Sociology Bachelor of Arts-->The Dead End Road?

[nycsharkman]

I graduated with a Sociology Bachelor of Arts way back in 1994. Since earning my degree, I have struggled to find the road to personal success. After earning my degree, I learned from different sociology professors that a B.A. in Sociology can only take a person so far. In fact, a sociology degree begins to shine and be useful BEYOND the Bachelor of Arts level.

What is your view?

If you have a B.A. in Sociology, has it taken you where you want to be?

What's your story?

[GreenerGrad]

I believe that you will find the greatest success when you figure out how to work your degree instead of the other way around. I strongly advocate liberal arts education however, many people with these degrees fail to understand that in order to become successful you need balance. For example, when I graduated I had bag full of "soft skills" but no hard technical skills, you must know what will give you that competitive edge. I would tell all lib arts students to take as many comp sci, statistics, statistics/econ and writing classes as possible - You may be able to communicate well, synthesize information and write a killer research paper and while these are excellent skills to have, what else can you do?
For those who have not graduated, take some technical classes to round out your education. For those who have graduated enroll in classes at the local community college and watch the money start rolling in.
If it makes you feel better, there are studies that say people with liberal arts educations are happier with their professions over time than their friends with technical degrees. If that does not make you happy, study for the LSAT and apply to law school or get your Masters in Public Administration it's a great advanced degree and like a law degree, your career options are plenty.

[Barbara A]

The BA is but a beginning. If you want to use your expertise, you probably need at least a Masters degree to work in this field. Of course, if you live in podunk, Ms, your chances of landing a job in your field with a BA is greater than if you live in a large city. In general, insurance companies reimburse for a Masters or PhD...soon they will not reimburse for a Masters, either. You may want to consider working in an area of your enjoyment while you get the masters degree.

[tegragg]

I feel you 100%. I got my BA in sociology in 2000. I currently work for the state as a nonliscened social worker. You can do counseling or any type of social service.

[iheartbayley]

I graduated with my BA in Sociology a year ago, and yes, I work in an office doing administrative work that I could easily have done w/o my degree. However, I've always known that I would need a graduate degree to do what I want. It looks like none of your advisors or professors insured that you were aware of what would happen after graduation.

[Olan Black]

I know I will get a million thumbs down for this, but, I actually think that unless your doing a specific skill in college (doctor lawyer,etc) the other stuff is bull. I actually came to this conclusion while studying sociology! If you look at stats on the Dept of Labor web page, most high paying jobs have a specific skill. and if you look at people that actually make lots of money, most never went to college. I think the education system should be revamped, and pushed toward job markets that a person can earn money after they receive a degree. I worked in a call center for AT&T, and had a women that worked with me, and she complained all the time because she had a masters degree in business Admin, and I made more than she did!

Just something different to think about

[Shrimp Eater]

I have a BA in poli sci, not sociology, but it did diddly squat for me career wise. I went back to computer school and in 3 months I had doubled the earning power stupid college gave me.