[krai999]

I'm a gifted minority honors student who wants to do graduate studies in Sociology. I am not a slacker by any means. I graduate magna sum laude, won two national awards from the American Sociological Association and the Association of Black Sociologists, and an ex ASA president likes my work. I've also taken my finding to gay rights organizations to help them deal with homophobia in the black community. I've also won awards for my work with minority retention rates at university.

However, the recent reports on academic jobs makes me apprehensive about persuing graduate studies. While I would love to be an academic, I know it might not happen. I don't believe I have to have an academic job to be happy with the PhD. I would also love think tank work or working as a policy analyst or advocate.

I propose this question for Sociologist and other social scientists: How feasible is it for me to work at a think tank or as a policy analyst after the PhD if I can't get an academic? I don't want to waste 5 years of my life on an education to be as underemployed as I am now. Also, are their middle paths besides social work for academically gifted and socially conscious people?

 

[Scissor Me Daddy-O!!]

Sociology PhD is useless, unless you want to teach it at a college, completely useless. Anyone that does sociology for marketing, therapy, or other dumb shit; employers are looking for younger people who don't have PhDs.

But then again, a lot of people have PhDs right now and aren't being hired. I was going for my RD (registered dietetician) but cancelled that and now am majoring in economics/nutrition (double major). I don't have any authority though to properly answer your question.

 

[Stax Classic]

In all honesty, any degree in the liberal arts is a waste of money.

 

[Sephiroth]

Get a job at VerticalScope

 

[li/<o]

It all depends where you are going to station. I am having issues getting a job now that I graduated. Especially with economy there is really not much jobs especially in my area. The best thing to do is probably seek employment unless you want to teach it than you can get a job there within time.

 

[CamillePunk]

You accomplished all that and have all that education and you're asking this question on a wrestling forum? Don't you have people that might actually know what they're talking about that you can ask?

 

[Panzer]

It's not completely useless but I would take another Major, say, a Business degree, just to have a good back up. A Business degree is always useful if you know how to use it.

 

[Cynic]

In all honesty, any degree in the liberal arts is a waste of money.

As someone who has one, I can vouch that this is completely true.

Anything beyond an undergraduate degree is just going to be a gigantic financial burden for years and years without reaping much of a benefit. I stopped after my B.A. and am fine with it, but everyone I know who went to graduate school regrets it. That's just my experience but it seems to be a recurring theme.

 

[Skermac]

Most companies hire people with a college degree no matter what it's for. It's the piece of paper they want, nothing else. I see so many ads stating must have a bachelors degree to apply. Bachelors in what? They don't say or care.

 

[Hiplop]

In all honesty, any degree in the liberal arts is a waste of money.

politics + science + theatre aren't.

 

[Stax Classic]

Science isn't a liberal art Hip :side:

 

[Cynic]

politics + science + theatre aren't.

You don't think theatre is a wasted degree? Does that actually work in Canada? Cause in the U.S. at least you might as well go straight to the damn Olive Garden.

 

[kokepepsi]

Had a professor for sociology who had a PHD.
Besides teaching he did some work/research that got published in Journals.

 

[reDREDD]

Unless youre gonna do research or teach, no.

 

[▲E.]

don't waste your time in school for that long. you'll be paying for it for years, and like people are telling you, a liberal arts degree is useless.

 

[vamp1ro]

PhD is Sociology will be useful if you want to teach Sociology, or come from a lot of money. Since you do a lot of work with various groups, I would just get a BA and keep up with that line of work.

 

[Hiplop]

Science isn't a liberal art Hip :side:

santorum thinks so

 

[LINK]

I'm a gifted minority honors student who wants to do graduate studies in Sociology. I am not a slacker by any means. I graduate magna sum laude, won two national awards from the American Sociological Association and the Association of Black Sociologists, and an ex ASA president likes my work. I've also taken my finding to gay rights organizations to help them deal with homophobia in the black community. I've also won awards for my work with minority retention rates at university.

However, the recent reports on academic jobs makes me apprehensive about persuing graduate studies. While I would love to be an academic, I know it might not happen. I don't believe I have to have an academic job to be happy with the PhD. I would also love think tank work or working as a policy analyst or advocate.

I propose this question for Sociologist and other social scientists: How feasible is it for me to work at a think tank or as a policy analyst after the PhD if I can't get an academic? I don't want to waste 5 years of my life on an education to be as underemployed as I am now. Also, are their middle paths besides social work for academically gifted and socially conscious people?

I'm concerned about two things. First, you misspelled pursuing, which makes me wonder but doesn't necessarily mean anything. Secondly, though why are you asking these kinds of questions on a Wrestling forum?

Luckily, I can share my opinion on the subject. Working for a think tank or as a policy analyst is going to be much more fulfilling than as an academic. I know you do not believe this because you want to be an academic but I have two friends that both sounded just like you before college. Here are their stories in short.

The older one got his degree with a decent average but only like a 3.2 GPA. He chose not to go to graduate school. He now is a coach and teaches at a high school level, which for 4 years of college he swore he wanted to do. After about 3 years of this, he won't openly admit it but he is absolutely miserable. Drinks all the time to the point of frenzy and literally enjoys nothing he did before.

The younger one had the academic standing to go to Harvard. He achieved a 4.0 for four years was involved in everything. On campus, he was known as the most intelligent student we had. Upon graduating he opted for graduate school and then last minute changed his mind. He now teaches Latin and works in a grocery store because he wanted to be a teacher SO bad.

If I were you, I would go to graduate school and work towards the think tank, obtain that experience and then if you still want to do academia you can fall back on it. These stories above are not really the end of the stories, but I can tell you that the they will have a difficult time every trying to do the other things now.

 

[-Halo-]

So you came here to brag about your ''accomplishments'' ? To this Forum ? A Social Media ? and want to know our opinion about studying Sociology ???????

Boy have you read any of the stupid posts most people make here ? And you want these people's advice ?

I dont believe anything you said, now I will wait till you quote Sid :'' I have half the brain that you do''.