Careers

CareerCast.com names sociology as one of the nation's best jobs in its "2009 Jobs Rated Report."  Sociology ranked as the eighth most appealing job in the new website's analysis of 200 occupations.  The ranking is based on various job characteristics including perceived work environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands, security, and stress.  See www.careercast.com/jobs/jobsRated.

The Feb. 2009 issue of ASA's newsletter, Footnotes, has an excellent article entitled, "BA and Beyond...and to Graduate School. See www.asanet.org/footnotes/feb09/ba.html.

For those considering a career in anthropology, the American Anthropological Association has an excellent article on their web site:  www.aaanet.org/profdev/careers/Careers.cfm. They also offer DVDs such as Anthropology: Real People, Real Careers which is comprised of interviews with individuals working in ten different fields in applied anthropology. These include:
• Sociocultural Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Physical Anthropology
• Linguistic Anthropology
• Medical Anthropology
• Forensic Anthropology
• Business and Corporate Anthropology
• Visual Anthropology
• Environmental Anthropology
• Museum Anthropology
Both anthropology and sociology at Lehigh emphasize hands-on research and help to prepare students for a wide variety of careers in education, government and the private sector. Many of our alumni have pursued advanced degrees in sociology, anthropology, law, social work, education, and other fields.

Employers clamor for professionals with advanced analytical and technical preparation, particularly people who can think independently and also work effectively in teams. We prepare students with these skills and for careers in different environments by training them to observe the world systematically and to know how to gather and analyze information needed to handle complex problems arising in myriad settings from tiny, isolated villages to giant, global organizations.

Moreover, anthropology and sociology are the disciplines most devoted to preparing students for careers that involve working with people from different cultural and social backgrounds. We are specialists in understanding how identities shape people's experiences and thus train students to thrive in multicultural environments.

Here is the breakdown of current careers among Lehigh University sociology and anthropology graduates from 1990-2006:

Private Business – 41.3%

  • Management
  • Financial Services/Banking
  • Sales
  • Publishing/Communications
  • Advertising/Marketing
  • Owner
  • Engineering
  • Misc.

Teachers/Guidance Counselors/Administrators – 17.7%

  • Teachers
  • Administration
  • Counselors
  • Other

Lawyers/Judges – 10.7%
Social Work/Psychologists – 8.0%
College Professors/Administrators/Coaches – 5.4%
Health Care Providers and Administrators – 4.3%
Public Sector – 2.7%
Research – 2.7%
Charitable/Public Service Organizations – 2.7%
Art – 1.6%
Other – 2.9%

Department of Sociology and Anthropology
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