We've all doubted our majors at some point, questioned how to mold them into a successful career, or whether the blood, sweat, and tears from all the work is worth it? I feel like after high school, most of us just went along with the idea of college because of parents, or because it's practically necessary these days to form some sort of career with a degree, or thoughts of "What would I be doing if I wasn't in college?" I speak for myself especially with all three of these things. After high school, college wasn't really on my mind, but it was definitely on my parents. During that time, I knew I wanted some sort of established career eventually and to be able to make something of myself, but the idea of college didn't really interest me. Nonetheless, I went with the flow like I always do and picked NAU.
Coming into Freshman year, I thought law was what I wanted to do for whatever reason, so I picked mostly philosophy and political based classes. The only classes I actually put in work for and did well in were yep you guessed it, the philosophy ones. So I went with it changed my major to Philosophy- best academic decision I've made yet.
When I say studying philosophy has changed my life, I mean it. I know, I know, it sounds cliché to say that, but honestly taking a philosophy class and having a professor that can challenge your current beliefs on our everyday concepts is refreshing, and needed in our generation. I can't stress that enough. I think that learning and immersing the mind with philosophical writing provides a higher level of thinking than simply learning from textbooks. I highly recommend looking into Plato's Republic, it's a huge volume because it contains stories of dialogue and conversation between Socrates and other Athenian's during that time period, but it's a beautiful piece in it's entirety and filled with intelligible writings. It's insane but those topics and concepts are still very much applicable today, otherwise why else would they still be mentioned? Also Plato's Analogy of the Sun and how the light of truth and it's visibility on the eyes , or the Divided Line and how it's characteristics are sustainable even today is mind-blowing. But if you are looking for a completely different perspective on life and our reality, looking into his Allegory of the Cave is my new favorite and it's eye opening in a way I can't even begin to describe. You start to think about the same concepts differently, or different concepts altogether from seeing the same things and I'm starting to see that in myself and it's fulfilling. If there is something I hope to walk out with at the end of my undergrad, it's to gain as much insight and enlightenment as I can thru utilizing philosophy. A degree would be nice too, I guess.
