When I entered my first ever Sociology class on a hot Tuesday afternoon, I was overwhelmed. I had never even heard of Sociology until my advisor told me I had to take it as a general education requirement. My professor had a big personality and was by far (to this day) the most energetic and charismatic presence I’ve ever encountered in a classroom. The classroom itself was nearing capacity with 181 chatty students filling the seats. It was all incredibly intimidating and distracting for the first few days (okay, weeks!).
The presentation of the material was not lacking by any means; my professor was charming, funny, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable in every subject. Yet, nearly six weeks into the course, I couldn’t make a connection to the material. It seemed that regardless of the fact that I could relate to the topics like race, gender, and sexuality, I wasn’t interested in it. There was no metaphorical lightbulb turning on in my head that sparked any interest in the material.
Then one day, five bags of candy entered my life. We had some power outage issues so the projector wasn’t working. My professor, bless her, taught the class anyway with only those five bags of candy, some Expo markers, and a whole gaggle of information. The topic? Income and wealth inequality in the U.S. I watched in awe as she dumped the contents of the bags onto the table, representing the country split up into five sections (called “quintiles”), and explained how the top 20 percent of the U.S. owned 84 percent of the wealth, while the bottom 40 barely had one percent between them.
A light in me turned on in a matter of seconds! It was so bright I couldn’t ignore it for even a moment. Immediately after class, I walked straight down to my advisor’s office and told him I wanted to declare Sociology as a minor. I did it, despite the persistent questions of “why Sociology, of all things?” There was no rationale except for the beaming smile on my face and my eagerness to learn. That was enough for me to quell the trepidation about what I was going to do with this major.
My excitement and love of the material grew rapidly, sort of like a raging wildfire with no hope of putting it out. My notes became elaborate, with definitions taken directly from the text, things written in margins, and phrases with quotes written above them to denote something my professor said verbatim. As much as I loved being a Deaf Education major, I had never felt anything like the devotion I was feeling toward Sociology. I literally could not get enough.
Just three weeks after declaring Sociology as a minor, I startled awake one Sunday morning with this insane feeling of “I have to change my major”. It seemed insane to change directions and go down a path I knew so little about - and yet I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Not three days later, I marched down to the advisor’s office and shakily told him I had all but made up my mind and that I wanted to change my major. The only reply I had to his questioning of my change was, “I’m in love with it”. What else could I say? When I walked out of his office, my major officially changed, I burst immediately into tears. Thinking about it now, eight months later, still gets me a little choked up.
It took Sociology almost two months exactly to wiggle its way into my life and it is clearly having its way with me. But, the question that is asked by friends, peers, and coworkers still remains. What am I going to do with Sociology?
Well, as a student I'll be given the opportunity to participate in a methodologically rich program where I'll be able to not only study the sociologists that came before me, but also learn about the world the way they did. Not only that, but I learn from sociologists who are thriving in their field and want to share their knowledge with me. I'll be given substantial, credible information about the state of our country, rather than getting my information from the media outlets that are riddled with bias and self-serving news reports. I’ll learn how to think critically, analyze statistics, and make sense of trends and patterns in contemporary society.
In regards to a career, I personally have focused on the path towards academia. I aspire to be like the professor who turned my life upside down and introduced me to life-changing material. Many sociologists are also researchers. At my university, a professor founded the Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations. A friend of mine is working there now. Another professor is the director for the Northeast Florida Center for Community Initiatives. He also employs both graduate and undergraduate students and aspiring sociologists. I know several people working there as well! Some Sociology majors go on to work as statisticians, given our extensive work with data and statistics. Others go on to journalism, teaching, social work, criminology, or careers in the health industry. The opportunities available to us are endlessly encouraged by our professors and there is no goal too lofty for a Sociology major.
In the months following my somewhat dramatic but no less important transition into Sociology, I have learned about the importance of pursuing your passion. In a society where there is an infinite amount of value placed on monetary gain, it is daring to toss aside your “safety net” to study something that really matters to you.
The moral of the story? A professor armed with five bags of candy could change your life.
