New series from the Blog of the APA …
How Can I Be a Philosopher in a Non-academic Career?
Answers from philosophers in tech, industry, media, and public service
Are you considering a non-academic career? Have you already decided to pursue one? If so, you’re in good company. More philosophers than ever are seeking careers outside of academia.
That’s why the Blog of the APA, in partnership with the APA Committee on Non-Academic Careers, is starting this new series: How can I be a philosopher in a non-academic career?
Sometimes, a non-academic career is a practical matter—full-time faculty positions are increasingly scarce. Sometimes, it’s a matter of choice—a passionate interest or an appealing lifestyle. But whatever the reason, leaving academia gives rise to doubt. “Was my field of study relevant?” “Will I lose my identity as a philosopher?” “Do I have the right skills and contacts?”
To allay these doubts, this new series will present interviews with philosophers who have succeeded in non-academic careers. The philosophers interviewed in the series will:
- Share their motivations, successes, and struggles in pursuit of a non-academic career.
- Analyze the connections between their philosophic training and their chosen career.
- Describe the nuts and bolts of finding a career outside academia: building a network, finding a mentor, designing a resume—even dealing with negative attitudes toward philosophers.
APA’s series will offer guidance and encouragement to philosophers who are considering or pursuing non-academic careers. The series may also benefit faculty who want to counsel their students on alternatives to academia. With any luck, it might even change the way we think about the role of philosophers in the working world.
The Blog of the APA seeks wide-ranging and diverse interview subjects for the series. If you are a philosopher pursuing a non-academic career, please send a note to davidjohnson@apaonline.org to be considered for an upcoming post in the series.
You seem to think a philosopher means professional-philosopher or someone who gets paid to do philosophy. Socrates was paid with a cup of hemlock. I wonder if Crito did pay the cock to Asclepius?
If you feel the need to get paid to do philosophy maybe you don’t have enough Philo for Sophia??