The human services field is extremely board, encompassing all types of careers that focus on helping people meet their basic human needs. If you consider yourself a “people person,” this might be the right job for you. Let’s take a look at the career paths available in the human services field.

Types of Human Service Careers

Because human services is such a broad career, if you get a degree in this area, you’ll likely either choose a specialty or take classes around the area of human services that most interests you. Some of the career niches within the human services industry include social work, counseling, court liaison, human rights, psychology, probation, health aid, and policy. Essentially, human service careers focus on areas where people need help. You could advocate on behalf of senior citizen rights, help prisoners kick their drug habits, teach kids about their educational options after high school, work with families dealing with divorce, offer home healthcare, and more.

Where You Can Work

Human service workers typically are employed with non-profits or government-funded agencies, just child welfare services. Therefore, you’ll find a large number of jobs in your state’s capital city, as well as in Washington, D.C. You can also work for private companies in some cases. For examples, you could work as a counselor at a drug rehabilitation center. In this field, you have to love what you do, since there’s not much money to go around, but if you want to make more money, getting an advanced degree is definitely the way to go. Along with working for non-profits and charities like homeless shelters, you can also work for advocacy groups, where you’ll work to create policy and lobby for certain causes.

Skills Needed to Work in This Field

Your human services degree program will prepare you with the knowledge you need to work in this field, but some skills just can’t be taught. This field is perfect for people who are compassionate and not easily frustrated. If you want a job where you can make a real difference in the world, even in a small way, this is a great option for you.

Guide to Online Human Service Degrees

Human services deals with identifying, correcting, and eventually preventing problematic occurrences as well as improving the quality of life. Human services workers develop a strong sense of patience, empathy, and willingness to help others which plays an integral role in their daily tasks. To get you started, we have listed several schools with online degrees with links so you can get more information.

AAS in Human Services BS in Human Services BSHS in Child & Family Welfare BSHS in Human Services Admin	Kaplan University – Kaplan offers several online degree programs in Human Services including: AAS in Human Services, BS in Human Services, BSHS in Child & Family Welfare, and BSHS in Human Services Administration. These programs are designed to prepare students with both the knowledge and skills necessary for a career in a wide variety of helping professions.
BS in Human Services MS in Human Services MS in Human Services Admin	Post University – Post University offers online degree programs in Human Services including: BS in Human Services, MS in Human Services, and MS in Human Services Administration. Courses are offered in 8-week modules, six times a year and students may complete their degree completely online. Specializations include: Human Services Program Administration and Clinical Counseling.
AA in Human Services Mgmt BS in Human Services Mgmt BS/CJ: Human Services	University of Phoenix – University of Phoenix offers several online degree programs in Human Services including: AA in Human Services Management, BS in Human Services Management, and BS/CJ: Human Services. These programs teach you the strategies and techniques of intervention and good management practices for intervention along with leadership and planning skills.
AAS in Human Services	Rasmussen College – Rasmussen College offers an online degree program AAS in Human Services. This program gives you the academic and hands-on experience that you need to work in a non-licensed, service-oriented career. You will learn how to provide services to individuals or groups of people with diverse problems. Courses include: Organization and Leadership and Community Psychology.
BA in Health & Human Services BA in Human Services Admin	Ashford University – Ashford University offers online degrees in Human Services including: BA in Health & Human Services and BA in Human Services Administration. These programs include a specialization in Long-Term Care. Instructors with both advanced degrees and real-world experience teach the courses in the programs.
BS/CJ: Human Services	Colorado Technical University – Colorado Technical University offers an online BS/CJ: Human Services degree. This program is designed to provide you with a solid foundation in law enforcement, the courts and corrections, and core human services courses that will prepare you for leadership positions. Students also have the opportunity of doing an internship as part of the program.
MS in Human Services MS in Social Services PhD in Human Services PhD in Community Services Doctor of Social Work	Capella University – Capella University offers several online degree programs in Human Services including: MS in Human Services, MS in Social Services, PhD in Human Services, PhD in Community Services, and Doctor of Social Work. The coursework for these programs focuses on applying best practices in a variety of non-profit, academic, and health care settings.
PhD in Human Services PhD/HS: Family Studies PhD/HS: Policy Analysis PhD/HS: Self-Designed	Walden University – Walden University offers several online degree programs in Human Services including: PhD in Human Services, PhD/HS: Family Studies, PhD/HS: Policy Analysis, and PhD/HS: Self-Designed. These programs allow students to learn through a course-based or a self-directed model. Specializations include: Clinical Social Work, Counseling, Criminal Justice, Public Health, and Family Studies.