If youre reading the title, and youre nodding

thoughtfully to yourself, I suggest you take a moment

and reconsider. It is true that many people, especially
in this age of rapidly developing technology, scoff at
the social sciences and the humanities in higher
education. Though required by most high school
curriculums, higher education in these fields is
usually regarded with muted dismissal, a barely-there
smirk and sardonic good luck finding a job almost
certain to follow. To be fair, the modern worlds
preoccupation with STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics) fields and their
practical applications are founded in the human
desire for progress, and it can only be expected that
there be a rush to fill the demand for people with
skills in such fields. But while there is a huge influx
of people aiming for those coveted jobs in our
flagging economy, I pose that degrees in fields like
Philosophy actually make for a more competitive
candidate in STEM fields, in terms of applying for
graduate schools or jobs alike.
To clarify, Im not saying that you should expect to
be a competitive candidate for a software engineer
job at one of the dot com giants with just a
Philosophy degree in hand at your interview. I am,
however, saying that double majoring in Computer
Science and Philosophy, for example, could aid your
hypothetical claim to a beanbag chair at Googles
offices. UW Honors author-in-residence, Frances
McCue contends that candidates for jobs and for
limited spaces in graduate schools are expected to
have the content knowledge and necessary skills to
succeed, with the parity or binary of contrasting
degrees only serving to further demonstrate those
skills. With the expected qualifications for entry-level
jobs at big corporations rising every year, Philosophy
and its associated skills are useful tools when on the
job hunt.
While you may be disbelieving now, Philosophy does
not just consist of people questioning the meaning of
life, listlessly staring at the ceiling in hope of some
kind of errant epiphany to come waltzing through
their mind. Just as Psychology is not limited to and
how do you feel about that? so too is Philosophy
more than its stereotype.
What do I really mean by Philosophy and its
associated skills? Well, initially, we can understand
Philosophy as the area of study that deals with
general, big-picture questions like reality, knowledge,
existence, etc. Furthermore, what sets Philosophy

apart from other fields that deal with similar subject

matter is the analytical and logical nature of its
approach to these issues, its basis in rational
argument. Clarify, justify, give your arguments, then
consider and respond to objections. Such is the basic
process of approaching something from a
philosophical standpoint, according to Professor Ann
Baker, herself a prominent lecturer in the field. I
would postulate that the associated skills of such an
area of study would involve the ability to articulate
an argument or idea intelligibly, reason through steps,
participate in civil discourse, and generally think
things through in a clear and concise manner. And
while it is true that these do not, at all, suddenly make
you knowledgeable in how to write working code, or
qualify you to start designing structurally sound
buildings, these skills do lend themselves to other
aspects of being part of a STEM-focused workforce.
Imagine for a moment two people show up for the
same job interview. Both have the same degrees in a
STEM field, but the second person has a second
degree in Philosophy. The first person interviews, is
found to be knowledgeable in their field,
demonstrating a proficiency that meets the
expectations for the skillset the job is asking for. The
second person, on the other hand, though
demonstrating a proficiency that does not match up to
the first candidate, does go on to impress the
interviewer with their precise manner of speaking and
communication skills. This distinguishing quality
leads the interviewer to choose the second person. As
contrived as this may sound, existing, and more
importantly succeeding, in any kind of work
environment requires interacting with other people.
While individual work is important, some kind of
collaboration or group involvement requiring the
need to articulate ones ideas clearly will inevitably
arise. Whether it be a cross-department project or just
securing information that is not at your own disposal,
I think it is fair to say that a generally accepted reality
of working in todays world is having to talk to other
people. And while developing the skills needed for a
Philosophy degree do not give you the kind of hard
science knowledge that is required for a STEM
field, this does not render them useless.
Professional schools, like law, medicine, business,
and companies, as well, want to know they have
well-rounded, collaborative students capable of
critical thought, says McCue. And Philosophy, as
unrelated as it may seem, can help you get there.