This has taken a while, and it's still not done. I know I've been over thinking things at every step, so I'm just going to post it and think a little less.
I'm tired of shrugging. I'm tired of furtively glancing in another direction as I muster another halfhearted justification for the past four years of my life. "What did you major in?" followed invariably by "And what are you going to do with a degree in philosophy?" I'm tired of the way I've grown accustomed to thinking of philosophy: as a diversion or a pastime. I've been asked so many times why I took the classes I did that I'd almost forgotten how I felt while I sat in them, and more than once I've doubted that philosophy has served me better than a degree in engineering or computer science. In trying to justify my decision to others, I've inevitably adopted their system of values concerning the goals of education. This essay, therefore, isn't so much an appeal for entry as it is an attempt to figure out what I actually think about the path I took.
The thing is, when I was surrounded by philosophy majors and professors, there wasn't room to doubt the importance of philosophy. In much the same way a physicist must look at the world and think theirs is the pursuit of the fundamental aspects of the universe, philosophy majors run rampant with their conviction that reason and pure thought are the pinnacle of education. This belief is fostered (even actively encouraged) by our teachers, who never hesitate to point out that at one point all the branches of science were once considered topics of philosophy. Though I never quite became fully absorbed, my haughtiness was at an all-time high when I was sure the field I had chosen was the epitome of next-level thinking. Even the names of the classes I took flaunted their superiority. I wasn't taking physics; I was taking metaphysics. And what other field can lay claim to a class called Truth, Belief, and Reason?
With graduation and the subsequent dissipation of the sheltering college environment, education's pedestal cracked. The flurry of questions became accompanied by varying degrees of skepticism. My job washing dishes seemed all too typical of a recent graduate with a liberal arts degree. " But what more could a philosophy major want? Mindless work gives you
plenty of time to think." The lab I worked was focused on altering the genetic composition of corn and soybeans to make them resistant to herbicides, and having succeeded, they were in need of a process for determining where their altered gene had established itself in the corn genome. My boss knew I was a fairly intelligent person, and rather than hire a new worker (a grad student to whom he would have to explain every aspect of the lab), he gave me a shot at it. I am now listed as an inventor on a patent application we have every expectation of receiving soon.
Sure, philosophy didn't teach me very many specific career skills; I wasn't going to be piloting an airplane or calculating the stresses for a building. But I had learned how to learn. I learned how to think critically, evaluate efficiently, and assimilate information to the point where I felt comfortable in a new research environment and could begin contributing without knowing much more than the goals of the experiment. Understanding not only how to do research, but the value and enjoyment contained in the learning process are the most important things I've found relevant from my undergraduate experience.
This doesn't make answering the questions easier. People aren't looking for an answer that sounds as holistic as, "my philosophy degree made me happy to think and eager to learn." Under job-related skills, "thinker" will never carry as much clout as a specialized degree in the field. So I'll cross bridge-builder off my list, since it doesn't appeal to me anyway. But what, then, is a good fit? What do I say when the next person asks me how my degree is working out, all the while smugly picturing me flipping burgers or toiling at some other stereotypically demeaning job (like washing dishes)? I'd like to tell them I'm still at it, that I'm still learning, still immersed in the educational environment I love, and on my way to a job where my penchant for research and my proclivity for writing will serve me well. And I'd like to say it while looking them in the eye, back straight, and proud of my degree.
Thank you for your consideration,
Ryan Pesch
No comments:
Post a Comment