skip to main content
Social Science Program
Menu
person hold tablet and on screen are job listings

Many Skills, Many Careers: Finding a Job

Social Science prepares you for a wide variety of careers. It develops your analytic and communication skills and gives you a sophisticated understanding of human behavior and society. 

Career Development Courses to Help You Get the Job You Want

The College of Arts and Letters (CAL) offers career courses to prepare its majors for careers. 

In CAL 100, lower-division students explore the many career options available to them as humanities and social science majors. Students also learn about what they will need to do to get those careers. 

CAL 400 prepares seniors for the job market. Students develop skills in areas such as building a career brand, writing a resume, and succeeding in job interviews.  As part of this course, you will also complete an online career certificate in a vocatinal field such as Human Resources or Project Management.

Finding Your Career

Social Science prepares you for a wide variety of careers, not just one. The excitement and challenge for a social science major is figuring out which career they want.

Talking to family and friends about their jobs is helpful for learning about careers. There are a ton of careers out there, however–many more than those represented by your family and friends. Learning about those fields is a challenge. Here are some useful resources:

    • O-Net is a useful and free resource for exploring careers. After learning about your interests, it shows you relevant career paths. It also shows you information about those careers, including the salary range and live job listings. Those job listings can help you learn about what employers want from recent college graduates.
    • Vault Guides are excellent sources for learning about careers. They tell you information including what it is like to work in an industry and the skills and background employers are seeking in new hires. You can access these guides for free through the library website.
    • SDSU Career Services offers a wide array of resources and support to students and alumni, including career counseling, job search assistance, internship programs, and networking opportunities.

Internships are Key

Aim to get an internship in your chosen career field in the summer between your junior and senior year. Such an internship tells employers that you are serious about that career path and have a background in it. It also helps you discover whether that career path is the right one for you.

To get an internship in your desired field, build a case that you know about that field and are passionate about it. Companies want interns and employees who are dedicated and knowledgeable about their fields. You can show you are dedicated and knowledgeable by taking courses on the topic or by pursuing extracurriculars. If you are interested in finance or human resources, for instance, you might join SDSU’s student clubs dedicated to those topics.

For more information, check out:

  • The internship page on the SDSU Career Services site.
  • The internship guide in the Canvas Social Science Homeroom (SDSU majors only)

What Employers Want

Although each employer is unique, many are seeking common skills and competencies such as:

  • Basic proficiency with Excel or Google Sheets demonstrated through coursework, work experience, or an online credential program.
  • An internship in the relevant career field.
  • Investment in a career field evidenced by work experience, internships, participation in a club, or an online career credential like those offered by Google and Corusera.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently on sustained projects. You might demonstrate this ability, for instance, through a senior thesis, a capstone research project, or an extracurricular project.

Opportunities for “Upskilling”

“Upskilling” is developing new skills to make your resume stand out. Learning to use Excel, for instance, would be an example of upskilling. It not only shows that you have that highly desired skill; upskilling also shows employers that you are knowledgeable about what employers want and that you are motivated and disciplined.

Resources for upskilling include:

Useful Links for Finding Jobs