Searching for the meaning of life doesn鈥檛 have to start with a pilgrimage to some unfamiliar land. For Ben Robinson, it starts with the humble arts degree.
鈥淟earning often leads to more questions than answers,鈥 he says, good-naturedly as he remembers his time majoring in philosophy at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences to be 鈥渇un, engaging, and challenging.鈥
鈥淚t has a great reputation for Arts and the humanities,鈥 he explains of his decision to study at the University of Sydney. 鈥淎nd a really wide range of courses.鈥
Inspiration in ethics
For some, the path of聽majoring in philosophy聽to landing a gig at one of the world鈥檚 largest consulting firms might not seem the most conventional career trajectory. For Ben, it was a volunteering stint at The Ethics Centre in Sydney that steered him to the multi-faceted role he holds now at Deloitte.
鈥淚 helped on several of their consulting projects looking into the ethics, culture and governance of different organisations,鈥 he explains. 鈥淚 think this experience was quite useful in getting a job at Deloitte, as well as my university studies.鈥
There is often a lot of ambiguity in the client brief or the best ways of delivering solutions, meaning critical thinking and problem-solving skills are needed, as well as good written and verbal communication, which my studies prepared me for well.
Ben Robinson
A philosophical approach to consulting
As a Senior Analyst for Deloitte, Ben works with clients on a range of various projects, looking at and resolving issues in sustainability, human rights, culture and governance.
鈥淚n my role, I support with project delivery and increasingly, project management,鈥 he says.
"There is often a lot of ambiguity in the client brief or the best ways of delivering solutions, meaning critical thinking and problem-solving skills are needed, as well as good written and verbal communication, which my studies prepared me for well."
Each day brings its own new set of challenges, but for Ben, this is what drives him out of bed every morning.
Why humanities degrees are future proof
Ben is upfront on the valuable lessons his arts degree has shown him.
鈥淭he future of work will require skills that humanities degrees cultivate,鈥 he explains when asked about the impact of his study. 鈥淪tuff like critical thinking, creativity and dealing with ambiguity.鈥
While the conventional degrees favour specialist skills to pursue your typical career path, Ben says the issues that emerge in the future are ripe for solving with the help of an education in humanities.
鈥淢any of the 'traditional' degrees where you rote learn from a textbook don't cultivate these skills as well as arts degrees,鈥 he shares. 鈥淪o I think there's actually a strong argument why arts degrees should be prioritised.鈥
"Students鈥 should be confident that what they are doing is important, and will help them contribute in a unique way to many of the problems of the future."