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A career as a social scientist provides many opportunities for both personal and professional growth. There are many fields that employ social scientists and a wide range of positions to fit every individual’s career path. Anthropologists, psychologists and those with degrees in economics and political science possess the education and experience that many employers are looking for. Here are the best careers for social scientists for 2014:
Community Manager
Forbes reports that social scientists will be in great demand in the technology sector, specifically in the position of community manager. Social scientists have the ability to understand human relationships and communication. They are also comfortable working with people virtually or in real life. Social scientists make excellent community managers because they can apply their knowledge and skills to managing the online communities that exist thanks to social networking.
Program Manager
Social scientists will find great career potential and personal satisfaction working in the non profit sector as a program manager. Organizations often hire social scientists for these position because of their background in psychology, interpersonal communication and a liberal education that exposed them to multiple disciplines. Program managers are needed for residential drug and alcohol addiction treatment centers, youth and family behavioral treatment centers and day centers for adults living with special needs. A program manager makes a difference in the lives of the people they work with, and it is a very rewarding and challenging career path.
Child Welfare Case Manager
Children in the foster care system in America always need strong, reliable advocates. A person with a social science background is the ideal candidate to work as a child welfare case manager. Not only will they be able to interact with, comfort and provide assistance to the child, they have the educational background to look for ways to improve the foster care system and find opportunities to help each individual child. Strong communication skills, an understanding of psychology and the ability to think outside of the box are all skills that a child welfare case manager needs to possess.
Urban Planner
Urban planners work with city officials to decide and orchestrate how the city’s land and resources should be used to maximize efficiency. Strong interpersonal skills, inventive thinking and planning skills and a penchant for spacial relationships all lend themselves to a social scientist being perfect for the job as an urban planner. Urban planners work hard to figure out how to best use a city’s space in order for it to be able to grow and develop. On top of their college degree, social scientists can earn a certificate from the American Institute of Certified Planners to help secure a position as an urban planner.
Social scientists have the unique and fortunate opportunity to work in multiple fields. Their education and degree provides them with the flexibility to find a career in their choice of industries, doing their choice of a wide variety of work.