Graduates with sociology degrees are expected to be culturally sensitive, analytical and capable of working with a wide variety of people. Many move into education, becoming school teachers or school administers. In particular, successful sociology majors are recruited by not-for-profit educational programs like Teach for America and Americorps. Other sociology majors seeking international experience will take jobs teaching English abroad, where their ability to understand the economics and social organizations of other societies makes them skilled at working with youth abroad.
Many sociology graduates work for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Red Cross or the Peace Corps. These organizations benefit from the graduate's ability to understand organizational structure, social trends, qualitative and quantitative data analysis and issues in development. Also included in this category are jobs such as social worker, child-service provider, community organizer, social assistance advocate, youth advocate or fund-raising director. All of these positions allow sociology graduates to utilize knowledge of social trends while improving the lives of those in need.
Many sociology graduates are skilled in the use of surveys and other data-gathering tools, as well as the statistical analysis of the data gathered. Others are trained to conduct interviews, utilizing questioning techniques and proper body language. As a result, many sociology graduates are hired by governmental departments, medical research projects or private companies to gather demographic and survey data about anything from health problems to customer satisfaction to advertising strategies. In particular, sociology majors make successful market analysts and census officers.
Because many sociology graduates focused on the interaction between social groups and political bodies, they are able to easily move into governmental work after college. In addition to work as a researcher, government positions are available in public health, urban planning and policy making. Many sociology graduates become legislative aides, congressional assistants or lobbyists.