MOVING TO FRONT FROM JULY 18 in view of all the positive feedback this thread has gotten; I hope some other readers will contribute.
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A student now thinking about PhD work writes:
A lot of undergrads and grad students read your blog everyday. It's very insightful, but sometimes it can make the decision to be a philosopher sound rather awful. I think it's very important that the profession talk about, for example, the issues of sexism that have lately been getting due and belated recognition. But sometimes, and perhaps other blogs are more guilty of this than your own, I begin to lose sight of how wonderful philosophy is and get lost in an haze of inept administrators, sadistic philosophy smoker encounters, dead-end adjunct positions, and chauvinistic old boy clubs. Perhaps, for the sake of those of us who are trying to keep up the enthusiasm to make it into grad school in the first place, you might find a time to request your readers mention things that they love about their job, or about pleasant colleagues and competent administrators? My BA experience was one of unmitigated pleasure and happiness in a very functional and supportive department, and I can't imagine I'm the only one. Blogs sometimes bring out complaints more readily than praise, and while I value realistic advice about my chosen field, it would be nice to have a balance.
So readers: let's hear the positives, we know there are many.
