On Monday April 3rd I had the opportunity to have lunch with Mark in saga. We got the chance to talk some more about his background and how he came back to Wheaton. He graduated from Wheaton with a degree in sociology but hasn’t actually worked as a sociologist since graduating. Mark has moved around quite a bit and tried a bunch of different types of jobs since graduating eight years ago, mostly in the ministry field and working with non profits. Right now he is working as a manager in the fundraising field, which has nothing really to do with sociology.He’s hoping to continue is the fundraising field and is actually pursuing his masters in nonprofit management. However, he did say that the concepts and theories he learned from his sociology classes helps him in understanding how people and structures work. He mentioned that his background in sociology helps him effectively manage people and relate better to companies and the individuals employed by those companies. He also mentioned the liberal arts education he gained through Wheaton was honestly very integral in his success in many of his jobs. Additionally, he mentioned to me that according to studies our liberal arts degree is just getting more and more valuable and more than ever employers are looking to hire people who come from colleges like Wheaton- that give us a well-rounded experience.
This was encouraging to hear for me. Since I’m not quite sure what my passions or career aspirations are it’s good to know that I’m not pinned down to one job for the rest of my life. I like the idea of career mobility and opportunities to try new things. It’s very encouraging to me that even though I’m majoring in business and communication, after I graduate, I have lots of options and am not solely defined by my major and I will have many opportunities in a lot of different fields. It was also encouraging to know that if you find a passion later on you can always go back to school to better prepare and pursue something you care about.
Natalie,
ReplyDeleteIt is very cool to see that your relationship in continuing with Mark. His background seems very important to his job. I agree with Mark about our liberal arts degree. It seems like many employers are looking more and more for students with liberal arts degrees. That helps us a lot;)
I think it's good that there is not just one thing that you think you need to pursue. It keeps us open to God's plan. He will show you and open doors that need to be opened. You have so many options! Thank you.
Caleb