Building Career Success as a Philosophy Major
Tags: Students, Life Lessons, Career Development, Academia, Philosophy

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.)