I have heard it said that the problem with a degree in philosophy is simple: no one will pay you to sit beneath the willows and ponder. Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you, living proof that the world not only needs philosophers, but will pay for the process of growing in wisdom.

Not a lot--of pay, that is--but that is besides the point. At least some small portion of my meager income now, officially, comes in exchange for reading, understanding, and explaining philosophy. I've been asked to assist in the composition of a paper on (among other things) virtue ethics. This will be in addition to my more practical legal work on real estate treatises.

I cannot tell you how excited this makes me.

You must realize, my decision to study philosophy as an undergraduate was a conscious decision to enlighten my mind instead of fattening my wallet. I've wanted to study philosophy ever since I read Sophie's World, though I suppose Senior AP English planted those seeds even before I encountered Gaarder's fabulous work. Robert Pirsig cemented this desire, "pop philosopher" or no, but I was raised in a practical house and even in the days of Socrates, philosophers had some difficulty convincing others that philosophy is more than fluff.

My wife was instrumental in my decision, bless her, for she knew from childhood the value of happiness over money. Though I considered completing a degree in computer engineering, I ultimately chose to pursue my education instead of my career.

The price, of course, was that (unlike my more mathematically-inclined peers) I did not have a job waiting for me on graduation. I spent about 18 months working for GoDaddy-dot-com, trying to decide whether I could continue to feed my children while pursuing a PhD, and eventually decided to go to law school. I half-jokingly tell people that law school is the price I have to pay for studying philosophy; because I spent four years actually learning something, I had to come back to school so that I could get a proper job.

On hearing that I was headed to law school, a fellow gamer and good friend from my High School days--Matt Shanker--wittily observed, "Decided to power up that philosophy degree, eh?" I admit I delighted in his insightful allusion to my favorite past-time. d^_^b

At any rate, this last Monday I enjoyed lunch with one of my professors, a brilliant man with a lot of projects underway. The point of the lunch was actually to discuss a paper that I've been working on, but he also offered me (quite out of the blue) a job researching some philosophy. He was very complimentary and his offer was simply too good to resist.

So I am, officially, a professional philosopher. I was offered a job because I have a degree in philosophy. I am engaged in the work of wisdom.

Now, it might be argued that the pursuit of all lawyers should be wisdom. We'll see how that pans out.

But for the moment I am just feeling absolutely delighted that some part of my life, however small, is dedicated to the grey-eyed goddess.