Building Career Success as a Philosophy Major
There’s a lot of online literature about things people can do with a philosophy degree but overall less information on what philosophy students should be doing to foster career development. I want to share a few helpful suggestions inspired by my own career exploration and job hunting experiences knowing how elusive information like this can feel for philosophy students.
Throughout my own journey attending an out-of-state college, a community college, and a UC, I’ve noticed that philosophy majors tend to be under-educated about the vast range of nontechnical career paths available to them outside of graduate school. Academia, law, and journalism are a few of the most popular fields pursued, but not every philosophy student is attracted to roles in those areas or is ready at that point in their undergraduate career to commit for the long haul (aka me). Ultimately, the pilgrimage to learning about the kinds of nontechnical positions out there is self-directed and can easily become a disorienting process. As far-fetched as this might sound, anyone can have a rewarding and productive career exploration experience, and there’s certainly a way in which this is achievable for philosophy students who feel pigeonholed into choosing some of the more traditional career paths.
Frankly, it was during my junior year at UC Berkeley when I started feeling like my potential was limited to job opportunities solely in philosophy. I wanted greater exposure to the job market and knowledge of how someone like me (a transfer student + philosophy major) could take actionable steps to secure a job I’d like, be good at, and earn well from. All of the tips I’m about to share have been inspired by my experiences exploring new things during the last year and a half of my undergrad. For the record, I’m still interviewing for jobs. I don’t have all the answers when it comes to career development for philosophy students, but here are five things I wish someone would have pushed me to do much, much sooner.
People like to see how you challenge yourself and work to destigmatize philosophy in the broader community.
- Do UN-MAJOR things!
This seems like such a no-brainer, but do things outside of your major frequently.
When I transferred to Cal in fall of 2017, I desperately wanted to know how I could make the most of my time without overworking myself or missing out on unique opportunities. I felt pressured to quickly eliminate activities I thought were either too fun or had no clear benefit to my academic success. I became overly self-policing to the point where I wasn’t even attending events if I knew I had no expressed commitment to the host organization.
I grew out of that mindset by learning that “because I want to” is enough of an explanation for me to try something new, regardless of whether it can teach me a societally valuable skill or further advance my studies. So, I joined spaces I long thought I had no business in being and was introduced to professions I either knew nothing about or had initially treated as unrealistic career paths. Gaining exposure and making connections to people boosted my confidence so much so that I started taking career opportunities in design and consulting seriously.
Guess what? People were happy to give me chances because they liked that I was different. People like to see how you challenge yourself and work to destigmatize philosophy in the broader community.
2. Take advantage of career counseling services.
It should go without saying that seeing your major adviser should be your first pit stop, but there are often unanticipated shortcomings of every major department that your college’s career center can help you compensate for. For instance, philosophy students already know how difficult it is to fill up an entire summer because of the terrible shortage of programs available. There are a few summer philosophy programs as is that are competitive and short-lasting (typically less than two-weeks long) with a small stipend. Your department will likely have summer teaching assistant positions for lower-division courses, but you certainly don’t want to feel like that’s your only option to finding a paid position. After all, while we want to build an impressive resume, we also need to pay our bills, and career counselors are there to help you find the goldilocks in things based on your criteria.
The best time to set an appointment with a career counselor is over a break when most students are away from school. This is the time when you can establish a relationship with a counselor you like and receive a library of informational resources related to your goals, including career interest assessments (here’s one!), resume guides, and planners. When school begins to ramp up again, counselors aren’t inclined to fit new students into their busy schedule and will turn you away until a new opening emerges. However, with a pre-established relationship, you can bypass availability issues because your counselor knows you and is invested in your progress.
3. Attend career events when you least need a job.
You’ll get more out of workshops and career fairs when the pressure’s off. I highly recommend still coming prepared with multiple copies of your resume, business cards, and an elevator pitch. You can talk about your background and interests more openly without hurting your chances when you’re merely browsing.
Depending on the size of the occasion, you might be competing for attention from a professional among a group of 10+ students, and other times, it might only be between you and another individual. You learn how to navigate a room once you practice speaking to people in different uncomfortable situations. I particularly like this rundown of how to navigate a career fair, which includes great starter questions to ask employers and follow up strategies.
4. Get to know graduate students.
Don’t be shy and ask your fellow graduate students out for coffee. They often make themselves more available to undergraduates than professors, and their experiences applying for jobs are fresher to recall. They’re wonderful resources to turn to for questions about graduate programs as well, and you can learn a lot about yourself and your preferences through their stories.
5. Network off-campus and maintain professional connections.
You will stand out at off-campus events where it’s rare to find undergraduates mingling with experienced workers. There are pockets of communities on Facebook and LinkedIn solely focused on creating connections and spreading news about current trends in a particular industry. Finding those groups and watching your connections’ online activities can help you discover free networking events, luncheons, and mixers near you. Much of this requires adopting an entrepreneurial attitude and inviting people out to get to know you and how they can address your needs.
Maintaining connections is absolutely crucial to making the most of your networking experiences because it takes time, energy, and money to do things off the clock as a student. It will pay off even when the process is slow-going or certain connections seem like dead ends. It’s true when they say you never know who can open new doors for you, and so, treat seriously every person who takes you up on that coffee date or half-hour phone call.
(P.S. Join this network provided by the American Philosophical Association (APA) to stay in touch with philosophers beyond academia.)
