- An associate's degree in sociology means you know how to gather facts and figures and interpret them. You can collect market research or conduct surveys on public opinion of political and social events. You may calculate the impact assessment of a particular environmental change on the local community. A research job will also provide you with future flexibility because researchers are necessary in all sectors of society. Those include public and private school institutions, private corporations, and sectors of government.
- You may create new policies at the federal, state or local level that requires fieldwork and determining what a community needs and how to meet that need. You could work as an administrator, helping government function at all levels more efficiently. A sociology associate's degree can lead to work as social workers, community planners, correction officers, and analyst or specialist positions. Specialists and analysts collect, sifting through and evaluate information on local communities, the environment, and greater society, so that government can make informed legislative decisions.
- Many jobs require sociologists to interact with people and understand what motivates them. They include market researchers to evaluate consumer data and interpret it, pollsters to effectively communicate with, and collect information about, average people. Other positions include a human resource manager or a coordinator in a non-governmental organization (NGO). Experience in sociology can be used in a business group in a large range of industries, including advertising, publishing, insurance and banking. You will have to start out at the bottom at an entry-level position after obtaining your degree, as with most industries. Your associate's degree can give you the fundamental skills to land any job that is communication-based; and you'll advance yourself further.
- People with a background in sociology are effective teachers because of their ability to communicate. In order to teach at the high school or two-year college level, you will probably need to go back to school for a master's degree in sociology. If you want to teach at the college level, you will need a Ph.D degree. You can obtain a position as a teaching assistant with an associate's degree and later pursue a more advanced degree to teach at a higher level.
