Frank Redmond
Frank Redmond graduated from the Classics program in 2007 with honors. He presently works as a Project Coordinator for a business on Chicago's Near West Side.
My education in Classics has proven to be very useful in my position
as a Project Coordinator. In my position, I am confronted by many
different challenges, from many different areas of the business. One
day I'll be helping our IT director implement a new software program,
on another day I'll be producing a detailed financial report, and on
yet another day I will be developing and implementing a set of new
best practices. When you train in Classics, you learn how to solve
problems and analyze issues from all sorts of disciplines, some of
which are only loosely related to each other. My ability to
wear simultaneously many hats and assume many roles has only been
augmented by my Classical training.
In my position, it is very important to have independent judgment. I
find myself frequently making changes to the trajectory of a project,
whether it be large or small. You have to learn to make adjustments
on-the-fly and to think fast. The Classics program challenged me to
make the on-the-fly decisions due to the open way in which courses are
taught. Similarly, the long-term projects given to us by our
professors were often open-ended. This led me to make informed
decisions as to how to make my case and present my evidence. The
Classics program by its nature gives the student a great deal of latitude and hones decision making abilities.
Classics also encourages sound, solid sills of analysis. As
previously mentioned, my position requires me to be strong in many
areas of the business. Sometimes I am given a project in a field in which
I have little training. However, my education taught me that you must
approach all problems systematically. You must break the project down
into pieces and detect the patterns necessary for completion. It is
extremely useful to have the training in problem-solving skills taught by Classics because it makes it easier
to carry out tasks in business that present complex challenges.
Additionally, my training in Classics has equipped me not only to solve complex
problems but also to see the big picture. In my position, it is
crucial that I keep in mind the broader implications of my work.
Sometimes when working on long projects that last months, it is easy
to become caught up in the details. However, you always have to keep in mind
whom the outcome of a project is going to affect and how it is going to change the company. InClassics, all my professors stressed that it is essential to
synthesize your findings to produce a broad sweeping perspective.
Nothing happens in a vacuum. Ancient Greek and Latin are not just to be studied for
their own sake (as rewarding as that is). Everything has implications, especially the influence of people from millenia ago. Studying Classics will put
everything into perspective, a quality much appreciated in business.
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