Human Services

Human Services majors are geared toward helping clients obtain benefits or services through assessment of need and intervention.

Before you begin to look at the different types of opportunities available to Human Services majors, you must look at yourself and ask yourself a few basic questions:

Understand your major strengths, skills and accomplishments. Some examples of skills and qualities employers look for are:

Leadership
Strong desire to help others
Patience
Understanding
Communication, oral and written

Examine your interests. What kind of life style do I want to lead? Examine your values...is money what you're after, job security, challenging work?

If you are having trouble answering these questions, you are not alone. Make an appointment with an advisor in the Career Center. We want to help you!

Once you know yourself, you are ready to decide where and how you want to apply this knowledge.

A bachelor's degree in Human Services and the appropriate skills and/or experience can lead to positions as:

Counselor
Coordinator of programs
Group leader
Activities director
Caseworker, etc.

Alcoholism
Drug abuse
Disabilities
Marriage counseling
Family violence
Aging, etc.

Experience in the field or an advanced degree could lead to certain positions in:

Teaching
Social Work
Psychology
Rehabilitation Counseling
School Counseling
Public Health

For information on graduate schools, consult Peterson's.

Typical places of employment are:

To help you decide which area to pursue you must do in-depth research into each area of specialization and/or industry you have an interest in.

Join the Career Centers COACH Program

The Occupational Outlook Handbook

Mental Health & Social Work Career Directory

Therapists & Allied Health Professionals Career Directory

Talk to people in the field, talk to your professors, write to and/or join one of the following associations:

National Organization for Human Service Education, Brookdale Community College Lyncrof, NJ 07738 www.nohse.com

Council for Standards in Human Service Education Montgomery Community College 340 Dekalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422

American Counseling Association 5999 Stevenson Ave. Alexandria, VA 22304-3300 (800) 347 - 6647 www.counseling.org

For additional lists of Associations consult the Encyclopedia of Associations.

Family Service America - Newswire, 11700 W. Lake Park Drive, Park Place, Milwalkee, WI 53224

Families in Society

Social Policy