What do you do if you want to pursue a career in Culture Change with a sociology background?

Malheureusement, je ne suis pas un sociologue au départ. Je sui un archéologue qui s'est reconverti en anthropologue post - structuraliste. Bien que j'y connaisse un bout sur les PED ayant réussi une solide formation en Sciences du Développement. J'aurais du devenir sherpa dans un organisme comme l'UNESCO.. Malheureusement je ne pouvais compter sur l'entourage familial pour cela. Je ne pouvais deviner que ma vie serait si dure..! Partout, tout anthropologue que je suis ,je me fais traiter en horsain..! Le CECID m'a accusé une fin de non recevoir, encore récemment.. Merci bcp pour votre mise en contacts. Charles Batjoens

Une maItrise de la discipline sociologique permet d'analyser de manière critique les éléments fondamentaux de la culture, notamment les croyances partagées, les comportements et les normes sociales. Cette compréhension nous permet d'identifier les subcultures, de saisir les dynamiques de pouvoir et de reconna?tre les symboles qui fa?onnent les identités de groupe. Avec cet outil paradigmatique, nous pouvons cibler les domaines nécessitant un changement et proposer des solutions culturellement sensibles et efficaces, essentielles pour poursuivre une carrière dans le changement culturel.

First I'm not a sociologist, but a cultural anthropologist. However, to change culture, it is not about listing all the aspects that culture encompasses. Culture is made through and on our bodies, it is the constant production of meaning in our lives and the world around us. To understand a culture, it is vital to spend time in the context you want to study. Therefore, a long field study with a multidisciplinary team is needed. Unfortunately, most governments and companies don't have the patience to wait for the necessary amount of time to observe and understand a context before giving advice and planning. Furthermore, you also need to listen to people living in that culture, not coming there and thinking you know best.

You surely need experience in interviewing, participant observation, statistical surveys, team working, leadership, communication, active listening, soft skills and human studies. To help bring a cultural change is about promoting what the people in that culture want to change, it is not about bringing a preconception of what is right. If you don't spend a considered time studying the context and people in the culture through participant observation, you will not be able to guide the people to reach what they want. It is always about them, not you. You can't make a cultural change, you can only guide the process by actively listening, help the people to be heard out by the government/company's board, and work with a multidisciplinary team.

Soft skills, communication, leadership and also organizational skills are fundamental to work with people. I will also add that counseling theory and practice, even if it is born for a different purpose, will be a great addition to your curriculum because you'll know how to better guide people to reach the change they want.

Networking is important in almost every job, especially if you want to further your career. LinkedIn offers different tools to grow your professional network easily. I also add that team working and leadership will help you strive in a multidisciplinary team. You can't guide a positive cultural change alone, you need to work properly with others.

Turn Your Sociology Degree into a Hiring Advantage. - Highlight Your "People Power": You understand how groups work and how to navigate change within a company culture. - Solve Culture Puzzles: Explain how you can use sociology to diagnose problems like low morale or communication gaps. - Be the Change Champion: Show past examples (internships, projects) where you used sociology to improve a situation. - Focus on Value: Employers care about results. Show how your sociology skills will make their company better.

More than leveraging sociology, get to know a bit of Economy and Market strategy. You surely need to leverage your skills, but you also need to know how to sell yourself in a job market and how this market works.