What is a good life? – Careers after St. John's
Graduates of St. John’s contend, like Socrates, that a good life involves, among other things, continuing to ask that question at every stage of life. They also say that St. John’s prepares you to live such a life, a life of free thinking and considered questioning. And although these same graduates insist that St. John’s does not prepare you for a narrow field, they are quick to reply to the question “Where can I go after St. John’s?” with the answer “Just about anywhere.”
The long-term practical value of a liberal education is well known. In a 2008 report published by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, 95 percent of employers surveyed considered a liberal education important (69 percent rating it very important). Most employers cite critical thinking and communication skills, flexibility, and the ability to evaluate situations and come up with solutions as highly valuable in the workplace. And St. John’s alumni cite these same skills among the results of their education. Moreover, in a world of rapidly changing technologies and multiple careers, where the ability to assimilate new knowledge is itself perhaps the most valuable career asset—and insurance—one can possess, Johnnies have an indispensible advantage. Through tackling civilization’s most profound and difficult writings and holding them up to rigorous study and discussion, Johnnies learn how to learn—fearlessly and with such intellectual resolve that they remain, for the rest of their lives, undaunted by complexity.
What do St. John’s graduates do? They are lawyers, novelists, founders of publishing houses, artisans, screenwriters, corporate executives, policy analysts, realtors, editors, research librarians, radio hosts, bookstore owners, software engineers, college admissions counselors, flight instructors, museum directors. They pursue all these careers and more. Some are even philosophers.
