St John's College

Date: Apr 18 2003
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
The point of St. John's is not so much preparation for the work world; vocational schools perform that job pretty well, but to hone your ability to think for yourself, assimilate ideas, and develop and articulate new ideas. That's invaluable in the work world and strictly a by-product of the life of the mind.

In my career (20 years on now) I've been tapped for more progressive responsibility partly because of the verbal and written abilaity I polished at St. John's and because I I was able to work with complex and diverse ideas whcih is a part of the business world. Other people I have hired or worked with often have trouble doing more that just waht they are told to do. They expect to be told how to perform their work, sort of like listening to a lecture at a large school. There (in my small experience) you listen to the "expert", the professor who tells you what you should perfectly well be able to read and decide on for yourself. Then you are quizzed on what the "expert" believes to be important.

I'm still passionate about my experiences at St. John's after graduating in 1978. I was a seminal point in my life and really helped form the person I am today, set standards for thought and conduct I try to reach, and gave me a glimpse into real beauty and the search for truth as a mission not just an ideal.