RainbowSprinkles Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) I'm thinking I'd like to get a degree in sociology. Ultimately I want to be in advocacy. I'd like to hear from sociologists if there are any here or maybe you know one. Just experiences. Is this a good degree to get for advocacy work? :bigear: Edited August 10, 2012 by RainbowSprinkles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainbowSprinkles Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Advocacy for what? I took some sociology classes, but did not major in it. If you are thinking advocacy for women's issues or along those lines, you may be better off with a social work degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renmew Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 My sister has a degree in sociology. She works as a dental assistant. She would have to return to school for a master's to be ale to actually work in the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 If you're talking about an undergraduate degree in sociology, I have always heard that it might as well be called a Bachelor of Unemployment. Can you be more specific about what you'd like to do with your degree, as I would think there would be a more marketable degree you could earn that would provide you with the same career opportunities. Sorry to sound so discouraging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I have a BA in Sociology. It proved to be fairly useless when looking for a job. It's like one of those vague liberal arts degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 A close friend of mine majored in sociology. She is also a vegan and big into animal rights. She spent several years as a "humane educator", teaching kids about environmental issues such as recyling. She now teaches ESL to adults. Our college did not have a social work program and I think a some people who graduated from the sociology program went into upper-level and policy-making positions for social programs, and some went on to law school to advocate in that manner. I don't think many of them became hands-on social workers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I have a Masters in social work. I have a minor in sociology. When you mentioned advocacy I thought of social work. The degree program I went to had a concentration in community advocacy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I have undergrad in psychology and a Master's in Social work. I would seriously search out realistic possibilities for jobs before you start school. Even with a master's my salary was very low. My college roommate has a degree in sociology and as far as I know has never worked in the field. :iagree:That's why I asked for clarification about what you are meaning by advocacy. Most of these jobs dried up in the recession. The social workers I know that work within their field work for hospitals or the DoD. Most state, local, and other private jobs have been decimated by budget cuts and when available, the salaries are very low. If you decide to pursue social work, you will probably want to be in a state with mental health parity laws, so that once you get a license, you have the option of billing insurance for private practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aspasia Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 My cousin is a sociology professor at a top school and that's a pretty good gig. Unfortunately, anything short of that may not be a great investment. I agree with the others about looking into social work. It's the practical side of all these academic disciplines, like psychology and sociology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) nm Edited August 10, 2012 by AimeeM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Advocacy for what? I took some sociology classes, but did not major in it. If you are thinking advocacy for women's issues or along those lines, you may be better off with a social work degree. :iagree:I think a sociology degree is more prep for graduate school than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynnae Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I have a BA in Sociology. I have never used my degree. Ever. I agree that you'd be better off with a degree in Social Work. You need at least a Master's and perhaps even a doctorate to do anything with Sociology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) I have a BA in Interdisiplinary Social Sciences. Not exactly a sociology degree but I did have to have 12 credit hours of psychology, sociology, anthropology, family studies and law enforcement. I can tell you that just about the only thing I can do with this degree is get a management position at a retail or restaraunt operation. The first three subjects would require at least a master's just to get started in that field and then the only thing that you can really do is research and teach. I don't even know what you would do with a family studies degree and I know that you can get into law enforcement without a degree. Now, I got my degree simply because I wanted a well rounded education with an emphasis in the social sciences but I was never under any delusions that I would be able to do something with it. I would not recommend that as a good degree with which to get a job. Edited August 10, 2012 by KidsHappen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I'm considering a double in psych and soc, but that's with the intent to continue to grad school and go into research. When I hear "What do sociologists do?" I think "Study." Exclusively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Advocacy for what? I took some sociology classes, but did not major in it. If you are thinking advocacy for women's issues or along those lines, you may be better off with a social work degree. :iagree::iagree: I too have a degree of unemployment and going back for social work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 It is a fun degree to get, but if you are going into graduate work make sure you specialize your BA/BS toward the graduate program you want. I have a BS in Sociology, all of my upper division elective credits are in criminology. If you are looking at advocacy, you want to look at criminology, mental illness, women and children, and victims rights. Don't waste your credits on advanced globalization for instance. You can steer what your degree looks like. The other thing, a lot of colleges now have a university program that all under graduates take. A seminar that leads to a big project. Look for one with a community outreach part. I ended up mentoring teen parents at an alternative High School for a year. Not only was it a good experience, but it is a great time to start networking. You can talk to the people working there about the grad programs and job opportunities in the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I have a BA in economics but a MS in Criminal Justice (basically criminology) and did all my coursework for a PhD in it too. FOr the most part, sociology is a degree for studying society or parts of it. I agree with the others that what you seem to want is a social work degree. YOu can become an advocate with a sociology degree but only after you get research results that mean something. FOr example, in criminology, one man decided to study gun control laws and he initially thought that his studies would show that gun control laws are effective and he could go on and advocate for them. Well his research turned out that they were not only not effective, they were harmful for safety. Now if you just want to be an advocate for something, you don't need a degree or research really as many advocates don't have any research to back them up. All you have to do is to start writing and speaking out. It does help to get research to back you up since serious people disregard campaigns that are not backed by research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainbowSprinkles Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Ok, thanks to all who replied! Sounds like sociology is not the way to go... I'm really into activism/raising awareness. Mostly family/women related issues. So will a degree in social work help getting me there? I'm not interested in counseling or child protective services or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I'm really into activism/raising awareness. Mostly family/women related issues. So will a degree in social work help getting me there? I'm not interested in counseling or child protective services or something like that. I don't think you need additional education to be an activist, but I've never actually known anyone who got paid more than minimum wage to do that, and many are volunteers, so I'd probably do some more research on this type of job and employment outlook first. Public health might be the way to go if this is your interest (and has more diverse job opportunities). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.