually. The median pay for social science careers ranges from $48,000 a year for historians to $90,000 for political scientists, but none of the social science fields break six-figure incomes for the average worker.
Warnings
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Few jobs are available for social scientists. The majority of jobs are academic, requiring teaching as well as researching, though the government and some private organizations employ people for research only. Only about 18,000 people work as social scientists in the United States.
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