Alumni Survey Responses - Philosophy Department

Major: Political Science
Minor: Philosophy
Graduate: 2005

Where do you work? What is your job title?
Philadelphia, PA: Veterans Jail Diversion Coordinator for the Department of Behavioral Health

How long have you had this position? What are your key duties?
2 Years: Responsible for linking veterans involved in the criminal justice system up to behavioral health services in the community. Track and follow their treatment needs for the court. Train Philadelphia Police Officers in crisis intervention with veterans on a monthly basis.

What kind of additional training does this job require besides your degree?
Research, understanding what treatment works for Veterans with PTSD and other mental health issues. I am a veteran as well, so I think that helps.

Does your job involve travel?
Working with providers and clients to develop treatment plans, writing reports for the court, and assisting Veterans as needed. I travel to conferences around the country whenever there is one that will help m e with learning or job improvement.

What do you like most about your job? What do you like least?
The fact that I get to help people, and train Philadelphia Police Officers is the best. That I work in a big bureaucracy and it takes time to get solutions.

Do you think Philosophy has prepared you better than other majors might have?
I believe it gave me a great base of knowledge to begin my professional career with. I know that I can write better, figure out arguments quicker, and at the end of the day I believe that through the study of Philosophy I figured out a lot about myself. Yes, I think it did a good job preparing me for work in government, especially in the field of ethics.

Is there anything philosophical about what you do?
I studied Ethics during my time at NMU and there is A LOT about my job that has ethical implications.

Why did you choose to major in Philosophy?
The draw to philosophy was simple for me, being in a classroom of people who are willing to pose serious questions about knowledge, morality, and ethics was and still is something that draws me toward philosophy. I chose to minor in it after taking an intro to philosophy class, and saying to myself, this is something that I want to learn more about. 

What advice would you give to an up and coming student considering majoring in Philosophy?
As with anything you get out what you put in. I wish I could continue to work with Philosophy students and professors as a career. Having said that, my advice is to challenge yourself, be prepared to re-think who you are as a person, and get to know all of the great professors teaching in that department, and finally think about getting a higher degree than just your undergrad.

What would you say to someone who was worried about the job prospects of Philosophy majors?
I would say that with all professions, get your foot in the door, think about higher education, and work hard. It is not necessarily about the major, it is about who you are as a person that separates you.

Do you consider yourself a philosopher?
I will always be a philosopher in training.

What is the number one thing you learned from your experiences as an undergraduate Philosophy student at NMU?
I learned that philosophy is a relevant subject, that it can be used in any profession, and it can open your mind to new ideas. 

What are your current hobbies/interests?
Reading, the outdoors, and of course as always the quest for knowledge.

Anything else you would like to say?
Thank you NMU for helping me become a better person and thank you Philosophy Department for challenging me and helping me become who I am today.

Major: Philosophy
Minor: Art
Graduate: 2004

Where do you work? What is your job title?
Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College Liberal Studies Department Chair, Instructor of English and Humanities

How long have you had this position? What are your key duties?
2 years Teaching, Advising, Administrative

What kind of additional training does this job require besides your degree?
MA in English Language and Literature from Central Michigan University

What is a typical day like? Does your job involve travel?
Busy Occasional travel for assessment, professional development, and student groups

What do you like most about your job? What do you like least?
+Summers off, variety of courses I am allowed to teach, it allows me to live in the UP 
-smiling at crabby people

How do you feel Philosophy has prepared you for this occupation? Do you think Philosophy has prepared you better than other majors might have?
The critical thinking from philosophy helps in meetings. Yes, as far as the ability to think critically and outside the box.

Is there anything philosophical about what you do?
I'd like to think that I am trying to teach a love of knowledge where education (boarding schools, etc) has done the contrary.

What attracted you to Philosophy? Why did you choose to major in Philosophy?
I was attracted to the minded and sometimes heated discussions about important things. I was an undeclared Junior, and I had to pick something.

What advice would you give to an up-and-coming student considering majoring in Philosophy?
In your studies, seek enlightenment but remember that you'll need a job someday.

What would you say to someone who was worried about the job prospects of Philosophy majors?
As I said above, it's good to think about that, to worry about that. But if you are only looking for a job, go to a technical college. You should come out of the university a different person.

Do you consider yourself a philosopher?
Yes.

What is the number one thing you learned from your experiences as an undergraduate Philosophy student at NMU?
Critical analysis.

What are your current hobbies/interests?
Literary readings, alternative building methods and energy

Anything else you would like to say?
I had a good time. I miss it.

Major: Philosophy
Minor: Political Science
Graduate: 1994

Where do you work? What is your job title?
I am a teacher in the Dearborn Public Schools. I am certified in health and Phys Ed.

How long have you had this position? What are your key duties?
9 years and I have been head coach of Swimming and Track.

What is a typical day like? Does your job involve travel?
Typical day is full is high energy youths!

What do you like most about your job? What do you like least?
I get to work with kids and i get lots of time for my other hobbies.

How do you feel Philosophy has prepared you for this occupation? Do you think Philosophy has prepared you better than other majors might have?
In my job my degree in Philosophy just brings shock! I have been asked during certain days to come and teach lessons on social contract-Constitution and the kids are always shocked as well as the teachers. I get to be the resident smart guy!

Is there anything philosophical about what you do?
I spend my life talking about philosophy, it paints everything I say and it structures everything I read.

What attracted you to Philosophy? Why did you choose to major in Philosophy?
I wanted to study the classics, it is the foundation for everything as well as learn how to learn.

What advice would you give to an up and coming student considering majoring in Philosophy?
Get a degree in Phil then get a masters in a mainstream subject, it is the best prep for life.

What would you say to someone who was worried about the job prospects of Philosophy majors?
My philosophy degree really gave me confidence and it is very popular at cocktail parties!

Do you consider yourself a philosopher?
Yes, rightly or wrongly I always have.

What is the number one thing you learned from your experiences as an undergraduate?
The process of breaking anything down to its root to understand it.

What are your current hobbies/interests?
World affairs, politics, philosophy is still a hobby, travel, mountain climbing, Ironman Triathlon, Ultra running and marathons, snowboarding, spending lots of time out west.

Anything else you would like to say?
I loved my time at NMU, I went on to U of Toledo to pursue more Philosophy as a Grad Assistant and in the end became a Phys Ed teacher!

Major: History & French
Minor: Philosophy
Graduate: 2007

Where do you work? What is your job title?
The American University of Paris - International Admissions Counselor

How long have you had this position? What are your key duties?
8 months - recruitment, vetting & decisioning applications, financial aid, visa support, housing support, traveling & representing university

What kind of additional training does this job require besides your degree?
Trainings in the database systems; guidelines on governmental regulations for student visas in France

What is a typical day like? Does your job involve travel?
Typical day involves reading/decisioning applications, helping students with questions/concerns during application and arrival stages, strategic planning in regards to the United States as a recruitment region, visiting & meeting with students both undergraduate & graduate. I travel about 5 months out of the year around the US, and occasionally to Paris for trainings/meetings with other staff.

What do you like most about your job? What do you like least?
Meeting & helping students, acting as an advisor. There are always difficulties in dealing with students who are making a major change by moving abroad for their undergrad/grad education, but nothing is particularly negative.

How do you feel Philosophy has prepared you for this occupation?
Do you think Philosophy has prepared you better than other majors might have?
Philosophy has really helped in my logical analysis and approach to problem solving. I also feel that Philosophy made me more apt to scrutinize my students' applications with an objective, yet critical eye. I feel that it was a combination of Philosophy and History that have prepared me for the career track prior to this position, as well as this position.

Is there anything philosophical about what you do?
I think in a broad sense, being able to speak intelligently about problem solving & bureaucratic issues, as well as using logic in daily life and in the work sense is philosophical. However, my career doesn't require me to draw upon my knowledge of philosophical works on a daily basis.

What attracted you to Philosophy?
Why did you choose to major in Philosophy?
Philosophy seemed to me a way to access a very primal way in which my brain functioned. It was like gaining new maps to access ways of analysis that weren't subject
specific. I minored in Philosophy because the development of these ways of analysis and criticism were invaluable to my other work as a student and, now, professionally.

What advice would you give to an up and coming student considering majoring in Philosophy?
Philosophy allows you to develop skills that are border-less. I don't believe I've ever met a philosophy major that says, "Well, I know how to write a paper for Philosophy because that's what I studied, but everything else is lost to me." I find that the courses I took built simultaneously both basic and refined modes of approaching problems that have enriched me in my professional, personal and academic lives.

What would you say to someone who was worried about the job prospects of Philosophy majors?
Most majors cannot guarantee job placement as a result of their study. But I do think that Philosophy majors are viewed as people who are intelligent and well-read, at least in my work community. I've lived most of my life post-graduation abroad, and I can say, that a philosophical mind is one of the easiest ways to access other cultures and create connections that will put you into position for career opportunities.

Do you consider yourself a philosopher?
Not as a métier, no, but perhaps as an avocation.

What is the number one thing you learned from your experiences as an undergraduate Philosophy student at NMU?
To reiterate, I believe it was modes of processing, analyzing, and critiquing problems, policies, and situations.

What are your current hobbies/interests?
Travel, Running, Reading, Music

Anything else you would like to say?
I have to attribute most of these positive experiences to two specific professors who had a profound effect on the way that I both approach conversation and analyze my own thoughts and feelings, as well as those of others; Dr. Jim Greene and Dr. Donald Dreisbach.