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What is the average day like for a social researcher or sociologist?

I'm thinking of majoring in sociology in college, but I want to learn more about the field and what the average day in that type of career would be like. #sociology #research #college #college-major

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Abby’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team

Hi Ivy! I’m sorry no one’s answered your question yet. We're working hard to get it answered by Professionals with the best insights, but in the meantime I've included a link to a relevant Q&A here on CareerVillage.org that should be super helpful for you to read through.


Kevin asked: What are the possible paths for sociology and what life style would that entail?, and one of the Pros who answered it said:


I'm doing a PhD in sociology right now so I think I can tell you a bit about this and just let me know if you have any other questions about sociology. So first off, there's different paths depending on what you want to do and there's a lot of things you can do with sociology because it's the study of society (how people shape society, how society shapes people, etc.).

The three most typical careers people take with sociology are marketing, social work, research and teaching sociology (and people often combine research and teaching by being a professor, but you don't have to). There's a ton of other careers which sociology is incredibly helpful for, however, such as being a consultant, but sometimes you have to convince employers that sociology is helpful in these careers so take that as a forewarning. Now I'll go over the each of the typical careers (marketing, social work, research and teaching sociology) and the path they require. However, the first step for all the careers related to sociology is to go to college.


Click the question to read more of what this Pro and others had to say!


Good luck! 

Abby 

Community Management Intern at CareerVillage.org
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Linda’s Answer

Hi Ivey, I am a retired professor sociology who taught 25 years at a small private liberal arts university. That's an important distinction, because my average day may look different than a sociology professor at a large state university. Excellence in teaching was our number one priority. My average day would include prepping for classes, reviewing what I had prepared to ready myself for in-class teaching, and teaching. Aside from these responsibilities, my day might include meeting with students, department meetings, and committee meeting. Prior to registration for next semester's courses, I would advise students on their course selections. Of course, there are many hours spent reviewing and grading student papers and take-home examinations. Teaching our internship course, I would do site visits to every place students were interning. Since the academic year was so teaching intensive, my professional research and writing would typically take place during the summer. Again, I must stress that this was my life as a sociologist at a small private university.

I loved what I did, but I must be brutally honest. During the academic year, it was not unusual for me to spend 70-80 hours working. I was completely devoted to what I did and to providing students with optimal learning experiences. As for the summer, I would work about 40 hours a week on research and writing. I hope this answer helps!
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