Social Sciences students reflect on value of new for-credit career course

The Faculty of Social Sciences successfully launched the new and improved SOCSCI 2EL3: Career Preparation in the Social Sciences in the Fall 2025 term, transitioning its existing zero-unit career course (SOCSCI 2EL0) into a full-semester for-credit offering. 

SOCSCI 2EL3 is a required course for Social Sciences co-op programs but students also chose the course as an elective because they desired instruction on career development. They drafted cover letters, polished their resumes, and practiced interview techniques. However, many students resonated with course learning outcomes that extended beyond practical assignments: 

“It is really easy to just focus on creating a good resume when I should also be working on my skills. In a world full of qualified candidates, one of the only things to make myself unique is to show off skills that I have enhanced throughout my undergraduate degree. On top of skills, I also learned to say “yes” to opportunities that will help me grow.” – Anonymous Sociology student 

Economics Co-op student Krystal Bui also described how she came to reframe career “as part of my personal growth, instead of seeing it only as a paid job.” Students shifted their mindsets to embrace non-vocational approaches to their careers. One Social Psychology student learned to optimistically embrace uncertainty as 2EL3 gave them “a solid idea of what the future may look like for me, not as a certain thing but overall trends in my career pathway.” 

Course instructor Lauren Charman said one of the biggest challenges social sciences and liberal arts students face is lack of confidence in their abilities. “There’s a common perception that their main barrier to employment is a skills deficit. Our students have technical and transferable skills from academic, extra-curricular, and workplace experiences. But they don’t value what they have done! In course discussions, they described the negative impact on their self-confidence when hearing negative messages about their degrees from family, friends, and media. They don’t know how to articulate the intrinsic value they see in Social Sciences education…especially when discussing their future career opportunities or the long-term economic profitability of their degrees. If students don’t value their abilities and achievements, how can we expect them to communicate it to others?” 

One of our goals in the Social Sciences Careers & Experiential Education team is to advocate for the benefit of liberal arts degrees academically, socially, and economically. So, why should an employer consider a Social Sciences student or alumni? After reflecting on their semester, a few of the students explained in their own words: 

Diverse Perspectives
“I am able to network with peers from various academic backgrounds and have the freedom to take almost any course I find interesting. This has allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the society around us, calling from different perspectives across various fields, and when implementing policy that would affect entire communities, have a better understanding of diverse needs and values.”
– Diego Soto Varma, Environment & Society student 

Applied Social Awareness
“We not only possess an understanding of the importance of critical thinking but also know how to apply it to everyday and work situations. Whether it be dealing with an individual you may not get along with in the workplace, or how to approach issues that may present themselves in the workplace, I believe that our skills and knowledge are incredibly valuable in the workforce.”
– Anonymous Political Science student 

Adaptability and Cognitive Flexibility
“We offer a combination of technical and human skills, both of which add value to an organization. Since we aren’t in a ladder career sort of program (i.e. Engineering degree to Engineering job), many of us are well prepared and capable of adapting to fit the needs of a role.”
– Anonymous Anthropology student 

Strategic and Holistic Thinking
“We are trained to be insightful problem-framers, not just problem-solvers. While technical skills execute tasks, we provide the crucial context. We examine the human and systemic factors behind a challenge, considering long-term impacts and ethical implications.”
– Sabrina Wong, Political Science Co-op student 

Get Involved 

• Any Social Sciences student can take Social Sciences 2EL3 in Fall, Winter, or Summer term by enrolling on Mosaic. 
• Employers interested in hiring Social Sciences students from the co-op program or beyond can explore employer resources or contact the employer support team.