After completing his BA in Philosophy, William now works at Philips in business insights and analytics. Read on to find out about his time at Kent, and how studying Philosophy prepared him for life after graduation.
“Kent’s philosophy course focused more on encouraging discussion and development of your own philosophical thought as opposed to simply learning information about philosophy and transferring that onto an exam”
What are you doing now?
I am now living in the Netherlands working as a Market Insights & Analytics manager at Philips. I am responsible for their customer experience measurement strategy for consumer products.
What attracted you to your course, and to Kent?
I was attracted to the Philosophy course at Kent because it focused more on encouraging discussion and development of your own philosophical thought as opposed to simply learning information about philosophy and transferring that onto an exam paper at the end of the year. I was attracted to Kent specifically because of the campus and location amongst nature. The campus is beautiful and I loved being able to walk to everything I need: home, study, gym, and evening events – everything was a stone’s throw away from my accommodation. The Canterbury campus is also a great location for getting out into nature and to the beach – the exact opposite of where I grew up in London.
Which aspects of your degree did you enjoy the most, and why?
I enjoyed the variety in philosophical topics that were available to me, so that I could pick and choose the areas that interested me the most. I felt that I was truly able to tailor my experience. The first year required modules also established me with the key philosophical principles to set me up for success in my following years on the course. I also enjoyed the focus of grading being upon our coursework as this is where your truly able to take time and formulate your positions as well as choosing subjects that you are interested and engaged with – as a result, completing my coursework didn’t feel like a chore at each milestone of the module.
What impressed you most about our academic staff?
The academic staff on my philosophy course were teeming with energy and enthusiasm for their subject expertise. This always comes across in the lectures and classes and makes you look forward to them. They were always excited and interested to hear new perspectives from the students.
Which skills/knowledge did you learn on your course that you use most now in your career?
The primary skills I learnt from my degree and apply to my work are: 1) Being confident in sharing my opinion 2) collaborating with others who have conflicting ideas and 3) articulating complex topics and presenting them in a clear way.
Could you describe a typical day in your current role?
A typical day in my role primarily revolves around discussing requirements with stakeholders across the business and consolidating that into realistic changes that I can make to improve the Philips customer experience program. This also involves prioritizing ideas against existing work streams as well as leading our teams’ agile process. I am also responsible for planning our delivery roadmap which continually evolves throughout the year. Additionally, I might also be conducting data analysis work in Excel or through python and SQL.
What are your future plans and aspirations?
My current plans are to stay in my current role for at least the next two years before taking a year out to travel, as this wasn’t something I took the time to do before or directly after university. I would then look to find a new role in a different European country so that I can experience living in another country other than the UK or the Netherlands. I am also interested in moving into work at a smaller company as by then I will have had a large amount of experience working for large corporate companies.
What is your favourite memory of Kent?
My favourite memory of my time at Kent is the fact that I met my partner there. Without having gone to Kent I would have never met her!
What advice would you give to somebody thinking of coming to Kent?
My advice is to go for it! I hope you have a great time at Kent, just like I did, and I hope it sets you up for success.
How would you describe your time at Kent in three words?
Way Too Short! (Life catches up with you! Enjoy it whilst you can!)