BA in Sociology... help meeee!!

Originally Posted by Neo_Version 7

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Stats was off the chain. Research Methods was so-so. What fun soci classes did you take?

Probably Deviance and Social control. Obviously it was an low-level unspecialized course, but the material was extremely varied and fun. Everything murder, to homosexuality in media, to tattooing.

Least favourite would have to be Qualitative Research Methods and Studies. Truly boring, and by the time I took it, I had already written a dozen papers using these methods, just redundant. What about you, any classes that stood out?

Originally Posted by L.R.

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Probably Deviance and Social control. Obviously it was an low-level unspecialized course, but the material was extremely varied and fun. Everything murder, to homosexuality in media, to tattooing. Least favourite would have to be Qualitative Research Methods and Studies. Truly boring, and by the time I took it, I had already written a dozen papers using these methods, just redundant. What about you, any classes that stood out?
Those classes sound quite interesting. If I can be honest though, I'm a big fan of qualitative everything. I mean, don't get me wrong. There's a place for quantitative methods and stats was a big favourite of mine but I'd still choose a qualitative approach 8 times out of 10. My all time favourite will always be Intro to Sociology. Just a great course through and through. Tackled all the basics and I personally believed it could be enjoyed by everyone. Liked: - Selected Topics in Sociology (Youth Culture) = Really fun learning about the mods, punk rock, ravers, etc. - Sociology of Occupations = I find Marx, Webber, and all things alienation to be cool too. - Sociology of the Media = Semiotics ftw. Kind of In The Middie: - Classical Theory = It was interesting for the most part. I'll openly admit that some concepts were just too complex for me to grasp. - Social Problems = Overview of racism, prejudices, etc. which seemed a bit redundant coming off of Intro. - Research Methods = Mixed bag. It was a year long course so fatigue set in sometime around January. Not a Big Fan: - Juvenile Delinquency = Criminology related stuff just isn't my cup of tea but I'll admit it had some intriguing stuff to it.

Neo, do you find that your degree prepared you well for your career at Arby's?

Ew. I'd never step foot in an Arby's. I'd sooner work at Nickels than at that dump.

Originally Posted by Teger

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haha what you're not even a law student yet?

not just yet playa

Originally Posted by ramuman

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OJFC. I don't get how people identify as pre-law (much less law) or pre-med after taking a class in macroeconomics or general chemistry. FWIW though, I'm a pre-billionaire.

i'm a prodigy though.


don't get trolled too much guys

Originally Posted by Teger

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rjakapeanut aren't you a law student lol

Originally Posted by rjakapeanut

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si senor

He is actually an undergrad who wants to be a law student. Sooo.... it is worst-case-scenario.

Originally Posted by rjakapeanut

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i'm a prodigy though.

I have no doubt about that.

semi-related side note...

As per my own post earlier, I basically advocate doing something useful with your university years, and saving your general interest stuff for later use. I am generally interested in sociology...any good introductory texts I should read on the topic? More like first year level, For Dummies, Idiot's Guide basic and broad brush stuff to begin with...if anything piques my interest particularly from there, I can always look deeper into the reference list as need be.

Originally Posted by Matt

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semi-related side note...

As per my own post earlier, I basically advocate doing something useful with your university years, and saving your general interest stuff for later use. I am generally interested in sociology...any good introductory texts I should read on the topic? More like first year level, For Dummies, Idiot's Guide basic and broad brush stuff to begin with...if anything piques my interest particularly from there, I can always look deeper into the reference list as need be.

I've seen the text "You May Ask Yourself" by Dalton Conley creeping up more and more. Having no experience on it, I can't tell you its usefulness..

I've also never posted before, but I figured why not start off with a few words of wisdom.

First, there are a few suggestions that have already been mentioned which are great ideas.

For one, learning some computer programming skills in your free time, great idea. Also, learning how to sell is a great way to get your foot in the door with a company. Foreign languages (depending on where you live) can really help you outshine the competition.

You mentioned that you're going back to graduate school, which is a great idea, however, you also said that your going back for... more sociology. Does this make sense to you? "I can't find a job with my BA in sociology, so I'm going to get my MA in sociology," your logic seems to be a bit off here. Why not go back for something more marketable... perhaps a MBA, or speech pathology; I'm just tossing ideas out here you can pick something that you're interested in.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do, which hasn't really been mentioned, would be MAKE CONNECTIONS. Abuse your social network, make friends while getting your MA that seem to know their ****. Talk to mommy and daddy and see if they have any friends in companies that may be able to help you get your foot in the door.

My BA is in sociology, don't listen to the assholes who just like to tell you that you got a worthless degree, this is completely untrue. I'm currently a project manager for an awesome company and I'm considering going back to grad school for my MBA. You will, however, be forced to spin your degree a bit more than say someone with an engineering degree in order to make it work for you. Get creative, make sure your resume is awesome and go to as many interviews as you can, practice makes perfect. You should be applying to at least 5-10 jobs a day. Getting a job IS a full time job, treat it as such and you will be successful. Also, pester the **** out of employers, show them that you WANT a job, more so than your competition (if they tell you to lay off, it probably wasn't going to happen anyway)

Hope some of this helps. Good luck, it is rough out there, but it's not impossible to find a decent job.

As someone who has a BS and an MA in Sociology, I have two words for you.... Market. Research.

Are they teaching you basic SPSS skills? If so, there can be a decent career path there. Seriously consider the all the applied sociology courses they offer.

With a basic understanding of statistics and research methods, you can develop some very marketable skills even if they employers roll their eyes at your Soci degree. Not that it's even that hard or difficult work, but people will pay you for things that they think are hard, or just difficult to do.

Originally Posted by Neo_Version 7

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Did any of you Soci majors like your methods class? I skipped the field study and did an interview instead.

Probably the most useful class out of the entire major.

Originally Posted by L.R.

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Actually, Research Methods and Statistics was one of my favourite classes. I had forgotten how much fun (yes, fun...) math could be. It was nice to get an answer that people couldn't debate haha. It kind of made me wish I had stuck with math.

It's funny how little math actually needs to be done when you have stats programs helping you do all the hard stuff. After that, it's mostly a logic game.

There's some terrible advice being given in this thread.

I agree that university is not the time to "do what interests you" without any regard for marketability. You like music? Great. But should you really major in it if you ever want to live above the poverty line? Probably not.
At the same time I can name, off the top of my head, a dozen people I went to university with who studied hard science, accounting, math, or engineering who hate their jobs or hated them so much that they quit. Doing something only because it's useful is a great way to waste four years of your life in college and several years afterwards in the workforce.

go to lawl school

It's really important that you talk to your advisor and discuss possible career paths for your major before you load up on credits. It will save you a lot of time and money.