What was your major in college, Sam?

SOCIOLOGY FOR B.A., M.A., AND PH.D.

What did you think you wanted to do after college?

I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE. I ORIGINALLY STARTED COLLEGE AS A BUSINESS MAJOR BECAUSE, LIKE MOST PEOPLE, IN OUR BUSINESS ORIENTED SOCIETY I JUST FIGURED THAT THAT WAS THE WAY TO GO. BUT AFTER A COUPLE OF YEARS I SAW THAT I WAS NOT INTERESTED. I STILL DIDN'T HAVE A DEFINITE INTEREST, EVEN AFTER I GRADUATED.

Were your goals met and have you even exceeded them?

WHEN I WAS IN GRAD SCHOOL I WANTED TO BE A PROFESSOR AT A MAJOR UNIVERSITY AND HAVE A "DISTINGUISHED" CAREER AS A RESEARCHER AND TEACHER. I GAVE UP THE RESEARCHER GOAL AND NOW I JUST TEACH AND HAVE VERY LITTLE PRESTIGE IN THE FIELD. AND THIS IS PERFECT BECAUSE AFTER I RECEIVED MY PH.D. AND STARTED TEACHING I DEVELOPED THE GOAL OF BEING HAPPY AND NOT LIVING MY LIFE FOR OTHERS. AND SO NOW I WORK INDEPENDENT OF MY COLLEAGUES AND OTHER ACADEMICS AND I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY.

I remember you saying in class that you weren't a very serious student at first in college. What happened to change your point of view?

I FINALLY CAME UPON SOMETHING THAT I WANTED TO DO--OR THAT I THOUGHT I WANTED TO DO, SINCE I NEVER REALLY DID IT. AND THEN I SET EVERYTHING ASIDE AND DEVOTED 100% OF MY TIME TO ACCOMPLISHING THIS OR SOME RELATED GOAL. BUT WHAT WAS THE COMMON DENOMINATOR BEHIND THIS OR SOME RELATED GOAL WAS DEVELOPING MY MIND.

If you had any advice for students just starting college what would it be?

I WOULD SAY TO FOLLOW THE PATH THAT MOST INTERESTS THEM.

Was the purpose of getting your doctorate degree to become a professor?

I WANTED TO LEARN MORE AFTER MY UNDERGRAD WAS OVER AND I HAD A UNIVERSITY THAT WOULD PAY ME TO LEARN (THROUGH A TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP) AT THE MASTERS LEVEL AND ANOTHER UNIVERSITY THAT PAID ME AT THE PH.D. LEVEL. SO I SAID, "WHAT THE HELL," AND STAYED IN SCHOOL. IT WAS WONDERFUL.

What else do you do in your field besides teach?

I SPEND A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME COUNSELING STUDENTS ACADEMICALLY AND PERSONALLY, AND I ORGANIZE A COUPLE OF SEMINARS IN MY DEPARTMENT. AND I DO SOME WRITING HERE AND THERE AND GIVE A WIDE RANGE OF TALKS ABOUT DIFFERENT TOPICS BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSITY.

Are you happy with the major you chose in college or would you pick something else if you could go back?

IF I COULD GO BACK I MIGHT CHOOSE THE SAME MAJOR OR I MIGHT CHOOSE A MAJOR THAT IS REALLY OPEN, LIKE LETTERS ARTS AND SCIENCES (WHERE I COULD CREATE MY OWN MAJOR). SO IT WOULD BE ONE OF THE TWO. BUT SOCIOLOGY ALLOWS ME TO STUDY ANYTHING THAT IS RELATED TO PEOPLE--BECAUSE IT'S ALL SOCIOLOGY.

Do you think it is imperative that a student chooses the right major for his or her line of work, or do you think a major is just something written on a piece of paper?

SOME 60% OF ALL COLLEGE GRADS DON'T WORK IN THEIR MAJOR. SO REALLY, FOR MOST OF US, THE MAJOR ISN'T THAT IMPORTANT. AND I THINK THAT IF A STUDENT IS UNCERTAIN ABOUT A SPECIFIC MAJOR THEN HE OR SHE SHOULD TAKE A VERY OPEN MAJOR LIKE LAS OR SOCIOLOGY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT TEACHES THEM HOW TO THINK.

Are you happy with the work you do today or do you see yourself doing something entirely different over the years?

I AM HAPPY BUT I AM FEELING READY TO MOVE ON TO SOMETHING ELSE. LIFE IS LONG AND THERE IS SO MUCH TO EXPERIENCE, SO MUCH TO DO. I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS WILL GO ON. MY WIFE AND I ARE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING OUR OPTIONS FOR CHANGE IN THE NEXT 3-4 YEARS. IT'S SO EXCITING, REALLY, TO IMAGINE COMPLETELY ALTERING ONE'S LIFE.