I’m currently at a cc taking classes and should be done by fall 16. It took me a while to figure it out but I’m leaning towards a sociology degree. I’ve been researching and a few websites have ucsb listed very high while others have them listed in the 30’s or are not even included in the list. How good is their program? Is sociology even worth it or is it a “worthless” degree? These are questions that worry me about getting a degree in sociology because I see many people laughing and saying sociology degree holders will end up poor and barely will get a job, if they can get one. Thank you
Colleges offer 2 types of degrees under one roof. Some are vocational in nature such as accounting, engineering, nursing, etc. and on the other hand there are the liberal-arts majors. None of the liberal-arts majors such as sociology lead directly to a career path (except perhaps as a professor in that subject) nor are they intended to. It may also be applicable to some career fields but that is not the main goal; if you want a degree that definitely prepares you for a job, pick a vocational major. But the truth is most people in management positions came up from liberal-arts majors.
History, french, sociology, poli-sci, archeology, you name it. People with these majors can get good jobs too, but it takes more than just the degree. Good grades and involvement in leadership activities is important, and a real key is internships. They set you apart from the 1000’s of other kids with the same degree, give you experience in the field, and usually lead to offers from the companies where you had internships.
One issue when answering questions like the OP asked is that most HS students (and unfortunately many college students) can name only a dozen or so jobs, so they have no idea of how people enter career fields they don’t even know exist. This means kids talk about the same handful of jobs as if that’s all there is – lawyer, teacher, accountant, doctor, investment banker, etc. Almost any career field is open to the liberal-arts grad outside of the ones that require specific training and even for these you could go to grad school or take post-college classes if you really wanted.
The OP needs to take the broad approach; say to yourself “I’m going to graduate with a college degree, and this is a base requirement for many employers. But in addition to that, what steps do I need to take to identify a potential career and make myself an attractive hire to prospective employers in that field?” And as someone in the 2nd year of college it sounds like the OP is falling behind the curve and has not being doing this, instead thinking that waving a degree in sociology will land her/him a job.
I would suggest the OP read the book “Major in Success”. It has many stories about how college students can discover their interests and prepare for jobs pursuing those interests while in college. I also suggest using the resources of the career center at your CC and at whatever university you end up attending; they have workshops, interest surveys, counselors, job fairs, and can even put you together with alums who will talk to you about their career and how to get started. But almost halfway thru your 2nd year in college you better get started now!
It’s supposed to be one of the best schools for sociology. However, if you don’t plan on going to grad school for something related and if you really want a major that is employable I’d suggest you look elsewhere. Like mikemac says, it’s not a major that has a direct career path. If you are pursuing that major because you simply want a college degree, that’s great. I’m currently a fifth year at UCSB, and have quite a few friends that have graduated with that major. PM me if you have any questions.
All the best,
Honda