August 16, 2016

James Baublitz ’08 came to Susquehanna unsure which academic path to pursue—and ended up picking three.

That academic flexibility was one of his deciding factors when picking a college.

“Susquehanna was a good fit for me in that I could focus on a very specific educational direction or something very broad,” the Baltimore resident said.

After taking a few courses, Baublitz first chose a finance major and later added philosophy and history majors as well. “I valued the writing and thinking skills that were needed in both majors and thought it was a great way to round out a more technical degree like finance.”

Currently, he works at works at Compass Analytics, where he helps banks and hedge funds better understand their financial risks.

“I certainly could not perform the job without learning the technical skills of my finance degree,” Baublitz said.

But the skills he learned in history and philosophy—like how to craft and critique arguments and study logic—proved just as valuable.

“I can’t emphasize enough how important these skills are and how applicable they have been in my career. The technical skills are necessary, but without the ability to communicate your ideas you’ll find that you are limiting your effectiveness,” he said.