Why did I major in philosophy?
I picked up philosophy in my sophomore year to complement my software engineering degree. At the time, I figured it could strengthen my logic toolkit and maybe help me better understand history. But wow, did it give me so much more. Philosophy taught me how to think clearly, ask better questions, see the world as it is, and grapple with ideas that don’t have easy answers. That set of skills has turned out to be incredibly valuable not just for engineering, but for life broadly.
One project that stuck with me:
For my senior thesis, I studied AI, specifically how society might change once machines could generate realistic images and videos of people and events. At the time, it felt like science fiction with some early examples on the horizon. But by 2022, within two years, that future arrived. In the paper, I argued that we might start to trust centralized institutions less and move toward decentralized ways of verifying what’s real. That prediction’s held up surprisingly well. And honestly, without the mix of philosophy, hands-on engineering, and time spent reflecting on where the world might be heading, I probably would’ve missed the boat entirely. But because of that project and creating the space to think deeply, I found myself a few steps ahead, or at least ready to adapt when the world changed faster than anyone expected.
What I’m doing now:
After graduating, I dove headfirst into the startup world, eager to try to make a big impact. I’ve worked on challenging information systems problems in education, logistics, and finance. Today, I’m a software engineer at BlueCargo, where we help large businesses run more efficiently by automating messy port and freight financial operations.
And the wild part? My day-to-day as an engineer looks completely different from when I started in school. I used to write every line of code myself, character by character. Now I’m managing a fleet of AI assistants that help diagram, write, and revise the codebase for me. The work of an engineer has shifted from typing code to orchestrating it, and philosophy has been critical to that transition. When you can ask a machine anything, succeeding is a matter of asking the right question. That’s the kind of work philosophy trains you for.
Advice for future majors:
Pair philosophy with something concrete. For me, it was software engineering, and that combo gave me an edge. While engineering taught me how to build, philosophy taught me why it matters and how to adapt when the tools or environment inevitably shift.
The world’s changing fast. The tech industry moves even faster. But if you can think clearly, reason through messy problems, and zoom out to see the bigger picture, you’ll be in a great spot no matter what path you take. Learning philosophy doesn’t just sharpen your mind; it helps you make sense of the life you’re building, too.
