Rokhaya
Are there classes that a Sociolgy major should defintely take in college?
One of my career choices is being a sociologist because I really like to to solve problems and helping people. #professional-mentoring
3 answers
Brenn M. Simonen
Brenn M.’s Answer
I am happy to hear that you want to help others. As for how to combine that with solving problems, you might want to ask yourself, "What kind of problems do I want to solve?" and "What demographic of people do I want to help?"
Example: If you want to help students or potential students you may want to consider a career in Admissions Advising, Enrollment Counselor, Financial Advisor, and similar titles. These solve an array of problems from, How do I apply for college? How do I pay for college? To, What courses do I need to take to meet my career goals? Solving students questions about schooling and courses is a great way to help others.
Another example: If you want to help seniors retire with enough money to take care of them, the right health and life insurance program, and the right long term care plan, you may consider a career in the finance, economics, or social services fields to help them through many different life changes as they age.
You may find that Sociology is not what you really want to be studying. I am a Social Sciences Major because I wanted to blend psychology, sociology, communications, and non-profit organization work in my career. I've given you a link below to look into what Social Science Majors do with their degrees, from my Alma Mater. Good luck, and feel free to reach out to me again if you have further questions.
~Coach Brenn
Brenn M. recommends the following next steps:
Kim Igleheart
Kim’s Answer
The Sociology degree will have certain required classes, and give you a choice of electives to take as well. Most degree plans will require a Theories of Sociology class, and a Research Methods/Statistics class. My school allowed me to select a lot of electives, in the major. There are normally classes on Race/Ethnic relations, Deviance & Conformity, Marriage and Family, Criminology, etc. You can also take a few classes outside of your major.
In order to help people and solve problems, the most important thing you can learn is the art of Listening to others. Actually hear and understand what they are saying, before rushing to solve their problems. The next thing to learn is that many people want to solve their own problems, they don't want someone "telling" them what to do. To be successful, you will learn to guide them in reaching the right decision, rather than solving the problem. Most of this I have learned from life experience, so I cannot point you to any specific classes. The more that you can understand people, the more naturally this will come to you. Somehow, one of the classes I found to be the most helpful was a course in Logic. It teaches you to think and anylze what is being said. It was taught in the Philosophy Dept.
I also took a few classes in the political science department, as I was interested in how to bring about change in the political arena. You want to get a mix of perspectives, and take professors who are good at what they do, but not necessarily easy!
Best of luck!
Kim
Stephanie Murnen
Stephanie’s Answer
To be a sociology major you should round yourself out in social sciences as well as liberal arts. I'd recommend:
- History classes to understand the past, and outcomes of past civilizations (Especially western civilization and colonization of the third world related classes)
- Anthropology to understand the evolution of man and culture over time
- Psychology to understand the way people think
- Economics to understand how the financial ecosystem works
- Literature, and especially those where you read works from other countries/ cultures
-World religions
- Biology/Anatomy to understand the physical aspects of people, plants and the world