Articles

Probation vs. Parole Officer: What Makes Them Different?

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 650,000 individuals are released from prison every year. Regardless of the crime, recidivism rates remain high. The National Institute of Justice found that within three years, as many as 68% of former inmates find themselves arrested again. Probation and parole officers perform similar functions within the justice system, helping lower recidivism rates and eliminate repeat offenses through monitoring and guidance. They also offer assistance in job placement and provide access to mental health services. If you’re passionate about helping some of the country’s most at-risk populations, a career as a probation […]

Forensic Psychology vs. Clinical Psychology

For as long as humans have been self-aware, we’ve been curious about what makes us tick. Today, psychology has grown into a field of more than 150,000 practicing psychologists in the United States alone and thousands more who apply tenets of psychology to their daily work in other professions. Millions of Americans go to psychologists for clinical therapy, relying on their expertise to help them better navigate their lives and the world around them, but the applications of psychology are broad. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in psychology go on to apply their research, critical thinking, and communication skills in […]

Degree in Sociology vs. Psychology: Careers to Promote Change

The more we learn about humanity, the more we realize there is to learn –– about our behaviors, cultures and societies, our interactions with one another, and our individual thought processes. In the past few centuries, as the physical sciences developed, so did cultural and humanitarian research fields. With new technologies and more access to travel from one continent to another bringing us closer, it’s becoming even more important to understand ourselves and how we interact. Sociology and psychology are two of the most important social sciences, with their influence felt throughout humanitarian research fields and into popular culture. Major […]

Strategic Communication vs. Emerging Media Strategy

According to recent studies by the Pew Research Center, 69 percent of adults in the United States use social media to connect with friends and family, share content and information, and stay current on news and events. Beyond the ways people use online digital platforms personally, they have also become a major part of business communications. Understanding the influence of these new technologies is useful for organizations across every industry. Equally as critical is the ability to build effective communication strategies that help companies gain competitive advantage. Those considering communications as a field of study can choose to tailor their […]

Traditional Marketing vs. Digital Marketing

Marketing has always been a key component of business strategy. Considering how crucial public awareness of a company can be to its growth, this won’t change anytime soon. What has changed, however, is how marketing can be deployed. Thanks to the internet’s rise, portable tech devices, and apps, an increasing number of companies use digital strategies alongside traditional tactics to create comprehensive marketing campaigns that target new customers and retain existing customers. Although both concepts strive to promote brand awareness and customer connection, it’s important to understand the differences between traditional marketing vs. digital marketing so that effective, well-targeted campaigns […]

Social Psychology vs. Clinical Psychology

Psychology involves the study of behavior and the mind, a discipline with roots in the ancient world that has grown into a thriving field of professionals devoted to the mental health and well-being of millions of patients. As the discipline matured in the 20th and 21st centuries, different approaches to mental well-being have emerged. For students interested in pursuing a career in psychology, one key difference in these approaches is worth exploring: that between social psychology and clinical psychology. Understanding Social Psychology Social psychology can be defined as the study of behavior in a social context, emphasizing behavioral responses to certain […]

Social Media Marketing vs. Traditional Marketing

Marketing strategies have a clear goal. The process behind building a campaign that gets a product or service in front of the right people, however, is a bit more complex. Thanks to the internet’s influence and the ever-evolving influx of apps and social media platforms, connecting with the target audience is far more layered than it was at the turn of the 21st century. Those interested in pursuing marketing careers must understand the importance of creating strategies that can incorporate social media and traditional marketing, as the failure to do so can inhibit a campaign’s scope and limit its effectiveness. […]

Psychology vs. Counseling

The range of human emotions is wide, varied, and complex. Every experience and memory we have affects us differently and influences the way we might respond to new experiences. Navigating human psychology requires emotional intelligence and an ability to read people, as well as a deep understanding of what drives human behavior and what makes us act, think, and feel the way we do. Psychology Overview Psychology is the study of human behavior as influenced by our conscious and unconscious minds. Psychologists study the brain and its expressions through counseling, therapy, and other strategies, rather than a direct clinical evaluation. There […]

Marketing vs. Communication: Which Degree Is Right for You?

Organizations rely on effectively communicating their goals to the end consumers and keeping their messaging consistent. Brand consistency can increase revenue by between 10% and 20%, according to 2021 data from Marq. Companies need strong communicators to articulate their messages and reach target audiences as they evolve. Still, those interested in brand communication as a career may need clarification about which degree to pursue to build the foundation in this area: marketing or communication. Marketing and communication degree programs are both focused on information sharing, but they vary in their end goals. Both provide good training for establishing relationships while […]

Information Security Analyst vs. Database Administrator

Humans generate a mind-boggling amount of data each day, and the numbers keep growing. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2020, there will be 40 times more bytes of data stored around the globe than there are stars in the observable universe. That data can come in the form of emails, social media posts, or internet searches — all generated by apps, financial transactions, store purchases, and more. Every click, GPS ping, and Spotify stream is data. All this information is then kept on servers and in cloud storage around the globe. As the amount of data grows, so […]