How do graduates use philosophical skills in the workplace?
These profiles (2018-2023) show what Australasian graduates have done with their degree in Philosophy.
Policy
WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU STUDY PHILOSOPHY AND AT WHAT LEVEL?
I did a BA Hons at Otago, which I fnished in 1988. A couple of years later I accepted a Commonwealth Scholarship to Manchester University to do a PhD, which I eventually completed in 2000, after a series of detours that included working as a taxi driver and a flm censor.
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?
When I think back to my frst contact with philosophy over thirty years ago, I do remember an incredible sense of excitement. In my frst Metaphysics class the lecturer recounted a modernised version of Plato’s allegory of the cave. Not only was I intellectually captivated, but also on some more fundamental level I think the allegory refected the disorientation I was experiencing at that time, the feeling of being jolted from one frame of reference to another. In my Ethics class I remember putting down my pen and staring at the lecturer stunned as he outlined the problem of free will and determinism. Ditto in Theory of Knowledge when it came to the problem of induction. For the frst time I was realising there were all kinds of unarticulated assumptions which seemed to provide the foundations for our everyday beliefs, but if you held them up to scrutiny, you could see they were often fimsy or incoherent. This makes me think of how, when there’s an earthquake, you become suddenly alert and intensely conscious of your surroundings. I had become suddenly and intensely conscious of my conceptual surroundings. Philosophy for me was at its best and most brilliant that year.
COULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
In my day job, I mostly work as an adviser on public sector transformation programmes. A lot of my work has been in the areas of human-centred design and digital innovation.
My main working relationships are with programme team members, organisational subject matter experts, and senior decision-makers.
Often I’m responsible for writing business cases. In the public sector in New Zealand, we have a structured framework for developing business cases which is mandated by Treasury. In a way, you’re inside the mind of an organisation, and you’re mapping out its thought processes as it makes a decision. It’s intriguing to see how that works (top tip: not always in the ways you might expect).
I’ve been self-employed for ffteen years. As a contractor you tend to come in, get the work done, and go away again, and you have to not be too precious about taking whatever work is available when a contract ends. It’s a less considered and more erratic career path than working your way up an organisational hierarchy. But I do quite like the slightly random element. In the last few years I’ve found myself visiting mail processing warehouses, shadowing electrical maintenance staf at power substations, listening in on 111 calls in the Police emergency contact centre, and running strategic sessions with executive leadership teams.
Outside of my day job, I’m a writer. I had a book of short stories published fve years ago, but I’m on a go slow with book number two. It’s not always easy to balance writing with work and family commitments.
HOW DOES YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL TRAINING AND FORMATION HELP YOU IN YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
I’ve always been interested in epistemology, and I’m fascinated by how organisations codify knowledge – how they decide what is and is not true. I don’t know if this has necessarily always helped me in my working life, because often I seem to be the person who is critiquing what the organisation deems to be The Truth rather than falling into line with it. Sometimes this is valued; other times it makes you an annoyance!
Within limits, however, the ability to think critically and articulate ideas clearly has undoubtedly been useful to me. When you’re developing strategies and plans, the consequences of people not having a shared understanding of what they’ve agreed to can be quite costly once you start to implement that plan. I think studying analytic philosophy in particular made me acutely aware of language and meaning, of when people appear to agree but are actually talking at cross purposes, or conversely when they appear to disagree but have a common set of underlying goals.
IF YOU HAVE WORKED AS AN ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHER CAN YOU TELL ME A BIT ABOUT IT?
I did some tutoring and part time lecturing in logic, ethics and history of philosophy when I was a student. I did think about an academic career, and was at one point ofered that opportunity, but I decided it wasn’t for me. Partly this was because academia had begun to feel quite claustrophobic to me. But also, I came to see that academic philosophy is only one way of engaging with philosophical ideas, and for me it’s not really my preferred way. These days the writing I connect with most tends to be fction or creative non-fction – so maybe what I was wanting was that fusing of intellectual and emotional content that you get in creative forms, or the stylistic diversity, or the structural innovation, or the subtlety, the sweep, the attention to the particular, or really just a diferent kind of insight into the world and our experience of it.
I do still read a bit of philosophy, and lately I’ve started following a couple of philosophy podcasts. I like that I can engage with philosophy while I’m weeding the garden, for no other reason than that I enjoy it.
WHAT CAREER ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE RECENT PHILOSOPHY GRADUATES?
Well, that would very much depend on your values and goals. One thing I would say is that in my working life, people have very rarely paid much attention to what I studied or what I achieved academically. A good general degree in pretty much anything will open up doors for you, but what will count most is what you do next. Be confdent about what you have to ofer and humble about what you have to learn.
WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU STUDY PHILOSOPHY AND AT WHAT LEVEL?
PhD at University of Tasmania
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?
I love the hard thinking part of philosophy. I love following an idea to wherever it might take you, and using arguments and reasons to fgure out how best to think about something. Sometimes it is like having a glimpse of something, and exploring pathways to try to see it more clearly – and sometimes realising it wasn’t like you thought it would be at all.
My favourite thing was epistemology – specifcally, the role of ignorance in the ways that epistemic agents interact, and what this means for a virtuous or thriving epistemic community. I also thought about animals and about justice.
COULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
My current job is as a policy analyst and advocate for Tasmanian Council of Social Service (Tas COSS). I work on the broad area of essential services, such as energy and water, and also on housing and general cost of living issues. My role includes consultation with people who experience hardship and the community organisations that support them, and representing Tasmania on some national committees to do with the National Electricity market.
I also write submissions on various topics to do with regulation or with government policy, this is about making recommendations and supporting them with reasons and evidence.
I provide my boss with briefing papers and background for her media and lobbying work. This is about fnding clear and concise ways to communicate complex information – both descriptively and normatively. This is the issue, this is why it matters.
There are a lot of meetings, most are with people who also want to ensure good outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged people – but there can be a lot of diferent views about how best to achieve this. I collaborate with colleagues within Tasmania and nationally, so there are strong networks and opportunities to exchange ideas.
HOW DOES YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL TRAINING AND FORMATION HELP YOU IN YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
Being able to distil the critical issues from complex information is a big part of my job, likewise being able to communicate clearly with a range of people. Recognising and being comfortable with ‘reasonable disagreement’ is very useful, as is being able to identify the areas of common ground as well as those of divergence. Philosophical training helps you to structure a line of argument – reasons that will help someone understand what supports the position you are advocating for. It also helps with analysing reports of complex information – working out which things link, or depend on one another, navigating a complex space with some unknown features, understanding if some options are compatible or exclusive, where there are possibilities of ‘hybrid’ solutions, and developing recommendations.
Being fexible – realising that new circumstances or information can mean taking a diferent approach is also useful. I think philosophy does help us to be able to adapt and update our ideas when something new comes along to challenge us.
IF YOU HAVE WORKED AS AN ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHER CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT IT?
I worked as an academic philosopher (lecturer level B and C) mostly in Australia, with two years in the US on a tenure-track. I was always full time, and except for my frst job which was a contract, I had permanent employment. (Very lucky!)
I moved from academia after about 10 years of full time work post PhD. I was ready to return to Tasmania, my home state, and I was fnding that the academic life was becoming more of a grind than a joy.
One big advantage of the work I have done since leaving university work is that I have become better at leaving work at work. When I was a philosopher, it seemed that there was never enough time to do all the research, or prep for teaching in a 9-5, M-F timeframe, so it always spilled into weekends, evenings, and there was little real ‘time of’.
I sometimes miss the feeling of doing my very best thinking – thinking to my own limits – and being with other people who were doing the same. That said, I also learn a tremendous amount in my current job, both about technical matters and about legislation, economics, regulation, politics, infuence, and the like.
While I mostly loved teaching, I miss it much less than I had expected to! I do miss my colleagues and friends in the discipline.
WHAT CAREER ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE RECENT PHILOSOPHY GRADUATES?
I left the academic workplace about six years ago, and I am now up to my 4th job. I have found that my skills are readily transferrable, which I didn’t know before I ‘jumped’. I have worked for Commonwealth Govt, state govt enterprise and two jobs in the community sector. So my advice would be that there are interesting jobs where skills developed in philosophy are valued.
I think for people who would fnd it satisfying to apply skills to an area which can make real diference to people, the community sector is a good place to consider. Not so much the direct client work (this demands knowledge and skills that are not central to a philosophy degree) but work in peak organisations, with representative, advocacy, policy and research roles. There are also training and mentoring roles – but these tend to require a level of on the ground experience.
The other area where the skills learned in philosophy are highly useful is regulation. Much of the energy sector is regulated, as are other industries, the medical sector is regulated, telecoms are regulated and so on. These are possible pathways to job satisfaction.
I have been lucky enough to work with great people – really smart, knowledgeable and efective thinkers and great colleagues and friends – both in universities and other workplaces. I think that there are many opportunities within and beyond academic spaces to do your own best thinking and to work constructively with others. A background in philosophy is a great foundation to do many things.
WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU STUDY PHILOSOPHY AND AT WHAT LEVEL?
B.A. Philosophy and Political Science, Canterbury University, 1991 B.A. Honours Philosophy, Canterbury University 1992
M.A. Philosophy, Canterbury University, 1994
PhD, St Andrews University 2000
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?
I have always liked thinking and debating about ideas and theories. What excites me about Philosophy, however, is not so much the intellectual challenge or the satisfaction of technical problem solving, but the fact that it can involve a deep engagement on how best to think about things that are really central to what we value and how we live our lives. This may be why I have always been drawn to issues in moral and political philosophy and the philosophy or art more than to logic, epistemology and metaphysics.
COULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
For a few years I fipped between academia and the Public Service, sometimes working in both. I have held various roles in cultural, economic and justice policy, and am currently employed at the State Services Commission of New Zealand. The Commission leads New Zealand’s professional and politically neutral state services. Its core role involves the design of the state sector system, and the performance of people, agencies, sectors within it. We recruit and manage Departmental chief executives, guide and set standards of behaviour for public servants, ensure that the system is performing well, and investigate issues as required. In my role as Assistant Commissioner I work across these areas at a system level and directly with Chief Executives in a portfolio of agencies, and with Ministers on the delivery of their priorities. I also currently take the lead for the Commission on access to ofcial information and on privacy and security issues across government. It is varied, interesting, motivating and challenging work.
HOW DOES YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL TRAINING AND FORMATION HELP YOU IN YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
The honest answer to this question is that while the training helps, in terms of a direct application of skills (especially those learned at higher levels) much of it is irrelevant. A bit of philosophical training, some logic, some critical thinking, knowing how to argue, never hurts, but it doesn’t follow that the more you have of it the more helpful it is. I have found that moral and political philosophy can be informative working in policy or service design and delivery given that the ethical choices to be taken are real, and are more likely to come up in work conversations than ontological or metaphysical matters. That said, I have yet to find a direct application for anything much from my PhD thesis on sculpture! It’s the philosophical formation rather than the training that I have found to be the most useful. It’s the experiences I’ve had during the course of my philosophical education and career, the practice of doing philosophy with the people I’ve met and the places I’ve been, that have been most influential in shaping my philosophical thinking but also the broader perspectives that I bring to my current career.
IF YOU HAVE WORKED AS AN ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHER CAN YOU TELL ME A BIT ABOUT IT?
Like many postgraduate students, I tutored part time at the Universities I was studying at. I found that teaching something is a great way to learn something, and you often would learn as much in conversation with students as they might be expected to learn from you. That kind of reciprocity made the teaching side of academia quite attractive. Also, towards the end of my PhD studies, I was lucky enough to spend 6 months at Aarhus University on a fellowship with the Danish Research Academy, which was a nice way to focus on my research and getting a broader view into the broader academic research environment. Returning to NZ after completing my studies, I re-joined the public service for a brief period of time before heading to teach history of political thought and aesthetics at Bilkent University in Turkey for a couple of years. Returning to NZ again, I re-joined the public service and also taught part-time at Victoria University of Wellington (legal/social philosophy, philosophy of art) and Massey University (Ancient Greek metaphysics and epistemology). I had a couple of things published during that time, but then moved (permanently?) into a full time public service career. I enjoyed academic life, but also found I missed public service – just as I missed academia when in the public service. I also found – probably through lack of discipline – that it was really hard to ‘switch of’ from work – the brain just kept on going with whatever it was thinking about, and there was no time of the day or night that you couldn’t just go and write some of that stuf down and work it into something. At the same time, there was a narrower rather than a broader circle of people nearby thinking about the same stuf with who you could have a meaningful discussion about the intricate details – one of the hazards of deep specialisation. At some point I needed to make a choice, but also fnd a bit of balance. I chose public service, and haven’t regretted it (much, other than on a bad day). I admire my friends and colleagues in academia for the depth of their contribution to human understanding and to education, but I don’t know if I could have sustained that way of life and feel more at home doing what I’m doing now.
WHAT CAREER ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE RECENT PHILOSOPHY GRADUATES?
I remember my old professor saying, when I told him I was of to do a PhD, “why do all the smart people do PhDs instead of something useful?!” I have found however that while there are indeed a lot of smart people in academic philosophy, actually the smartest people I’ve met have been in the public service – intellectually, but also about getting things done. (What was it Marx said about the philosophers?) Of course it turns out that some of these people did philosophy too! My advice to philosophy graduates is diferent, but it is really the same as I’d give anyone: try to fnd a job that you enjoy and that fits with your values and provides a decent living. But if you can’t, then being philosophical helps! Unless you want to work in academia, don’t worry too much about finding work where your studies are directly applicable. When you’re in academia, it is really easy to get totally engrossed in the specific problem you’re working on. When you step out of academia, it can feel like you’ll never be able to get that back if you’re away too long, and that can feel like a risk or a loss. But what you may also find is that you become less concerned about all those things you loved about academic philosophy, and more interested in philosophy in the broader and original sense, and where it can fit in your view on life as a whole, including a perspective on the value you create in the career you’ve chosen.
Technology
WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU STUDY PHILOSOPHY AND AT WHAT LEVEL?
After originally doing a BSc in Computer Science, I returned to University of Auckland 10 years ago as a mature student and completed a BA in Philosophy, Logic and Computation. I am now continuing with part-time post-graduate study in Philosophy – also at University of Auckland – while also working in my technology business.
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?
For as long as I can remember the biggest questions for me have been the nature of reality and consciousness, I have been a lover of science all my life, and as I got older I have come to understand the immense role philosophy plays trying to understand these things – and also in our efforts to live a fulflling and just life as conscious beings. Some of the most exciting (and potentially dangerous) things happening in the world today – such as the rise of AI – involve philosophy in many ways, working alongside science and computer science. Conversely philosophy has an important role to play in helping us deal with some of the most worrying aspects of society, culture and politics such as potentially dangerous religious, political and social ideologies, the way AI will afect the way we live and work, and changes in understanding and attitudes to biology, environment and science. I most value the way philosophy is grounded in logic, reasoning and rational argument, questioning norms and assumptions, and always attempting to view things in an objective dispassionate way. At a personal level aside from fnding it intellectually interesting – on a range of topics from mind and consciousness, space and time, knowledge, scientifc methodology and progress, maths, logic and critical thinking, ethics – I believe it also makes me a better and ultimately more successful person through better thinking. I would also like to think that in some way my studies have been a positive infuence on my sons as they go forward in life.
COULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
I have been in IT for 30 years, primarily as a computer software designer and developer but also at various levels of management. I am currently the co-owner of a company that makes software products for the telecommunications companies, ISPs and utility companies.
HOW DOES YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL TRAINING AND FORMATION HELP YOU IN YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
I would say that I have always been motivated to try to reason logically about things, but my formal philosophy training has I believe – in addition to many other benefts – sharpened my reasoning and communication skills, both in terms of making arguments of my own and evaluating the arguments of others – and sharpened my writing and reading skills. In my degree I did a number of courses in critical thinking and logic, which look deeply at the nature of arguments – what types of arguments exist, what makes a good argument and all the diferent ways an argument can be a bad or weak argument, what methods of proof and disproof exist, and much more. To me these are supremely valuable skills because work and business is at the foundation primarily about all of these things – solving problems, constructing arguments, evaluating the arguments of others, explaining, questioning, making decisions and plans –whether they be technical in nature or business or people oriented.
I also think the way that philosophy challenges and expands thinking and teaches one to question assumptions and norms contributes to creativity and innovation – both at a technical and at a business level. For example you might look at a practice that is common in your industry and say “why do we do it this way? – is there a better way?”. Finally I think my training in ethics has helped me to build businesses and practices which are responsible and fair to all stakeholders – it is very important to me that I can sleep at night and feel good about what I do.
As a person who has hired and managed staf for many years I can’t recall how I viewed philosophy training on a CV when I was younger, but I would defnitely now place signifcant value on philosophy training – and I think any employer should do likewise. I think the world would be a better place if there was some compulsory philosophy education in schools – and although it goes somewhat against the spirit of fexibility at university, I would even say some level of training and critical thinking and logic should be compulsory at university. I can’t think of any subject or vocation that you could do that wouldn’t beneft from better thinking skills – in addition to the personal benefts.
WHAT CAREER ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE RECENT PHILOSOPHY GRADUATES?
As a general comment I have always been a believer in the value of higher education and how it contributes subtly and holistically to life and work – sometimes I have heard other people refect on their university time as “not relevant” but over my career there have been many and varied ways that my university training (be it computer science or philosophy or other) has helped me – some big, some small, some obvious, many I am sure were unnoticed – but overall I have no doubt it has helped me immensely. It is also worth considering that in this fast changing world the “shelf-life” of philosophy skills is much longer than specifc technical skills – so I think the smart money should be on skills which might be less immune to what might happen in the future job market – or at least makes you better able to adapt.
I guess there might be a perception that philosophically inclined people might be overly analytical or overly concerned with detail or overly concerned with matters of no practical relevance, so you would want to make sure you are always striving for balance – reasoning well and carefully but paying intention to the big picture and the priorities and the needs of the audience or situation, knowing when it is time just to listen, or follow instructions, or to accept that the system – while not perfect – is good enough for now, or that there are better and worse ways to deal with the bad argument of your colleague, or boss, or customer. That said – philosophy enables you to look at yourself just as easily as at the world – so if anything is going to help you become a better more useful person then philosophy will.
Other Professional Careers
WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU STUDY PHILOSOPHY AND AT WHAT LEVEL?
I completed my Bachelors and Honours degree at Macquarie University, graduating in 2008, whilst also undertaking a combined law degree. I also studied jurisprudence and political theory at Oxford University as part of the Bachelor of Civil Law in 2012.
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?
I had originally enrolled in a psychology degree and took a frst year philosophy course as an elective. I remember how this course, in a systemic way, articulated my own questions about the world and society. I was hooked and switched majors to philosophy! At the same time, in my law degree, I was tackling jurisprudence (the philosophy of law). Normally a dread for most students, I took to it like a duck to water. In particular, I was fascinated by one essay by Jacques Derrida on the force of law. I looked at the philosophy courses at Macquarie and plotted a path of subjects that would lead me to studying Derrida and post-structuralism. My goal, by the end of my philosophical education would be to understand Derrida’s essay, which I would like to think I did; my Honours thesis was on his essay, which I used as to reconceptualise the Mabo decision, one of Australia’s most important cases on the recognition of native title.
COULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
After graduating I began my career as a commercial lawyer, but early on transitioned to a social justice career. I am a currently human rights lawyer, based in London, at the Open Society Justice Initiative, which is a global, multi-thematic NGO that focuses on strategic human rights litigation. I am working on a diverse range of cases including anticorruption, freedom of expression, discrimination and Roma rights. Prior to this I worked on cases at a number of international human rights and international criminal law mechanisms including the European Court of Human Rights, the International Criminal Court, Special Tribunal for Lebanon and others. I have worked on cases involving the Armenian Genocide, the case against Saif Gaddaf, and the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Singapore. Prior to this I was part of a team that delivered access to justice projects in Malawi, Africa.
HOW DOES YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL TRAINING AND FORMATION HELP YOU IN YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
Philosophy and law are, I believe, two sides of the same coin and are highly complementary. Philosophy asks life’s big questions and unpacks them within a rigorous methodology. Law does the same – lawmaking asks what are the best norms to regulate society, and them backs them through coercive mechanisms. This is particularly the case for human rights which fundamentally attempts to articulate norms that are the conditions for equality, dignity and fairness. Law, like philosophy, is not dogmatic, and litigation is an institutional method for debating the content and application of these norms. Skills in thinking creatively and having innovative ideas about received concepts, and then persuasively articulating this applies equally to philosophy and the law.
IF YOU HAVE WORKED AS AN ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHER CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT IT?
At the end of my philosophical studies I oscillated whether to undertake further doctorate studies. However, I wanted to be out in the world, trying to make a real impact for the marginalised, and I could better do this through the law. But it would be a mistake to say I no longer ‘practice’ philosophy – philosophical concepts such as the content of equality and justice play an obviously critical role in my career.
WHAT CAREER ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE RECENT PHILOSOPHY GRADUATES?
Despite not undertaking an academic career, I never regretted studying philosophy. It has stayed with me as a critical launchpad to my current career. Said another way, there are many indirect ways that philosophy is useful for non-academic careers. But to consider merely its usefulness is overly-reductive. More importantly, I loved it. And I would like to think it is the love of philosophy and its intellectual challenges that was the reason graduates studied philosophy. That passion and intellectual rigour will hold you in good stead in any career.
However, if you are considering a non-academic career, having another string to your bow such as a professional degree may make it a slightly smoother transition.
WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU STUDY PHILOSOPHY AND AT WHAT LEVEL?
• BA(Hons) University of Melbourne 1984 • PhD University of Pittsburgh 1989
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?
As a student, I (somewhat naively) felt that philosophers studied the most profound questions of all, and so doing philosophy, and perhaps being a philosopher, was deeply meaningful. The intellectual rigour of analytic philosophy also appealed. Some individual teachers were deeply inspiring.
COULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
I have recently become a co-leader of a large interdisciplinary research project based at the University of Melbourne, funded by US Intelligence. Due to a historical accident, my appointment is in the School of BioSciences, but my contribution, apart from research management, is as an applied epistemologist and system designer.
The largest chunk of my career was spent in as a founder/principal in a micro consulting and training frm, van Gelder & Monk (previously Austhink Consulting). vGM started out doing training in critical thinking, but ended up in the applied epistemology business. We helped organisations understand and improve their reasoning, decision making and problem solving processes.
I also had a fve year interlude as founder/CEO of a small venture-funded software startup, Austhink Software, which created the argument mapping tools Rationale and bCisive.
HOW DOES YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL TRAINING AND FORMATION HELP YOU IN YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
The most useful skill was the ability to understand and evaluate complex reasoning and argumentation. More broadly, how to organise your thinking.
IF YOU HAVE WORKED AS AN ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHER CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT IT?
After my PhD I was:
• Four years as a regular assistant professor in philosophy and cognitive science at Indiana University
• Five years as an ARC QEII Fellow in philosophy at ANU (1.5 years) then Melbourne (3.5 years).
By the end of the fellowship I had become bored and restless with the academic lifestyle, and was even feeling jaded with my research. Having had the luxury of an ARC fellowship, I didn’t want to return to the regular academic life with teaching and administrative responsibilities. And, though it sounds cliched, I wanted to do work that made a diference in the “real world.”
Life as a consultant, in my experience, tends to throw up a more diverse range of interesting challenges, and take you to a wider range of interesting (work)places. The major downsides, at least if you are running your own business, are perennial uncertainty about your future income, and no safety net.
WHAT CAREER ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE RECENT PHILOSOPHY GRADUATES?
Epistemology is a very hot topic at the moment.
Consider trying to fnd entry-level work in a consulting frm of some kind. Doesn’t have to be one of the big-name multinationals. There are hundreds of mid-to small consulting frms which do very interesting work, most of which you would never have heard of.
Build your intellectual toolkit so you can tackle a wide range of problems. Acquire skills in areas like mathematical modelling, experimental design, data science, coding.
Generally speaking, unless you are very lucky, life outside the academic career path is going to be better than life within it.
WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU STUDY PHILOSOPHY AND AT WHAT LEVEL?
I completed an MA at Monash University in Philosophy of Mathematics in 2002 and a PhD in Moral Philosophy at the University of Melbourne in 2013.
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?
Its ability to turn crazy ideas into common sense, and to understand the complexity of what seems straightforward by taking the arguments where they lead – novel, well-argued ideas play an essential role in improving life on earth. From shaking up entrenched views about women, class, race and nonhuman animals, to asking whether a machine might think, philosophers have played a necessary (but not sufficient) role in making profoundly positive changes for the world.
COULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
I manage the Graduate Research School at La Trobe University in Melbourne. I like universities and want to help make them supportive, professional and transformative institutions. My current role has oversight of graduate research policy, administrative systems, reporting, communications and engagement with staf and students. It’s wide- ranging and challenging for all diferent sorts of reasons – we work in often deeply inconsistent environments with all manner of complex systems and people. Before starting this job I worked in policy and research administration roles at universities – including research ethics policy, which was especially rewarding.
HOW DOES YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL TRAINING AND FORMATION HELP YOU IN YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
I think it’s largely because of my philosophical training that I can read complexity and write clearly; puzzle through abstract scenarios; build workfows, queries and analyse data; convene a group of bickering people with good humour and distil something sensible out of the fray; and handle criticism well without personalising diferences of opinion. These are all highly valuable management skills. And I know a lot about animal ethics! That certainly helped me to write and teach ethics policy.
IF YOU HAVE WORKED AS AN ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHER CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT IT?
I haven’t, but I still carry out and publish research in my spare time. In many respects this is not far removed from the life of a professional academic – except without the teaching, travel perks or philosophically-minded colleagues. The job security, pay and hours are better, though. The autonomy of an academic role is still unsurpassed (if on the wane), but this gets better as you move into more senior roles.
My current research is in political philosophy and looks at the legitimacy of animal advocacy. I mostly present my research at animal studies conferences now and it’s really pleasing to see the language of civil disobedience take hold among activists, and to see the muddle-headed distinctions of ‘animal rights’ v. ‘animal welfare’ slowly disappearing from other disciplines.
WHAT CAREER ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE RECENT PHILOSOPHY GRADUATES?
I’d advise graduates (and students) to forge an identity that incorporates your philosophical and other career interests – this will mitigate a possible identity crisis (especially if you’re not working in philosophy after a graduate degree) and it will build a narrative for yourself, friends, family and potential employers – a personal statement or such is a valuable tool and developing a professional identity is something you should work on during and after your studies.
I’d also tell students that if they really, really do want to become a philosopher, to stick at the application process and the short-term roles. Just because you don’t get the first three jobs you apply for, doesn’t mean you never will. I’m impressed by the people that were able to withstand the test of time and sometimes regret not trying harder for an academic position after graduation – because once you’ve been out for a while, it’s hard to get back in. By the same token, if you hate working as an academic, be open to other opportunities – other work is no less valuable!
If you are now applying for non-academic positions, I’d urge philosophy graduates to work on how they will demonstrate their transferrable skills in a diferent context – you can’t just tell people that you have these amazing skills. You’ll want two CVs (academic and non-academic) at minimum and certainly every bit of experience helps. The key is to convince your potential employer that you are genuinely passionate about their work and to show them how you will achieve exactly what they need you for – with respect and appreciation for the context.
WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU STUDY PHILOSOPHY AND AT WHAT LEVEL?
Bachelor of Science (Major in Philosophy), Honours: UNSW – 1990 Doctor of Philosophy (Philosophy): UNSW – 1996
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?
Investigating some of the big intellectual questions and challenges, particularly about ideas and reasoning, including about mind, epistemology and metaphysics: how can a material brain and body give rise to mental phenomena? How do ideas connect to each other (reasoning, rationality etc.)? How is the mind (and ideas) connected to the world?
COULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
I work for the Australian media and communications regulator, the ACMA. I lead a small team that coordinates the ACMA’s implementation of new legislation to manage radio frequency spectrum. The job involves contributing to establishing a fresh approach to the regulation of a scarce natural resource through close collaboration with many experts within my agency, policy development staff in the Department of Communications, and spectrum users.
HOW DOES YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL TRAINING AND FORMATION HELP YOU IN YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
I learnt through Philosophy that many bad ideas are supported by excellent and convincing arguments! The skills of critical thinking – of going beyond the surface attraction of a particular idea, argument, course of action or policy approach – are invaluable when considering what advice to provide to public policy decision makers, and how to provide that advice.
Public servants both develop and implement the legislation set by Parliament. Final decisions are made by democratically elected representatives, or their delegates (sometimes those delegates are established under law to provide a degree of independence from day to day politics). In this context, my philosophy training has provided me with a deep-seated ability to critically analyse the rapid fow of argument and advice that is the hallmark of contemporary public policy and its implementation. Philosophy doesn’t give you the answers to everyday problems and dilemmas – but it provides the tools to recognise various kinds of problem or dilemma when they arise, and to recognise how arguments and ideas are connected to each other, arising from intellectual frameworks and (largely) self-consistent bodies of thought.
Philosophy has also left me comfortable working with deeply inconsistent or contrasting sets of ideas. Often I am faced with issues where the competing arguments (from within and without government) are based in fundamentally different premises and world views. It is enormously helpful to see that this is what is happening early on, and as a consequence to dig a little deeper than the surface of the arguments or reasoning provided for various points of view.
IF YOU HAVE WORKED AS AN ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHER CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT IT?I had a fve year contract as Associate Lecturer, and then Lecturer, at the Australian National University. I had a 3 year contract as a U2000 Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Sydney.
I chose to move out of academia for two reasons – and it was probably the combination of them rather than either individually.
First, my postdoc provided the most wonderful opportunity to pursue my research interests, and my passion for teaching, in exactly the measure and direction that suited me. But after those 3 years, during which arose a book, journal articles, and a number of successful conferences and workshops, I realised I still wasn’t having fun! It was hard to imagine what Philosophy position would actually be better, at least in the short term. And I’ve since discovered that I particularly enjoy and value working as part of a team – I think I found the day to day practice and structure of philosophy research and teaching to be quite isolating.
Secondly, there were no jobs available in cities I wished to live, during the time I was actively searching for a position. My family and I weren’t prepared to go just anywhere in order to secure a philosophy job.
Assorted Quotes
