Philosophy is worthwhile... I promise
January 8, 2008 10:54 AM Subscribe
In the new Edge question Karl Sabbagh talks about how he used to think there were experts and non-experts, and an experts judgment was superior to his own... but he has since changed his mind.
He posits that people who were intelligent and had good judgment made better hires than those who trained as experts in a particular field. Sabbagh justifies this by saying "Many people enroll for MBA's to become more successful businessmen. An article in Fortune magazine a couple of years ago compared the academic qualifications of people in business and found the qualification that correlated most highly with success was a philosophy degree." Essentially because people with a degree in philosophy have better judgment; he values them because they are wise, not because they are knowledgeable.
As a philosophy major who is going to be interviewing for jobs in the near future this information is pure gold as I am continually forced to defend my choice of study. Yet I can't find the article on fortune.com as the website is lousy.
Do you have this article handy? Are there other congruent articles/arguments you could point me to that are similarly helpful?
I should say that this is not only helpful for job interviews, I find myself on the defensive about my degree choice all the time. My usual answer when asked what I will do with a degree in philosophy is "what would I do without a degree in philosophy". While this spins heads, I always like to strengthen an argument.
He posits that people who were intelligent and had good judgment made better hires than those who trained as experts in a particular field. Sabbagh justifies this by saying "Many people enroll for MBA's to become more successful businessmen. An article in Fortune magazine a couple of years ago compared the academic qualifications of people in business and found the qualification that correlated most highly with success was a philosophy degree." Essentially because people with a degree in philosophy have better judgment; he values them because they are wise, not because they are knowledgeable.
As a philosophy major who is going to be interviewing for jobs in the near future this information is pure gold as I am continually forced to defend my choice of study. Yet I can't find the article on fortune.com as the website is lousy.
Do you have this article handy? Are there other congruent articles/arguments you could point me to that are similarly helpful?
I should say that this is not only helpful for job interviews, I find myself on the defensive about my degree choice all the time. My usual answer when asked what I will do with a degree in philosophy is "what would I do without a degree in philosophy". While this spins heads, I always like to strengthen an argument.
You might also find some useful stuff in this article that talks about the fact that an MBA might not be very useful. It is written by Jeff Pfeffer a prominent Stanford business professor.
posted by bove at 11:10 AM on January 8, 2008
posted by bove at 11:10 AM on January 8, 2008
I found the article on my university's Ex Libris account. Check your MeFi mail, pwally, for the text. If you need any other specific articles, I may be able to get those, too.
"Is the MBA Overrated?" By: Lavelle, Louis, Business Week, 00077135, 3/20/2006, Issue 3976 is another article you might find useful. I'll send that to you, too.
posted by bonobo at 11:35 AM on January 8, 2008
"Is the MBA Overrated?" By: Lavelle, Louis, Business Week, 00077135, 3/20/2006, Issue 3976 is another article you might find useful. I'll send that to you, too.
posted by bonobo at 11:35 AM on January 8, 2008
I have an English degree (creative writing emphasis!), so I know your pain. I've been out of college for 11 years, though, and at a certain point, what you've done in the workforce way overwhelms what you studied in school. YMMV: I'm currently a web designer/developer, for which I received NO training.
In interview situations, as opposed to arguing with family & friends, it's important to connect what you've learned and done to the job that you want to get. Meeting deadlines, explaining complex information, working with groups -- whatever.
My answer, as far as my actual degree goes, is that it's helpful in any field to be able to communicate clearly. Find your equivalent, and go with it.
(Also, whatever actual non-philosophy work experience you've got already will be important.)
As a person who has had a few opportunities to hire people, I always tend towards someone who is curious, intelligent, and willing to learn over any particular credential. That's what you want to bring out about yourself.
posted by epersonae at 2:11 PM on January 8, 2008
In interview situations, as opposed to arguing with family & friends, it's important to connect what you've learned and done to the job that you want to get. Meeting deadlines, explaining complex information, working with groups -- whatever.
My answer, as far as my actual degree goes, is that it's helpful in any field to be able to communicate clearly. Find your equivalent, and go with it.
(Also, whatever actual non-philosophy work experience you've got already will be important.)
As a person who has had a few opportunities to hire people, I always tend towards someone who is curious, intelligent, and willing to learn over any particular credential. That's what you want to bring out about yourself.
posted by epersonae at 2:11 PM on January 8, 2008
If someone doesn't have the smarts to see that its better to study what you're interested in than what others think might be good for you, they're waaaay to dumb to contemplate working for.
posted by fcummins at 2:36 PM on January 8, 2008
posted by fcummins at 2:36 PM on January 8, 2008
I have a liberal arts degree (history, if you're interested - concentrating on Medieval art, architecture, literature, and events) and I just tell (told at this point) people that what I was going to do with my degree was whatever I wanted, since my degree taught me how to think (not what to think, but how, learn, and write. I can teach myself nearly anything and what I can't teach myself, I can learn from someone else. There is really not a lot that I think is more valuable than that. I'm not saying that this is what you say in a job interview necessarily, but that it's something to remember.
posted by Medieval Maven at 3:25 PM on January 8, 2008
posted by Medieval Maven at 3:25 PM on January 8, 2008
Free advice: don't tell people that a philosophy degree makes you wise. It doesn't and everyone knows it.
But a philosophy degree does give you great practice in getting right to the heart of a problem, seeing what's extraneous and cutting that stuff away. It gives you great practice in articulating complex ideas, and in understanding other people's sometimes-confused expressions of their own ideas.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:07 PM on January 8, 2008 [2 favorites]
But a philosophy degree does give you great practice in getting right to the heart of a problem, seeing what's extraneous and cutting that stuff away. It gives you great practice in articulating complex ideas, and in understanding other people's sometimes-confused expressions of their own ideas.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:07 PM on January 8, 2008 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: yah haha I'm in my early 20's so I think by definition I can't be wise at this point... but duly noted.
posted by pwally at 8:29 PM on January 8, 2008
posted by pwally at 8:29 PM on January 8, 2008
If someone doesn't have the smarts to see that its better to study what you're interested in than what others think might be good for you, they're waaaay to dumb to contemplate working for.
Well there goes most of Asia.
Thanks for the question though, it's exactly that sentiment above that I've been trying to work against for years.
posted by divabat at 4:25 AM on January 9, 2008
Well there goes most of Asia.
Thanks for the question though, it's exactly that sentiment above that I've been trying to work against for years.
posted by divabat at 4:25 AM on January 9, 2008
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Mintzberg, H., & Lampel, J. 2001. Matter of degrees: Do MBAs make better CEOs? Fortune, February 19, 2001: 244.
I don't have it easily at hand, but if you have trouble accessing it let me know. You should be able to get back issues through your school's subscription to Lexis-Nexis, or Factiva.
posted by bove at 11:08 AM on January 8, 2008