Sociology: A Versatile Degree

Life has a way of directing us in ways that are not always what we planned. When I began college I declared a major in elementary education with a minor in art. I enjoyed my classes and felt this was the direction that I would follow into the job market. I decided that I would try teaching in the classroom however to make sure that I really did feel comfortable with teaching elementary grades. I took the year off between my junior and senior year at Kent State University, obtained my provisional teaching certificate in the state of Ohio, and was hired as a fourth grade teacher at Marshallville Elementary School in Marshallville, Ohio. It was a rewarding year. I really did enjoy teaching; this is what I feel that I should do. The next year I returned to Kent State University to finish my senior year. Little did I know that my father would become terminally ill that year. I dropped out of school with twenty hours of electives to finish my education degree.

I later returned to college as a young military wife with two young daughters. My husband was assigned to Lajes Field A.F. B., Azores. I attended classes at the base education service. I became a student through the University of Maryland. Though I only needed twenty hours of electives to finish my elementary education degree with Kent State University they would not accept course work from the University of Maryland and the University of Maryland would not grant me an education degree through the military education program. I completed two years of course work through the University of Maryland, College Park, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology.

Upon our return to the United States I did use my degree to obtain a position as a caseworker with a national non profit organization. I worked as a caseworker in Michigan until my husband's transfer. I then was hired by the same national non profit organization in New Mexico again as a caseworker. I did write a grant proposal a year later and became project manager of a specialized area of casework. I then applied a year later and was hired again as an interim station manager. Another transfer led us to another state. In Mississippi I applied and was hired by another national non profit organization as executive director. In this position I was in charge of not only volunteers, but a volunteer board and staff also. Many moves followed. I continued to accept positions in non profit management.

Life has a way of helping us discover paths that we may otherwise never consider. A degree in Sociology is quite flexible. It helped me find positions as we traveled that were actually more fluid than a teaching career.