what i didn't realize until now

saturday i spent the mid morning and early afternoon hours at a job fair. yes folks that's right a job fair. i talked to a million principals. the ones with whom i got into the interview stage always asked questions along the same lines. i should have anticipated these but oh well. i finally realized the truth to the following, after having answered "i love to learn, i'm flexible/open-minded, i'm a problem-solver"

what about you sets you apart from other candidates?

i did not study education in college. (wait for jaw to drop - it is a principal of a school i am talking to) i studied physics. (wait for some comment about "oh you must be smart then.") this sets me apart in two ways. one, during a particularly difficult semester i realized that if i could get through a major in physics, i could do anything afterwards because i could think of nothing more difficult. thus i came away with a healthy self-confidence that allows me to meet challenges head-on with no excuses. second, majoring in physics affected the way i think. i realized that when it comes to solving a problem in whatever aspect of life, i think of the problem with a very wide perspective - i see the problem as a whole and think about every aspect of the problem and how changing one thing causes another to change. this has made me a very thorough problem-solver. in sum, due to my different educational background, i bring to the profession a rigor and well-rounded perspective that someone with a different background might lack.