Sociology is the career that I am majoring on in studies. It entails the study of human relationships and institutions. Human relationships are diverse because people are social agents. The social activities range from gatherings to particular places of solitude that makes the subject matter different. It includes all different points such as crime to religion, variations in social classes, life in the family and under the state, and radical change arising from social stabilities in the societies. It describes how human life is shaped through cultural and social structures hence making it essential and suitable for one’s stay earth. The paper describes sociology as a profession and the various issues affecting sociology as a profession.

Aspects of Sociology

Sociology as a profession involves analyzing people’s lives, communities and the world as a whole. Social circumstances that force a man to make opinions are core in sociology. It investigates cause and effect factors by conducting small and large scale surveys and laboratory experiments, interpretation of historical documents, the analysis of census reports and participant interviews for the purpose of understanding fundamental social processes. The methods used in research are vital in explaining human behavior and variables at personal, societal and global levels. The theories of sociology yield insights in social processes that shape an individual’s lives and the prospects in the contemporary world of life. The inevitable changes and dynamic nature of the society vindicate the understanding of the relationship between man and external agent factors in an analytical perspective. They form an explanation of how personal experiences are influenced by external forces altering the outcome of a person’s life.

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Social and Economic Characteristics of Sociology

Sociology is described as a social science governed by social theories explaining the matter and human aspect of behavior. Mondal explains that though it is a social science like other professions, it has a particular perspective different from other sciences. The social characteristics include:

It is a generalizing science that is not unique in its core responsibilities. For instance, its principal aim is the establishment of general principles explaining the interaction and association of human beings. Since it is a science that dwells on some aspects of history in describing human life, it rarely attempts describing specific events in distinct societies. Even though it is in history, it is different because history particularizes specific issues such as particular wars that happened in a given year. Sociology would otherwise describe the social phenomenon with general manifestations.

Sociology is a generalized science that lacks a functional entity such as in history or economics. It is because its scope of the study is limited though general. Sociology studies social factors from an abstract point of social behavior. For instance, political science has a given scope of interest that dwells on the political behavior in contrast to sociology which has a broad area of interest pertaining social actions.

It incorporates a particular form of abstraction that is unique to its subject. Although psychology, sociology, and sociology have common aspects in their study, their difference is in abstract thinking. For example, sociology explains the variations in the society’s human behavior arising from social structural differences different from psychology and anthropology that dwell on personalities and cultural differences respectively.

Another characteristic is that it is a theoretical science. It is a science that aims at increasing its sphere of knowledge through research. Research conducted is majorly descriptive which dwells in the analysis of personal property in relation to social happenings. In this perspective, human society knowledge is acquired, later used in solving social problems.

Sociology is also an empirical and rational science based on experimentation and observation techniques. It bases its arguments on reasoning because it is rational and has a basis of logical inference rather than speculation.

The economic characteristics of sociology pertain the strengths and possible weaknesses of organizational activities in the society. As an entity, the way of life of people is studied to ascertain the influence caused by specific money generating activities in the community. They include social mobility and class that determines one’s level of economic status. The two economic characteristics in sociology responsible for causing a class system are objective and subjective criteria. A class consciousness that is, the attitude of self-awareness, solidarity, class identification, and the class level are the subjective influencing the objective criteria such as the wealth, property, income, and education. These class distinctions determine social stability in the society thereby a strong determinant in economic sociology.

The Type of People it Employs

Statistics indicates that a majority of the sociologists who train in all cadres are African Americans that are 16 % of all sociology degree recipients. Although they form a majority of the workforce in the United States, they are only given less than 35% of the job offers. The majority of the sociologists are females. The dominant education levels are master’s level. The statistics indicate that the whites are given job priority with any education level in comparison to other races because a majority of the sociologists are found at every institution. The conditions of employment include a master’s or Ph.D. degree, with analytical, communication and critical thinking skills. The annual wage for sociologists is $73, 760 although it varies to the industry one works. For instance, sociologists earn $89,120 in research and developments while those in education services and local governments range from $65,120 to 51,800. Since the field has a relatively small number of positions, job stability is not a guarantee though the ASA advocates for its members’ rights. Individuals with a high social class are often privileged to get better jobs compared to the poor. Besides, social forces regulate the market economy with the social objectivity that makes wealth to be clustered among specific individuals. Although people engage in other activities that promote personal liberty, the contemporary phenomena repeat itself that is a description of the social cycle theory.

The vast disparities between the high paying jobs in the sociology profession such as in research to the less paid educators is an indication of injustice within the American economy. For instance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that only 2600 jobs were available in 2014. The 2024 prospect shows few improvements in employment opportunities. A majority of the professionals are hoped to join organizations that may or not utilize their skills such as colleges, universities, and other local institutions. In the State of Tennesse, more than 9 % of sociologists are unemployed, while more than 24 % employed are lowly paid in their jobs. The conflict theory describes how people compete for the few positions yet individuals are unequal, in different cadres. Conflict of interests makes the scarce resources even tougher to acquire them.

The major challenge facing the career is the high graduant numbers with minimal job opportunities. A majority of the universities are graduating all levels of sociologists’ indiscriminate of their ethnicity and gender. However, the government at national and local levels are putting minimal measures aimed at job creation and fair competition. David, Brinkerhoff, Suzanne, and Weitz describe how social unity is crucial to the growth of the society. The structural-functional theory explains harmony and stability within individuals in the community bonds members together for common goals. Another problem is low remuneration. Sociologists opt for low wage since there are fewer opportunities, besides; few job offers utilize their skills.

Although Sociology has various challenges as a major, my motivator was studying the diversity in the way of life shared by members of communities and how they adapt to new needs. Since a community is long standing, studying the social groups and their interactions irrespective of individual behaviors is fulfilling because you understand factors that keep the society at equilibrium. For instance, different people esteem various values different from other. While some regard tenderness and cooperation, some will cherish good health and stability, and security. It explains the variability of social life and differences while ensuring social justice for all. Also, the precise methodology used in research within the field appeals in the process of knowledge acquisition. Regarding the paper, getting grounded in sociological research provides useful tools for working in many areas such as healthcare besides learning the three major perspectives that are an equivalent lens that views present problems changing them for the better. The high unemployment rates and low job growth projection information requires that I take measures to avoid unemployment and settling for low payment.

In conclusion, sociology as a career is a systematic study of social groups and how they interact with the society. It describes how a social structure affects individual behavior and social interactions. The study takes place in a social setting where individuals’ lives are analyzed where they gather singly or in groups. Several research methods are used in collecting information and analysis. They include experiments, surveys, observations, and the use of existing statistics. As a profession, it has both economic and social characteristics. The social characteristics include it is a social science governed by social theories; it is a generalizing and generalized science, it is theoretical and uses forms of abstraction, and it is empirical and objective science. The economic characteristics are objective and subjective criteria such as class consciousness, solidarity and wealth, and income. Many sociologists in the United States graduate from various institutions, with the majority being African Americans of which many Americans are considered for jobs. The remuneration and unemployment rates remain low, sociologist getting research jobs are the best paid. Unemployment rates correlate with the state of Tennessee that also projects a little increase in sociology jobs in 2024. The major problems facing sociologists include poor remuneration and job stability. The various perspectives and models describing sociology such as the social-functional theory explain the variations present in the society. Awareness of the current problems facing sociologists is essential for future planning.

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