Translating Philosophy Skills into Arts Co-op Success

Classroom skills lead to fast offer co-op placement extension for PHIL Major undergrad, Kendra Wong

Kendra Wong, who is currently pursuing a Philosophy Major with a Concentration in Law, has plans to head to law school on graduation. Not only do philosophy grads achieve high LSAT scores and do well in law school, Kendra also considers what she’s been taught in the classroom translates well into any career. Far from the ‘worthless’ label given to arts and humanities in the popular press, Philosophy classes at SFU have prepared her well for a “real” job. She’s brought skills learned in philosophy classes into real life in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences co-op program, working with CIRNA (Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs) for two terms.

And this has certainly translated into success during her co-op placement; according to Tyler Schwartz, former FASS Co-op Advisor (now Co-op Coordinator for Sustainable Energy Engineering at SFU’s Surrey Campus), Kendra wound up breaking the record for fastest offer for an extension ever. Her manager knew he wanted to extend her within the first three weeks of her term. It usually takes 2 months.

Where does philosophy fit in with work?

Philosophy forces you to consider both sides of a position. You have to anticipate objections to your line of argument form defences, allowing you to consider other rational positions. This isn't just applicable to academia; I think it's easier to communicate with others on a daily basis when you are able to consider others' positions and use empathy. It’s also useful for analyzing and constructing arguments.

Writing and generally communicating articulately are important regardless of the job. The ability to consider others' positions rationally also helps working in teams. I think, as a result of philosophy classes, I'm much better at listening to others even when I don't agree, synthesizing ideas, and making compromises.

Can you describe how your philosophy classes prepared you for your recent co-op placements?

I think my Philosophy classes did well in preparing me. Arts and Philosophy students are strong at communicating, synthesizing information, and analyzing texts. An Arts degree, and Philosophy especially, provides you with the skills to succeed in a variety of circumstances.

As a junior analyst with CIRNA, more specifically with the Treaties and Aboriginal Government department, communication was a large aspect of my job. I was working with negotiation teams, who, in turn, collaborated with a large number of different groups: with other CIRNA colleagues, with First Nations, with other federal government departments, and with their provincial counterparts.

I attended formal negotiation meetings, as well as more informal meetings, where I was able to see how negotiators communicated and worked with all of these different groups. Meetings also allowed me to see how work is distributed--and the negotiation teams allowed me to complete follow-up work on my own, which often involved further communication. I was also involved in a lot of correspondence between the federal government and First Nations, including drafting and editing letters.

Another large aspect of my job was research work to aid negotiations. I am particularly proud of a timeline I produced, which involved sorting through and organizing primary sources from up to 70 years ago. I determined which documents were relevant to our central question(s), and, from there, established a timeline of events and correspondence that spanned over 50 years. Again, the work I did here used the skills fostered in my philosophy classes.

Volunteering: BC Ethics Bowl