A Reflection on the Sociology Degree and Ms. Kristina Zeiser,
a Sociology graduate
By Maxine Asimenu
Throughout my college career, the question that seems to be on the tongues
of many people I come across is, “ What are you going to do with your Sociology
degree?” Interestingly, it seems many students from the college of liberal arts are
asked this question and a lot of people do not realize the myriad of opportunities the
college of liberal arts offers its students. In my bid to find out more options for my
major, I interviewed Ms. Kristina Lilian Zeiser who graduated from the Pennsylvania
State University with a sociology degree in 2006. She is currently in her fourth year
in the Sociology and Demography combined Master’s and PHD program here at the
Penn State. Along with this interview is a reflection on the interview as well as other
pertinent information about the possible career options for someone with a
sociology degree.
Ms. Zeiser is from Allentown, Pennsylvania and as a young girl she always
excelled at her academics. Her parents, family members, and teachers encouraged
her to attend college and, through visits to Penn State with her Aunt Pat for football
games, she felt her heart was here. It was the only school she applied to and was
willing to go to a branch campus if necessary, since her ultimate goal was to get into
the school.
Ms. Zeiser admits that in her freshman year at the University Park campus at
Penn State, she did not know that she was going to be a Sociology major. She
recollects taking a her first sociology class (SOC 001) with Linda Perry and, although
she did not find her particularly interesting, she did enjoy the subject matter and
continued to take other classes in sociology and also did extensive reading on
published works by many sociologists. At the end of her freshman year, she decided
that sociology was the right field for her. She again mentioned that she took some
businesses courses but did not flow well with them.
She also decided to diversify her education by including a Spanish minor. She
claims that since high school she has always been good at that language and did very
well on her Advanced Placement (AP) exam in Spanish; therefore she had some of
her Spanish credits transfer from her high school to Penn State. She also studied
abroad in Spain for a semester, which she classifies as a great study abroad program
by Penn State and also a great travel experience. In her junior year she picked up
another major in International Studies.
In addition to her study abroad experience, she engaged in a number of extra
curricular activities. She was part of the International Language House, which is part
of the special living option at Penn State. The main purpose of this option was to
engage students in international programs and other cultural events to promote
cultural awareness at the university. She became president of International
Language House organization in her sophomore year. She was also the THON chair
for this organization and danced for THON for two consecutive years. In addition,
she engaged in the Penn State Indoor drumline. She was their secretary for two
years and was part of the Blue Band for four years.
In terms of internship experience, Ms. Zeiser had an internship at the survey
research center during her last semester, which was on campus. She was involved in
data collection and analyzing, which is currently being used by a professor at the
university.
When it comes to her favorite classes and professor at University Park, she
mentions that she really enjoyed a class that was on Shakespeare. This is because it
involved a lot of acting and other forms of Shakespearian writing, which was not
usually mentioned. She also mentions SOC 119 taught by Sam Richards, which is a
class on Race Relations. She was a teaching assistant for the class as well, first as an
examination-teaching assistant, then as a discussion moderator for discussion
sessions on race relations’ issues. She was also a teaching assistant for Sam Richards
for Soc 001, which is an introduction to sociology, and hence classifies Sam Richards
as her favorite teacher. “He is a great guy,” she says. She feels Sam Richards relates
very well with students and encourages students to take at least one of his courses
since they serve as an eye- opener to students.
As part of her academic achievements, Ms. Zeiser was a scholar of the
Schreyer’s Honors college, a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and received a number
of scholarships from the sociology department whiles maintaining a Dean’s List
average.
Before graduation, Ms. Zieser admits that she did not know which direction
she was going. However, after taking a research methods class with Francis Dodoo,
he encouraged her to go into research and served as a mentor for her as she wrote
her dissertation. She then decided that graduate school was the route she was going
to take and applied for the sociology and demography combined masters and PHD
program at Penn State. She got accepted and is currently pursuing her postgraduate education.
She is currently writing her dissertation about the effects of transferring
schools during high school years and the effects on future decisions such as college
graduation rates. Writing this dissertation was inspired by her own family
experience, where her brother switched schools during his high school years and
later on seemed disinterested in college education. She has been interested in the
Sociology of Education and therefore sees this as a great avenue in putting her
knowledge to good use.
When asked how different the graduate program in Sociology is from the
post –graduate program, she said that they are significantly different from each
other. According to Ms. Zeiser the post- graduate program is a lot more quantitative
and involves a lot of independent research and possibilities for publishing work that
requires work solely done by the student, whiles the undergraduate degree is
qualitative and has a lot do with reading and writing about theorists amongst
others. She goes on to say that, even though she believes the undergraduate
sociology program at Penn State is praiseworthy, she would have liked the major to
contain more statistics courses to effectively prepare students who will eventually
want to pursue graduate education, even if it means making it optional for sociology
students.
Ms. Zeiser’s short – term goals include surpassing hurdles in her graduate
program and getting through her dissertation, as doing a combined degree can take
its toll on students. She later on hopes to find a job that has to do with teaching or
mentoring. However, she does not want a job that requires her to do a lot of
publishing. Again, she feels she might also take up a job with a census bureau where
she has a great network of friends who have been encouraging her to join them.
Giving that she got married last year, she wants to make decisions that will not
affect her family significantly to aid her in having a healthy and fruitful life.
Finally, Ms. Zeiser would advise prospective students of the sociology
program to first ask themselves what they truly want to do with the degree before
entering into it. They should choose something that will make them actively
engaged. She advises thinking about options with demography and also a possible
minor in Statistics. With these she feels like there will be many doors that will be
open for students. She also recommended working with non- governmental or nonprofit organizations if you are into helping communities or being involved in social
work. Most importantly she advises networking and utilizing ties with Penn State
alumni services.
The interview with Ms. Zeiser served as a true eye- opener for me. Through
our conversations she reinforced that having a sociology major is not a liability, but
a great avenue for a multitude of opportunities. Sharing her experience with me has
given me a lot of motivation and to share this information with students in the
liberal art. Hopefully this will have a profound effect on anyone who has queries
about being in the major.
Sociology majors are educated to study human life and how society
influences human affairs. Therefore, with an excellent undergraduate degree,
students can pursue meaningful careers. According to Worldwide Learn [WWL],
2010) sociology majors have possible careers in social work, consultation, research
or data analysis, human resource management, law, journalism, corrections,
counseling, politics, public and youth services, investigations, administration, and
business. However, WWL (2010) claims that the trend of many sociology majors
seems to be in research, consulting, and administration in federal and government
jobs. Again, sociology majors can pursue careers in academia after going to graduate
school and a successful PHD program. Personally, I have had significant experience
in developing skills such as knowledge on research methods in the social sciences,
gathering and analyzing information, problem solving skills, communication skills,
human relations skills, and finally organizing skills.
Also with this major, a student should be able to determine early in their
college career which direction they want to go. When this is determined, they can
take the necessary courses that will guide them in that direction. It is really up to the
student to take a bold step towards realizing what they are really good at and how
they want to influence the lives of others with the skills they have acquired. I have
decided that I want to use my degree to go into International Development. I am
highly interested in improving the lives of people, especially women and children in
developing countries, since many of the cultures in these areas do not allow for the
progress of women. There is the need to create meaningful ways for people in
impoverished nations to sustain themselves. Therefore, I have decided to go to
graduate school to pursue a Master of Arts degree in International Studies and with
this education, I will be able to gain sufficient knowledge on the needed steps to help
people. After the master’s degree, I intend to work with some Non- profit
organizations either in Africa or Asia. If everything goes on according to my plans I
can get a job working for the United Nations, World Bank, World Health
Organization or Oxfam which are internationally recognized organizations that
specialize in my chosen field of work.
According to WWL (2010), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that
people with sociology degrees have higher salaries than those with comparative
degrees. It was mentioned that the median income for sociology majors in 2006 was
$67,330 per year. However, the lower ten percent earns $36,740 per year while the
top ten percent earns $ 108,280 year. Given all these statistics, it is expected that
there will be a ten percent increase in the demand for sociologists between 2006
and 2016 (Worldwide Learn [WWL], 2010). This goes to show that depending on
the field you decide to pursue a career in, there is always the possibility of earning a
decent amount of money to begin life with.
In conclusion, sociology teaches us how to work well with other humans and
also determine ways in which society is changing and apply the useful knowledge
that we gain to bring about a better community. If a person has a true interest in this
field, they must go at it with their hearts and pursue it passionately. In the long run
it is helping humanity that is on the hearts of many of us. Being part of the
revolutionary group of people will in turn bring change. Lessons should be taken
from the interview with Ms. Zeiser and also the information on the various career
options. This should go a long way to guide students in this major and those who
hope to someday bring about effective change in society.
Works Cited
Worldwide Learn (2010). Guide to college majors in Sociology. Retrieved from
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/socialscience/sociology-major.htm