Professor, Department of Sociology
Discovering My Academic Passion
I think one of the biggest challenges I had was in figuring out what I was actually interested in and what I wanted to do with my life. I began college as an accounting major, but I ended up changing my major to sociology as I found that my business courses interested me a lot less than my social sciences and humanities courses.
Follow Your Passion
To be clear, the path I took isn't for everyone. I'm not criticizing business (which I still minored in), and I'd encourage people to major in business if they're drawn to that. But I was more passionate about social science, and I considered it a gift to have the opportunity to spend my time learning more about it.
I think it's also important to note that even though I majored in sociology because I was drawn to the subject matter, I became much more passionate about it after I began putting more work into studying it. So I would say to certainly try to find something you're interested in, but also know that your passions need to be cultivated. You'll do better if you can develop a genuine interest in something, whether it's business, social science, or something else.
Pursuing Higher Education and Career in Sociology
Ultimately, after college I went to a master’s program and then a Ph.D. program in sociology, and now I'm able teach and to continue learning about sociology as professor. I don't know that I'd do much differently, though if I could go back in time I'd certainly encourage myself to work more and to have more discipline.
Advice for First-Gen Students
I would give the same advice to first generation college students as I'd give to all college students: take your work seriously and perform as well as you can. At a minimum, think of being a college student just as you would think about a job. You wouldn't be able to take a job and then get by with not showing up for work, so likewise don't enroll in a course and then miss classes.
And just as you'd complete your tasks for your job, do all your work for your courses, and do it on time. It's easy to view these things as optional in a college course, since there aren't always immediate consequences — unlike at a job where you'd be quickly fired for missing a bunch of days of work or for not doing your tasks. But in the long term, if you're not doing the basic requirements of a course, your grades and your learning will suffer.
And beyond doing the basic requirements, I'd urge students to revel in the opportunity they've been given to learn new things. Be practical in terms of getting the courses you need, getting good grades, preparing yourself for an occupation, etc., but as you do this, you can also be idealistic in engaging seriously with ideas and trying to improve your understanding of the world.