So, let’s rewind. It was 2020. The world was in a panic. Covid lockdowns, masks, and everyone was freaking out about this “new Chinese virus.” But honestly? This was the best time of my life. I know that sounds crazy, but hear me out.
After three long years of constant school anxiety, the pressure was finally off. No more rushing, no more crowded hallways. I could just… be at home. I could learn at my own pace, in my own space, and for the first time in a long time, I felt total peace. It was in this weird, quiet bubble that I truly discovered why I chose sociology as my major.
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I’ve Always Been a Social Science Girlie
Being the daughter of two hardcore STEM parents always made me feel a bit like an outsider. They spoke in formulas and numbers; I thought in historical timelines and philosophical debates. I was the social science nerd—geography, history, philosophy, you name it. I ate that stuff up. And I was good at it. My social science teacher totally favored me, and all my essays? Self-made, way before AI was a thing, and they always scored at least 90%, often 100%.
So, when I stumbled into that online sociology class during lockdown, it was like finding a missing piece of myself. It connected all the dots. It wasn’t just about memorizing dates or theories; it was about understanding why people do what they do. Why I chose sociology as my major started to click right then and there. I just knew, with this crazy certainty, that this was what I wanted to study in the future.
Or, you know, at least I thought I knew.
The Dream Meets Reality: “What Are You Gonna Do With That?”
So long story short, I loved sociology, and that is what I am gonna study in the future. Or at least I thought so until I told my grandpa in front of my STEM parents.
Everyone was dead silent afterwards, and I could feel the disagreement and unpleasant air. Here we go again.
My dad asked me what am I gonna to do with this degree. It is useless. And I am not going to find a job with it. Then okay, if I am not allowed to study what I wanna study, then I am not going to study at all!
And that is how I landed with my accounting vocational school. Because I had to please my parents, because accounting is always easy to find jobs, and I felt smart enough to maybe excel at accounting. But hell, long story short, I was wrong. This was unnecessary three bad years I had to go through because I listened to my parents and just for the sake of getting a job.
After four months internship in a Japanese car company, it was crystal clear for me: fuck getting a job. Even if I am offered hundreds of them, I am not gonna do it.
The Pivot: Finding My Way Back to Why I Chose Sociology as My Major
So, there I was. Stuck with an accounting background, which felt like a life sentence. With it, I could only study accounting, economics, business, or governmental administration. It felt like I had permanently closed the door on my dreams. What have I done?!?!
But then, I got a brilliant idea. I decided to go to Germany and be an au pair. It was my escape hatch, my path to freedom. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. It took over six months of being unemployed, a lot of money, doubts from my parents, so much stress and tears, and four separate trips back and forth from Surabaya to Jakarta for visa problems. This escape dream was not cheap.
If that plan hadn’t worked, my father was already haunting me with an accounting job offer from a connection. The fear of having to take that job was my biggest motivation. But yeah, long story short, I made it. I finally got to Germany. I was free.
Long story short, I am in my Germany, got my dream job, did my stuff. But let’s say the accounting background was necessary to get me here. So here we are, today. I finally applied to and got into an online Sociology program at a state Indonesian university. So, I get what I want. And my parents are happy because, with my side gigs and the fact I’m supporting myself, I have a job and money anyway.
Why I Chose Sociology as My Major: Understanding Social Inequality
There are two types of people when studying “useless degree” in this capitalist society.
- The one who chases their passion at all costs, no matter the risk.
- The one who doesn’t give a fuck because they can either afford not getting a job, or their connections will get them one.
And I am quite glad I am the second one. Nobody gonna say what am I going to do with sociology degree because this time, I have the privilege. I do not need this degree to land me to a job.
And boy, I have been rambling so much, am I? But here we are: why I chose sociology as my major, anyway?
It is because I am from a poor country. A working, middle-class family from Indonesia, scraping by on that thin line between making ends meet and watching them fray, who is now already doing social immobilization because I moved abroad. Wait, social what? Yeah, that fancy term sociologists throw around for when someone that was poor like me suddenly upgraded my social class.
Because when I move abroad, my social status in Indonesia is increased, so does my salary, which means higher currency. I work much less doing nothing (only 16 hours a week) but I earn much more than a manager in Jakarta that works 50+ hours a week. My euros go super far, grabbing stuff my family back home can only wish for. This is the reason why I chose sociology as major.
Because I know the world is unfair. Not because the world is corrupt or evil in some cartoon-villain way, but because the elite people design it the way it is, on how to benefit them, stacking the deck with trade rules and tax havens that keep the wealth flowing one direction.
How for me studying my dream major is possible, online classes from a cozy German flat, no study loans hanging over my head, but not for many people out there, kids in my old neighborhood who drop out to hustle street food because uni fees eat your future alive.
What is a dream major? What is a dream job? One would be grateful enough if they could afford rent in New York today. Being an artist does not pay the bill, so let’s be computer science guy, not because I like it but because that is what sells and pays the rents.
Read too: How I Quit My Dream Job
Because why people spend 25k for a bag, and why others spend less than 4 euros for a bag?
Navigating in this world is sometimes so cruel and sad for those who are faced with poverty.
I was right there in it, back in Surabaya, seeing my brother’s babysitter’s family all crammed in one small room, sleeping on a beat-up bed that looked ready to break—kids, parents, everyone squished in the sticky heat, no room to move without hitting someone.
Or my best friend stuck in a real slum so tight a car couldn’t even drive through, with neighbors just sitting out front all day, watching every single person who walks by ’cause that’s life when everything’s too close and rough.
Or this other friend, her whole family jammed in one room that had to be bedroom, kitchen, and dinner spot all in one—mats for sleeping at night, a corner with a smoky stove that made everyone cough, and a shaky table for quick meals of whatever rice and veggies they could pull together—no extra space, no quiet, just everything pressing in and killing any big ideas before they start.
I was on both sides. I have seen the extreme poverty, kids my age with bellies full of yesterday’s rice and eyes hollow from “tomorrow’s maybe,” and the riches, family trips to Singapore or Malaysia and latest iPhone as birthday gift. And it is unfair!
Folks online love posting: skip SHEIN or TEMU, ’cause of kid labor, waving their “good person” flag while liking pics of hauls that pretend to be eco-friendly.
Meanwhile, on the other side in Southeast Asia, we shop in Shopee, our Amazon that is actually even much cheaper than SHEIN or TEMU for the exact same objects.
Because they earn less than 300 euros a month, and it is not their fault they cannot afford 80-euro NB, Adidas, nor Nike shoes nor a 400 euro Polene bag.
On how moral or virtue signaling… the humans wanting to feel better, supreme, and kind enough thinking they are doing something when actually it does not change anything. Just padding their ego. Because the actual 1% of people that has the power to do it, they do nothing. They sit on their hands, flying off with private jet to fancy meetings in Munich to fake-talk “green living” paid for by their own dirty energy cash.
On how the Chinese produce all the stuff in this world, and exploit the Africans, Bangladeshis, Indians for that. This world is full of hierarchy, but not everyone could see it clearly or even so ignorant.
When the Western people advocate about climate change, animal rights, meanwhile, over here… folks take super risky work just to eat. How my people, the Indonesians, work and breath the plastic waste because they have no other choice.
Why I Chose Sociology as My Major: The Pessimistic Side and Everyday Wins
I’m not studying sociology to seek all the answers or to figure out how we can fix it. Because, honestly, studying it has made me realize the world is just the way it is. I know that sounds pessimistic.
Studying sociology is not about fixing the world or finding perfect answers. It is about understanding human behavior, social patterns, and inequalities. It teaches critical thinking, so I don’t live like a robot, following rules without questioning them. It makes me aware, conscious, and thoughtful in my everyday life.
Why do we believe what we believe?
Why do we buy what we buy?
Why do we behave like we do?
These are the questions sociology helps me answer.
This is why I chose sociology as my major**.** I’m figuring things out, too. I think it’s a form of critical thinking you can use in your everyday life. It stops you from being a robot, from living so fast you don’t think for yourself. It frees you from propaganda and lets you see the world, with all its beautiful, ugly, and unfair complexities, crystal clear.
Through sociology, I can analyze hierarchies, privilege, and systemic injustices. I understand why some people can chase passion while others are trapped in survival mode. I understand global inequalities, and I know my place in this world. This clarity is invaluable.
So, if you’re ever wondering about why you should choose sociology as your major, think about this: it’s not just a degree. It’s a lens. It’s the ultimate tool for understanding the game, even if you can’t change all the rules. And for me, that understanding is everything.
Conclusion: Why I Chose Sociology as My Major
Sociology may seem like a “useless degree” to some, but for me, it is a practical life skill. It gives tools to analyze society, question authority, and make informed decisions. It allows me to see the world as it is—not how I am told it should be. It’s like a superpower in everyday life: understanding why people do what they do, why society functions the way it does, and how privilege and opportunity shape outcomes.
In the end, why I chose sociology as my major it is because it combines my love for social sciences with the reality of my life experience. It allows me to analyze, question, and understand the world critically. I don’t study it to change the world or seek utopia. I study it to understand it. To see clearly. To avoid being manipulated by systems I don’t fully understand.
Choosing sociology as my major was not easy, but it was worth it. From lockdown nerd life to accounting struggles, visa troubles, and finally freedom abroad, it all led me here. I am privileged, yes, but that doesn’t diminish my love for sociology or my desire to understand the world. It makes me more aware, more critical, and ultimately, more free.
Studying sociology taught me that knowledge itself is power. It may not buy your rent or luxury bags, but it gives clarity, perspective, and freedom of thought. That is why I chose sociology as my major.
Whew, ramble done for now.
Why do you chose sociology as your? Drop ’em below. Let’s unpack the mess side by side.
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