Sociolgy Degree stepping stone for position in HR?

Kiarbola in Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania said: Hi I am currently going into college for a degree in Sociology. I didn't want to go straight for a BS in HRM, mainly because not to many colleges in my area offer that and a degree in Sociology would allow a wider range of career options. I wanted to know if there is anyone who is in the field would think that this is a good move to make? Down the road I hope to volunteer at a hospital in their Hr department to try and gain some experience. Any advice would be helpful

Hi Kiarbola,

I just graduated from UCSD with a degree in Sociology. When choosing colleges, there weren't a lot that offered HR programs, and the ones that did weren't very high caliber schools. I have to say that it's been tough trying to find an HR coordinator/assistant role since I graduated in June, so I went into Recruiting (which is a lot easier to get into). At this point I've interviewed for a couple of HR Coordinator roles due to working for a corporation for a few months now and having some HR exposure (mostly on the recruiting/staffing side). If you want to go into HR, I suggest you get an HR degree. I got lucky my Soc degree came from a really good school, or else I don't think anyone would be interested in me.

Sociology would be a fine choice, just realize that your undergraduate degree, no matter what it's in, isn't going to be terribly helpful in landing you your first HR job. This is primarily due to the tough job market. There are more unemployed, experienced, HR pros out there than there are job openings. It's going to be tough to compete against those with experience. I think Sociology is as good of a choice as anything (that's what I majored in too).

I think you have a good plan though. Get your foot in the door, just doing whatever they need, will help you gain experience and maybe even a job down the road. Like said above, sometimes it's easier to start in other areas related to HR. I started in recruiting as well.