Here's what one sociology major did with his degree, in his own words.
True story by Elon sociology major Arrian Binnings ’01:
“What type of social worker do you want to be? That was the prevailing question I received from peers and elders as I transitioned from a business major to a sociology major back in the late 1990’s at Elon. Truth was, I didn’t care about my subsequent career, I just wanted to study something I was excited to learn about. Sociology was it. I knew it. Looking back, now nearly 15 years, I couldn’t be happier with my decision. Sociology taught me to question everything, why groups of people do what they do, where groups of people go and migrate to, and how these collective decisions get made. I am aware of the largest macro-trends and the most minute micro-trends of human movement. This, in turn, has made me an expert in an unsuspecting field for sociology majors – real estate.
“Matter of fact, I’ve ridden that inside knowledge to the top of luxury real estate in the United States’ most expensive real estate market – San Francisco, California. Here is my latest sale… a fine home indeed, but also a testament that a sociology major from a small liberal arts school in central North Carolina not be confined to a post-graduate career in volunteerism or social work. Sociologists, in my view, are more well-equipped to attack the business world from the inside out, and make big waves. I’m my own boss, so I’ve partially freed myself from the Iron Gates, and make a decent living – one in which I can give back via philanthropy to organizations in which I support or volunteer my time. I hope this opens some eyes that there are many ways to succeed with a sociology background, and many of those lie in business. Huge thank you to Drs. Basirico, Arcaro and Henricks.