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Sociologists

Also called: Research Scientist, Research Associate, Social Scientist, Behavioral Scientist

What they do:
Study human society and social behavior by examining the groups and social institutions that people form, as well as various social, religious, political, and business organizations. May study the behavior and interaction of groups, trace their origin and growth, and analyze the influence of group activities on individual members.
On the job, you would:
  • Prepare publications and reports containing research findings.
  • Analyze and interpret data in order to increase the understanding of human social behavior.
  • Plan and conduct research to develop and test theories about societal issues such as crime, group relations, poverty, and aging.

Knowledge

Math and Science
  • sociology and anthropology
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Arts and Humanities
  • English language
Education and Training
  • teaching and course design
Engineering and Technology
  • computers and electronics

Skills

Basic Skills
  • reading work related information
  • talking to others
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Abilities

Verbal
  • communicate by speaking
  • communicate by writing
Ideas and Logic
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
  • use rules to solve problems

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include
ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Independence
  • Initiative
  • Persistence
  • Integrity

Technology

Examples of the technology used in this career will be available soon.

Education

Education: (rated 5 of 5)
doctoral/professional degree or
master's degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

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Job Outlook

Average Outlook
New job opportunities are likely in the future.
Salary
$73,670
per year, on average
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See more details at O*NET OnLine about sociologists.