IT opportunities in social sciences

[drago762]

I've been in IT for about 10 years now but finding that my heart lies in the social sciences. I'd much rather read a book on psychology or sociology than a programming book. I do enjoy working with data and writing queries, btw.

Does anyone know what kind of opportunities are in the social sciences for IT people? And what type of credentials are needed?

 

[damber]

Depends how technical you are and want to be and what kind of balance you want between IT and Social Sciences.

If you are into programming and deep technical thinking then you can get into the commercial AI world, expert systems, prediction systems / modelling etc - though this will still be very heavily IT focused, just in a social science setting. Developing commercial AI can include both cognitive and behavioural psychology aspects as well as biology, physics and more.

You could step away slightly from the technical programming side and become more of an analyst, which will probably focus more on the social sciences rather than the programming.

In terms of opportunities, you can probably find some jobs that have a small part of the role including the aspects you want, and then move on from there. Once you've moved into a field that has connections in these areas, you can start to network with people that do that kind of work, and see which area is best for you.

Your best bet is looking into the commercial AI type areas or at a research role looking into (for example) user centric design patterns, or other analytical type work.

You could try contacting universities to see if you can work your way into their support staff and help them work on research projects (though getting anywhere here can be nigh on impossible).

But you will always have comprimises to make if you want 'pure social sciences' - as social sciences are about people - which means if you were to work with Psychologists, Therapists, Counsellers, etc, you are likely to only find admin/support roles.

In any case you will need a good grounding in the relevant subjects e.g. Psychology, and it would be good if you had some experience - e.g. volunteer counselling - as this will give you practical knowledge of what the theory is all about.

You also need to narrow your focus from "Social Sciences" to something more specific - e.g. behavioural psychology, child pscyhology, philosophy, psychotherapy, cognitive psychology etc, even economics

Anyway, hope those ramblings give you some food for thought

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[drago762]

Thanks for your response, damber.
I'm more of a jack-of-all trades, technologically speaking. I'm not one to really get into the nitty gritty details. I'm also kinda burnt out on programming, although I do enjoy working with data and databases.

Do you happen to know what the outlook is for data analysts? I'm mainly interested in psychology and sociology.

 

[KenCunningham]

If you're into data and databases, perhaps something in the statistical area of the social sciences might be appropriate. I worked in that area for a while and it was rewarding and (most of the time) fun to do.

 

[langleymass]

I worked as the sole "technical specialist" for an office of Big Brothers Big Sisters. It was one of the most rewarding jobs I had ever had.

 

[dkediger]

Social sciences IT work will be, as mentioned above, centered around a lot of data collection and analysis.

That's not to say that there aren't opportunities out there for getting to work with the 'toys.'

I presently work with HMIS (Homeless Management Information System) program administration. Beyond the esoteric data collection/analysis there is project management, the challenge of putting together robust systems for service agencies with tight budgets, the challenge of working with volunteer users and as langleymass said the general satisfaction of the end goal of the work.

 

[CasperTFG]

GIS is also touching into Social Sciences... GIS - Geographical Information systems. Now being used for population and spending etc graphing...


Casper

There is room for all of gods creatures, "Right Beside the Mashed Potatoes".