Best Career Options In Sociology
Sociology is the study of human behaviour in society, social causes, and changes in social life. The course teaches students to investigate structures like groups of people, society, and institutions. Various courses in sociology are popular among students as they relate to society’s dynamics. Students get to conduct many research projects to understand social issues, test theories, and develop models for the development of society.
Courses in sociology offer learnings about gender roles, family issues, advantages and disadvantages of marriages, criminology, dynamics of growing age, social inequality, public policy, professional roles, etc.
Courses in sociology are ideal for students who are patient and have an open mind, excellent communication skills, and like research, reading, and writing.
Eligibility to study sociology
Individuals can study sociology at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Also, BA and MA in sociology are available in most colleges.
The eligibility for the courses in sociology is:
BA Sociology
If a candidate wants to do a BA in sociology, he must pass his 10+2 exam with social science as a subject. BA sociology is a one of the great courses after BA that you can consider. BA in sociology is a 3-year undergraduate course where a student study about social interaction, culture, and social relations.
In a few colleges, the admission process is on the basis of merit. However, the University of Delhi conducts an entrance-based exam for students who want to go for BA in sociology. To score well in the entrance examination, you must know your syllabus thoroughly. The most common topics you must study are Indian society and its concepts, various sociological theories, and methods of sociological inquiry.
Check the previous year’s question paper to know the pattern of questions asked so that you can score well. Additionally, read all the important books for the entrance test. Also, keep track of the cut-off marks by visiting the websites of the various colleges and universities.
MA Sociology
MA in sociology is a full 2-year course that allows students to study society and its mechanism in a wide manner. For MA in sociology, a candidate must complete his undergraduate in sociology with a minimum of 60% of aggregate marks.
You can get an admission based on merit or by attempting an entrance exam. The application forms are usually made available in June by various universities. You can also check the list of shortlisted candidates by visiting the college and university website.
Career Options in Sociology
Courses in sociology offer ample career opportunities. Here are some of the most popular career options in sociology which can help you land some of the best paying jobs in india .
Social worker
– Social worker is one of the best career options in sociology if you plan to be a part of improving society and helping people. Graduates in sociology are expected to use their learnings to evaluate social issues and help solve them. Social workers ensure that the resources reach the people and families in need.
Journalist
– Candidates with expertise in writing and observing mass attitudes can choose a career in journalism. Many publications are looking for professionals who have a good understanding of analyzing social issues.
Administrative Support
– Educational institutions need professionals to assess mass psychology, understand human behaviour, and provide solutions to the issues. An individual with a degree in sociology can become an integral part of administrative staff in universities, colleges, and schools.
Rehabilitation Counsellor
– This is another career option in sociology if you like to help youths in society. A rehabilitation counsellor counsels the youths who are going down the wrong path or who have made life-altering bad decisions. Counselling is known to be quite effective for youths who are traumatized by their past life events.
Family counsellor
– Sociologists are capable of counselling, and hence they can work as family counsellors. A sociologist can assess and evaluate a family and helps in solving various family problems like marital issues, parenting issues, etc.
Survey Researcher
– It is another career option in sociology wherein you would be required to conduct surveys and make decisions based on that. A survey helps a sociologist observe the pattern of political and social issues. Survey also enables the researcher to determine how consumers react to a particular service or product. The survey researcher helps create relevant questionnaires and focus groups to get clear answers. He uses the collected data and analyzes them to create a well-informed report for the organizations. A survey researcher can get a job in both, the private and public sectors.
Human resources manager
he can be a good human resource manager. An HR specialist analyses the job roles and decides whether he is ideal for the specific job or not after taking his interviews. HR manager can be the best paying job in India for a sociologist.
If you want to pursue a career as a sociologist, here are a few steps to follow:
- Make a decision – Students who want to pursue a sociology course must decide at an early stage, most probably during school, and they should participate in various debates related to social issues.
- Choose subjects accordingly – If you want to be a sociologist, you should pick subjects in arts and humanities.
- Entrance exam – Most universities conduct a merit-based admission process. However, others conduct entrance examinations like JMI, CUCET, DUET, etc.
- Exam pattern – In the entrance examination, you need to answer both objective and subjective questions from various sections like English comprehension, reasoning, quantitative aptitude, data interpretation, etc.
- Selecting the college – When you are choosing the college, keep the following points in mind:
- Consider the NIRF ranking of the colleges offering sociology courses.
- Pick a college on the basis of a student’s review.
- Choose the college on the basis of the teacher’s educational experience and qualification.
- After qualifying exam – Some universities or colleges take personal interviews after qualifying for the exams. So, prepare for interviews too.
Related courses to be a sociologist
After completing post-graduation in Sociology, you can also go on to become a Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology. This advanced course will give you knowledge about the research methods. You can choose from various specialization areas like clinical sociology, social movements, culture and politics, race and ethnicity, urban sociology, etc. Students can get admitted to the top universities in India based on their marks secured in the entrance examination and marks secured in post-graduation.
Besides going for Bachelor’s degree in sociology, students can go for various other short courses in sociology in various specializations like comparative sociology, cultural sociology, collective behaviour, and applied sociology. The duration of such courses varies from six months to one year. However, one should be very careful while picking the platform for such courses. A good platform with experienced and qualified teachers will provide knowledge at par with the global standards.
Emeritus is one of the leading platforms for students seeking extra certification courses to climb up the career ladder. All the courses offered by the platform are offered by top educational institutes like ISB Executive Education and IITs. You can select a course according to your preference and study from the best mentors. Many will tell you that learning from industry experts will help you enhance your career. It offers you a real-world perspective to help you progress better.
Sociology is a great way to understand the complexities of our societies. As a sociologist, you will have the opportunity to develop communities, improve relationships, guide the misled and more.
Your role will be crucial to society. Hence there’s a great scope for a sociologist in research, welfare organizations, educational institutes, media houses, international agencies, survey organizations, and many more places.
