Comments on: The Job Market for New Sociologists

By: cu

cu — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:13:00 +0000

I got MA degree in Gender Studies in 2003 and employed in a local NGO. Currently work for Microsoft. Always feel lucky that I didn’t have to fight for a job during the recession in 2008. To avoid that possibility, I’m now taking an MBA program.

By: Totallynotagradstudent

Totallynotagradstudent — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:40:00 +0000

It might be interesting to see how many jobs are being created relative to retirement. I know that the feeling in my part of the country is that R1 schools are tending to not replace retired professors at the same pace as they are leaving.

Also, related to this post http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/08/31/what-kind-of-jobs-are-we-gaining/

it might be fair to ask what kinds of jobs are being made. Again, the feel I hear from students on the market is that salaries are not what they used to be (even starting salaries) and rather than have a mix of teaching and research duties for faculty, departments are moving to hire more lecturers to take on teaching while they reserve tenure track positions for people who focus more on research. Not that lecturing is bad, it just doesn’t seem to carry the job security that even a starting professor might get.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:26:00 +0000

I know this all too well. I graduated in May from Rutgers and have a spreadsheet of over 40 jobs that I applied to with a total of two responses (both denials). So if anyone is hiring or needs an intern, I’m ready and willing!

By: decius

decius — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:35:00 +0000

There can never be enough room for all of the PhDs in academic settings. That’s part of the reason STEM degrees are higher-status.

By: odub

odub — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 09:44:00 +0000

Christine: the main advice I wish I had gotten in grad school was how my skills might apply elsewhere, beyond just a conventional professorship. I came out a relatively prestigious R1 program and the unspoken assumption was that all of us would be trying to find R1 tenure-track jobs too but that doesn’t provide one with much of a back-up plan once the market goes soft.

Especially in sociology, the kinds of methods training that exists has applications in all kinds of different public and private fields/industries but it seems that few grad schools ever provide much advisement in how to explore those other fields. If your department comes up short in that regard then you may have to quickly educate yourself in those alternatives.

By: Christine Covino

Christine Covino — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 00:55:00 +0000

I try to ask a legitimate question, and almost every comment on this post is rude or a joke.

By: SociologyIsForDummies

SociologyIsForDummies — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 00:48:00 +0000

The number of job advertisements look too high to me. I’d like to see all sociologists out of work (most already are, but one employed sociologist is one too many).

By: David Kahn

David Kahn — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Find a new, more lucrative field, such as cleaning toilets.

By: Antisoc

Antisoc — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Ha ha, suck it!

By: Daniel Alvord

Daniel Alvord — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 02:56:00 +0000

As a sociology phd student… OMG!!!

By: Corinne Marasco

Corinne Marasco — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:43:00 +0000

I’ll echo what’s been said–these are solely academic jobs. I have an MA in sociology and have not worked in academia. I purposely did not get the PhD because I knew i wasn’t going in that direction. For new sociologists, I recommend looking outside of academia–state and local government or non-profits, for example–and start thinking of skills you have acquired that are transferable to any workplace, like your quantitative skills.

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 19:12:00 +0000

I also wonder how easily sociology graduates find employment (where their degree is directly useful) in the non-academic realm. Caren’s work is very interesting and important, but I wish there were a way he or others could track the trajectory of sociology students who do not wish to pursue academic careers.

“…[The] discipline has yet to recover from the Great Recession (if that’s the sole cause of the decline in job openings).”

It’s blatantly apparent, in European universities at least, that for some time now anthropology and sociology departments are being underfunded, merged into other broader departments, not being allotted well-rounded curriculum options (I’ve heard professors complain about not being allowed to teach courses beyond basic Soc101-type courses) etc. While I don’t really know what the reasons for this is beyond financial reasons or perhaps dwindling interest by students, I really hope that the fields regain their ground. These are really poor administrative decisions, in my opinion.

But I think sociologists also need to internally address why sociology departments are being undermined; they need to confront the very trajectory of their discipline.

By: Christine Covino

Christine Covino — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:30:00 +0000

So, what advice do you have for a budding sociologist?