WCU Sociology Department Graduate Career Paths

07/07/2017

A recruitment event, shared by the WCU Career Development Center

12/07/2015

This question is often asked by students in the Sociology Major at West Chester University. By participating in a research project studying Sociology alumni, under the direction of Dr. Jacqueline Zalewski and Miguel Ceballos, undergraduate students enrolled in SOC 343 (Sociology of Organizations) and SOC 340 (Sociology of Work) are gathering data to respond to this question. Findings will help shed light on employment, ongoing education, and challenges Sociology alumni face in their pursuit of professional jobs and careers.

Visit out Wix page for further information on Sociology Career Paths! ---> http://sd687840.wix.com/sociologyproject

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11/30/2015

Where Do Our Majors Go !?!?

11/30/2015

Sociological Demographics of Graduates

1. How would you classify your gender?
□ Male
□ Female
□ Other: __________

2. Which of the following categories best describes your race/ethnicity? (check all that apply)
□ American Indian or Alaska Native
□ Asian or Asian American
□ Black or African American
□ Latino or Hispanic
□ Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
□ White or Caucasian
□ Other: ___________________________________

3. What is your employment status?

□ Employed full time for wages
□ Employed part time for wages
□ Self-employed
□ Volunteer work
□ Out of work and looking for work
□ Out of work but not currently looking for work
□ A student
□ Unable to work
□ Other: ____________________________________

4. If you are currently working, what is your yearly income? Please choose one.

□ Less than $10,000
□ $10,000 to $29,999
□ $30,000 to $49,999
□ $50,000 to $69,999
□ $70,000 to $89,999
□ $90,000 or more

Section Two: Your Undergraduate Career at West Chester University

1. Did you have a job(s) or internship(s) while you were a student at West Chester University? If so, please describe the job(s)/internship(s).

2. What clubs, sports, and activities (e.g., study abroad, volunteering, etc.) were you involved with while at WCU?

2b. Did jobs, internships, or extra-curricular activities influence your post-graduate decisions in any way?

3. Did you use the Tewardowski Career Development Center at WCU?
a. Yes
b. No (skip to question #6)

4. How did you make use of the Tewardowski Career Development Center at West Chester University? Please check all that apply.

Types of Services:
□ Assistance choosing or exploring majors and/or careers (help researching, discussing options, etc.)
□ Preparing for and/or practicing interviews
□ Searching for internships and jobs
□ Applying for positions and/or participating in on-campus recruiting (OCR)
□ Connecting with employers via career events (career fairs, information tables, etc.)
□ Preparing for graduate/professional school
□ Developing professional etiquette (e.g., communication, attire, etc.)
□ Other: ___________________________________________

5. If you did make use of the Tewardowski Career Development Center, how useful would you consider the services to be overall? Please choose one.

□ Excellent
□ Very Good
□ Good
□ Poor
□ Very Poor

5b. Please explain your choice:

6. Was there anything that might have been more helpful for your career development and preparation for the job market while you were attending WCU?
□ Yes
□ No

6b. If yes, what are some of those things? Please be as specific as possible.

Section Three: Your First Job

1. Please describe your first job following graduation. Who was/is your employer? What was/is your job title?

2. Which skill is something you have done/did in your first job? (yes or no)
• Organization skills (including leadership)
• Work with people who differ in race, ethnicity, gender, or class
• Work with others in teams
• Use computer resources to locate information
• Gather information to make evidence based arguments
• Summarize information in tables or graphs
• Write a report
• Make presentations using software such as powerpoint
• Search for existing statistics
• Other:_________________

3. What most influenced your decision to go into this field?

4. How did you find this job?

5. What academic requirements did/do you need for the job?

6. Did a bachelor’s degree in Sociology help, hinder, or have no effect on obtaining this job?

7. To help me with my first job, I use/used what I’ve learned in my sociology undergraduate program about: (yes or no)
• Diversity
• Social institutions and their impact on individuals
• Groups and teams
• Social problems
• Social stratification/inequality by class, gender, or race
• Alternative or critical perspectives
• Sociological imagination
• Sociology concepts and theories
• Statistical/data analysis
• Research methods
• Other aspects (explain)

8. Rank your level of satisfaction with the job.

□ Very Satisfied
□ Somewhat Satisfied
□ Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied
□ Somewhat Dissatisfied
□ Very Dissatisfied

8b. Please explain your choice.

9. Do you still have this job? If yes, do you plan to stay or is this job temporary? If no, what was your reason for leaving or changing your job; e.g., better job, relocation, layoff, other?

Section Four: Your Second Job

1. Please describe your second job following college. Who was/is your employer? What was/is your job title?

2. Which skill is something you have done/did in your second job? (yes or no)
• Organization skills (including leadership)
• Work with people who differ in race, ethnicity, gender, or class
• Work with others in teams
• Use computer resources to locate information
• Gather information to make evidence based arguments
• Summarize information in tables or graphs
• Write a report
• Make presentations using software such as powerpoint
• Search for existing statistics
• Other:________________

3. What most influenced your decision to go into this field?

4. How did you find this job?

5. What academic requirements did/do you need for the job?

6. Did a bachelor’s degree in Sociology help, hinder, or have no effect on obtaining this job?

7. To help me with my second job, I use/used what I’ve learned in my sociology undergraduate program about: (yes or no)
• Diversity
• Social institutions and their impact on individuals
• Groups and teams
• Social problems
• Social stratification/inequality by class, gender, or race
• Alternative or critical perspectives
• Sociological imagination
• Sociology concepts and theories
• Statistical/data analysis
• Research methods
• Other aspects (explain)

8. Rank your level of satisfaction with the job.

□ Very Satisfied
□ Somewhat Satisfied
□ Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied
□ Somewhat Dissatisfied
□ Very Dissatisfied

8b. Please explain your choice.

9. Do you still have this job? If yes, do you plan to stay or is this job temporary? If no, what was your reason for leaving or changing your job; e.g., better job, relocation, layoff, other?

Section Five: Continuing Education and the Future

1. Are you continuing your education in any way? Please check all that apply.

□ Working towards another bachelor’s degree
□ Have obtained another bachelor’s degree
□ Working towards a master’s degree
□ Have obtained a master’s degree
□ Working towards a doctorate degree
□ Have obtained a doctorate degree
□ Career training
□ Relevant certifications (please explain)
□ Other professional development:_________________________________________

2. If you checked any of the above boxes, please elaborate.

3. What are your future career plans? Please be as specific as possible.

Section Six: Unemployment

1. Are you actively searching for employment?
□ Yes
□ No (skip to question #4)

2. Are you having difficulty finding employment?

3. Why do you think you are having difficulty finding employment?

4. Have you found that a bachelor’s degree in Sociology has helped, hindered, or had no effect on obtaining a job?

5. Would you have done anything differently at WCU to improve your chances of finding employment?

Conclude: Thanks!
Thank you for participating in this important research! Your support will help strengthen curriculum, pedagogy, and advising in the sociology major.

Would it be okay if we put you on a list to be contacted again in five years? Will you continue to participate?

11/30/2015

RESEARCH BACKGROUND

Why do students major in Sociology?
• 2012 sample of sociology graduates: concepts interesting, enjoyed first sociology class, reputation of the school’s sociology department and career prospects (Senter, Spalter-Roth, and Van Vooren 2014).
• Personal passion for the subject and the ability to relate and apply sociology concepts to personal lives (ASA 2009)
• Sample of 2005 graduating seniors in sociology: sociology concepts, enjoyed first sociology class, desire to understand social forces and relationships, desire to help change society, desire to understand one’s life (ASA 2006).

What special knowledge and skills do they learn in the sociology major? What special knowledge and skills in sociology do graduates commonly use in their work?
• 2012 sample of sociology graduates, special knowledge and skills used in jobs: knowledge of diversity, social institutions, social groups, and social problems; organizational skills, leadership, ability to work with diverse groups of people, ability to use computer resources to find information. Familiarity with research design was not. (Senter, Spalter-Roth, and Van Vooren 2015).
• Communication, problem solving, writing, critical thinking, make well supported arguments, study ethical issues, conduct research, understand social forces and policies, and are comfortable with diversity (ASA 2009).
• Identify ethical issues, develop evidence-based arguments, evaluate research methods, write reports, form hypotheses, create reference lists, interpret data results (ASA 2006)

What types of work, jobs, and careers do they commonly have? Are these areas of current and future job growth?
• 2012 sample of sociology graduates, social science researchers and managers perceived growth opportunities. Subjects in sales/marketing, administrative, or service jobs far less so (Senter, Spalter-Roth, and Van Vooren 2015).
• 2012 sample of sociology graduates working in research, social services, management, and teaching perceived greater mobility opportunities as compared to graduates in administrative support, service, and sales positions (Senter, Spalter-Roth, and Van Vooren 2014)
• Social services/counseling, sales, marketing, administrative support, education, service, information technology, public relations, research—job growth, and management (ASA 2009).
• 5 dominant career paths: college teaching with a masters or PhD, human services (e.g., youth, poverty, substance abuse, crime, mental health, aging)—job growth, human resources—tenuous area, government, and research—job growth (Lambert 2008)
What curriculum or activities help leverage success (jobs generally)?
• Internships, doing informational interviews, volunteering, perfecting your resume, and building a network of contacts (ASA 2009)

What types of jobs or factors impact the job satisfaction of sociology graduates?
• 2012 sample of sociology graduates: social services or counseling positions are very satisfied, service and sales/marketing are least satisfied (Senter, Spalter-Roth, and Van Vooren 2015).
• 2012 sample of sociology graduates: factors impacting job satisfaction included location, coworkers, degree of independence, helping people, job security, and using knowledge and skills learned in the major. Salary least influence of 11 factors on job satisfaction (Senter, Spalter-Roth, and Van Vooren 2015).

What ongoing education do they complete?
• Sociology majors who graduated in 2012, most common graduate school program was sociology. Other top programs included social work, human services, education, and law (Senter, Spalter-Roth, and Van Vooren 2014)
• Its common, one study found 22% (ASA 2009)
• Education, psychology and counseling, applied sociology, social work, and law (ASA 2006)

REFERENCES

21st Century Careers with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology (2nd ed.). (2009). Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.
American Sociological Association, Research and Development Department, 2006. “What Can I Do with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology” A National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology: First Glances: What Do They Know and Where are They Going? Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.
Lambert, S. (2008). The Career Paths. In Great Jobs for Sociology Majors (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill Companies.
Senter, M., Spalter-Roth, R., & Van Vooren, N. (2015). Jobs, Careers & Sociological Skills.
Senter, M., Spalter-Roth, R., & Van Vooren, N. (2014). Recent Sociology Alumni: Would They Major Again?