How did I get here? (Part 2)

(continued from Part 1, found here)

I dove into a series of Liberal Arts classes that I chose only because I liked the subject. Literature, art, humanities, anthropology, film, and even criminology. I became fascinated by a number of different subjects in Sociology. I think I somehow lost track of the fact that I was supposed to be trying to graduate with a degree in something. Luckily my interests had brought me within a few course hours of a degree in Sociology.

I know what you're thinking, because a lot of people asked me the same thing: "then what?" With a degree in Sociology, your only real option other than flipping burgers is to go immediately to graduate school (to study more Sociology, or maybe law, but the options are slim).

It was a bit of a shock to realize that I was going to be utterly unemployable. I was about to start my fourth year and I had managed to mature enough to realize that a reasonably secure, salaried job was something that would be important for my future.

I spent a few days reading, re-reading, and cross-checking the course catalogs to understand my options. What I found was unexpected: Management Information Systems in the School of Business. A business degree? Yes, a business degree. The combination of my early semesters of math, science, and engineering fit well with the technical requirements of that degree. All my subjects-of-interest fit the liberal arts requirements closely too. I only needed a couple of core business classes which I could cover pretty easily in my last year. Ta-dah! Employable!

Oddly enough, it worked.

I got a wonderful job at a major accounting/consulting firm as...a programmer. (!)

As it turns out, this counterpoint of technology and sociology has become a theme in my life. A theme that has connected me with incredible people, ideas, and opportunities.

(to be continued in Part 3, found here)