HDFS Career Information Center | Section II

Section II | Career Categories of Interest

Our graduates are frequently hired as caseworkers or administrators by agencies such as the Children’s Protective Services, the Child Advocacy Center, Ronald McDonald House, Mental Health and Mental Retardation, and adoption services. Career possibilities also include teaching family life education in schools, churches, the YMCA, YWCA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and other United Way agencies. Graduates work as counselors at residential camps and children’s homes and as church youth ministers. They are also well trained for business management positions that involve customer relations skills.

Career categories listed in this section include those that are popular with HDFS majors as well as others that you may not have considered. Unless otherwise noted, they require only a bachelor’s degree. For many jobs, even those outside of your major area (e.g., advertising, marketing), employers will consider applicants from a wide range of undergraduate majors. The HDFS emphasis on interpersonal skills, on human development, and on families, is a plus for a wide range of career options.

For each career category in this section, we give a brief description of the nature of the job, the settings where you might work, suggested minor/collateral courses and internship sites, and some examples of job descriptions and recent job ads. We do not include salary information since that varies quite a lot depending upon the particular job setting, your qualifications, and region of the country.

We encourage you to look at all categories that are related to what you want to do. For example, the same type of job might be classified as Community Education, Program Development, or Social Service, depending upon the particular job description. Many jobs involve a variety of activities and could be classified under three or four headings.

Career Categories of Interest to HDFS Graduates

• Advocacy
• Community Relations & Community Education
• Criminal Justice
• Development/Fundraising
• Education
• Employee Assistance
• Employment Counselor: Job Placement & Vocational
• Government
• Legal Services for Children & Families
• Medical-Related Services
• Nonprofit Associations
• Personnel Work (Human Resources)
• Program Development & Implementation
• Research: Social Science/Social Service
• Social Services