Response Paper 1

Chelsea Billek

September 8, 2011

SOC-1000(15)

Response Paper 1

The study of sociology would benefit myself and a majority of others in their education and career goals. Sociology is the study of social behavior and various human groups. One who studies it will focus on social relationships and how societies change and develop. With that understanding, it is rather easy to see how its study could service nearly anyone. No matter what your situation, it is almost inevitable that you will be dealing with different people on a day to day basis. By learning about sociology, one can learn to cope with the different personalities they may encounter in a more compelling and advantageous way. 

My circumstances are no different. I am an industrial design major at Kean University and work at a store called Walter Bauman’s Jewelry. I’ve met many new people along the way and plan on doing so even more as I continue on my path to a career. Although Kean University might be small in comparison to other schools, it is in fact one of the most diverse schools in the country and educates nearly 16,000 students. The jewelry store i work in is also small, but is one of four stores in their chain.  It is also located near the heart of union making it a sought-after location for residents in the surrounding towns. In addition, it has also been voted best jewelry store in New Jersey for a couple years running. I could come across customers that range in age from 18 to 80. Being that I come across so many different people everyday, sociology can teach me how to relate to them in a different, more in depth way than I usually would. Therefore, benefitting not only my social skills, but whomever I come across as well.

As a student at Kean, I am part of a student body and a university. As a sales person, I am part of a sales team and a chain of jewelry stores. These are only some of the various social groups I belong to. Studying sociology will help me recognize these groups and the way they work in a new way. I will be able to take a step back and look at the groups I belong to and how they work instead of just my own personal role in them. But, in terms of my career, I believe sociology will aid me even more.

It is important as an industrial designer to be aware of your clientele, their desires and requests, and the people your product could possibly be used by. In order to understand them, sociology is key. The scientific method used by sociologists and other scientists is something that could be, if not already is, used by industrial designers as well. When designing a product, a designer must go through a lot of, or possibly even all of the same steps. Being that an industrial designer thrives on their creations, and the scientific method, or something similar to it, is commonly used it is a crucial tool. In reality, a sociologist uses a lot of the same methods to formulate research as a designer might to produce a product. Some of these procedures include the scientific method, research design, quantitative research and qualitative research. My career choice as an industrial designer would not be as effective or lucrative without sociology’s methods and research.