# Studying something for enjoyment vs. career prospects



## Kito (Jan 6, 2012)

General question: is it worth studying something simply because you enjoy it, rather than because you hope to have a career in it? 

I ask mainly because I'm a fan of philosophy and would like studying it for the sake of it, because I enjoy thinking about it and discussing it with others. However, I'm not interested in a career with philosophy. I already know I'd prefer a career in the creative arts; philosophy is something I'd enjoy having side knowledge about. I feel the same way about languages.

Not long ago somebody asked my Ethics teacher (our school doesn't offer philosophy) why he bothers with it, because you can't get paid for it. He said that the point isn't to get paid, but to educate yourself about something interesting and help find your own stance on things with it. It was a really thought-provoking statement.

Thoughts on the topic in general? Our society is very career-driven and many people pride themselves on their career, to the point where you say "Hello, I'm -name- and I'm a -profession-" when meeting someone, because it's the defining character trait for some people. Many would question the value of studying something that won't advance your career. I can't personally see a problem with it, but is enjoyment still a fair trade?


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## an absurd man (Jul 22, 2012)

Why the hell not? Study it in your free time, when you want to step away from your main line of work.


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## McSwiggins (Apr 2, 2013)

Striver said:


> Why the hell not? Study it in your free time, when you want to step away from your main line of work.


Definitely -- just understand that its a hobby and not going to put food on the table. I study golf because I love it. But as a 20 handicapper, can't really quit my day job. Golf is simply a hobby. 

With that in mind, don't spend any money on your study of philosophy. Or at least, if you do, understand that you're spending money on a hobby. There is seemingly limitless information on the Internet and in librarys to pay money to study philosophy. University lectures aren't worth it, unless you get it paid for some other way (e.g. scholarships).


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## nonnaci (Sep 25, 2011)

Don't think there's an answer in the normative sense. If you internalize self-worth/existence by your career, then you'll align your priorities accordingly. The same logic applies if you value the things outside your job more. The two may not even be mutually exclusive. I for one got into research because I get to learn/fiddle around with ideas of interest without too much hand cuffing.


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## RandomNote (Apr 10, 2013)

Id prefer to study something i enjoy and get a career out of it.


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## Birdy (Dec 22, 2012)

I suppose I'm striking the balance. I am studying philosophy, in part because it prepares me well for my career goals. I intend on going to law school, I am familiar with some laws and legal thinking. This has not been a casual decision, but one with tons of research, reading books, talking to people, years of thought, but no matter how much I would say no to law, as I delved in other areas it has resurfaced. I would say, if you are not interested in law (and only do law because you find law interesting), philosophy is only a hobby. If you are dead set on law, it is my opinion that philosophy is a great way to prepare for law. Law is a lot of reading dense material, reasoning about it, writing arguments, speaking persuasively on it, a lot of reading, thinking, communicating. Philosophy does all of this. I personally find other humanities subjects and social sciences as not as satisfying as philosophy, though I do wish I had the time to continue studying economics. I just looked up that it says UK on your profile, if what I know about the UK is true, then my US perspective adds little value, as you can just start studying law. I have found that people who like philosophy, tend to like law, I would look into it. Good luck!


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## Gossip Goat (Nov 19, 2013)

at the university I'm going to by default, the majors there aren't really there to be enjoyed... so I chose something for career prospects.


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## Uralian Hamster (May 13, 2011)

I wont say it would be waste of money, just that there are much better ways to accumulate debt.


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## Female Version 9.94 (Mar 16, 2013)

I'm probably just reiterating what others have said, but go ahead and study philosophy if you're interested in it. Many online education hubs offer free online tertiary-level philosophy courses. Alternatively, be an autodidact! Make your own study plan, use the internet and libraries to find resources to foster your knowledge and strengthen your philosophy threshold. Or, if you're deeply interested in philosophy - and want to follow in the footsteps of your Ethics teacher - formally study it and pursue it as a career. If you want fulfillment in life, spend time doing things that you enjoy - it's simple. There may be more financial risk associated with this than in following the safe business/law/economics path, but you can easily adjust your lifestyle and spending accordingly. To me, the greater risk is wasting your life in a career that isn't particularly meaningful or jovial to yourself.


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## FallingSlowly (Jul 1, 2013)

I studied three different subjects:

1. a scientific one because I thought it would provide me with an income and a career. It did. I still hated every minute of it.
2. an artistic one because I loved it, and I couldn't ever imagine myself doing anything else. I still work in that field today, I love every minute of it, and over the years, I started earning more than I probably ever would have had I stayed in research.
3. Counselling Psychology part-time, purely for "recreational reasons"/professional development. I liked it, I just decided to drop out because it got too much (I still work full-time and also have a life outside work).

So my advice would be:Be clear about why you're doing it, what the financial implications and your expectations are, and be realistic especially about the latter. Other than that: There are no guarantees. You can study something that will statistically provide you with better job prospects, but you can still end up unemployed. You can study something that leaves 90% of people unemployed, but you might be one of the 10%.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Focus on putting food on the table first and then do the things you love in your free time. Even if you love a certain thing, if you do it everyday for a living, you might start hating it.


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## Orchidion (Jan 3, 2013)

Keep in mind, that a profession is something you are likely to perform for decades. Of course you could pursue a certain career for monetarian reasons solely, but eventually this is unlikely to satisfy you. Imagine yourself, old, near to death, reminiscing your life as vividly as possible. Think of all the careers that you could have adopted. What is the path that you would want yourself to have entered at your current state? 

Money is a basis to sustain your existence in this society, and thus it is just reasonable to look for a safe and financially rewarding job. But you have to focus on your priorites here. If philosophy fulfils you, definitely consider such a degree. I personally did plan to study it, but my family is in a rather poor financial situation, so it would be irresponsible to get a philosophy degree instead a physics degree (which is my current goal). If you do not face such adversities, why not do it? 

Anyway, philosophy is not such a dead-end degree like many people think. Apart from universitarian carrers related to philosophy you could always take educational courses and maybe become a hs teacher. Or get a degree in philosophy and another subject that is closely related, like mathematics.


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## AriesLilith (Jan 6, 2013)

Personally, I'd consider my career path first when picking my course, and then after finishing this course and started working on the field I want/like that can grant me a stable life, I'd look at ways that can fulfill my interest in other things. For example, I could take another course if money and time allows. Or simply study at home, getting myself books and such.

There are online places like Coursera.com that offers free small courses.

But I wouldn't want to take a path that I'm not too sure of the success, since honestly living a stable and good quality life is also one of my life goals. Without enough money, I wouldn't be able to enjoy things that I like, like travelling once in a while, going to cinema or other places during weekends, and enjoy small pleasures without worrying about finances constantly, which can be very tiresome and time consuming.
With that said, I don't really know what really fulfills me completely when it comes to career, yet I still have a career that I do like.


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## OldManRivers (Mar 22, 2012)

Kito said:


> General question: is it worth studying something simply because you enjoy it, rather than because you hope to have a career in it?
> 
> I ask mainly because I'm a fan of philosophy and would like studying it for the sake of it, because I enjoy thinking about it and discussing it with others. However, I'm not interested in a career with philosophy. I already know I'd prefer a career in the creative arts; philosophy is something I'd enjoy having side knowledge about. I feel the same way about languages.
> 
> ...


With a career in fine arts, I believe that philosophy -which is basically a study of how humanity thinks and interacts, is very directly germane. Oh, yes, by all means! and some courses in poetry, comparative religion - all the humanities you can find time for. You will profit from it - very much so. I agree with your Ethics teacher. 
Now, a career in philosophy -? Never known one, wonder who pays them to philosophize.


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## an absurd man (Jul 22, 2012)

I know these are extreme cases, but Peter Thiel (Paypal), Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), and Carl Icahn (Icahn Enterprises) earned degrees in philosophy before becoming billionaires. The point is a degree doesn't decide your career.


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## The Wanderering ______ (Jul 17, 2012)

Honesty I think it depends. Some people are incredibly Monetary focused and only care about money, some don't. Some are incredibly pleasure focused and care about learning for learnings sake, some don't. It depends on you. I personally go to school learning something I was genuinely interested in, so I'm a little more motivated than most, but I won't boast about academic achievement because I have very little to boast about. I hate the numerous amounts of opportunities to boost your career though because I don't like the idea of doing something I already don't want to do for a benefit that I don't really care about. I care about job security but its of very little importance to me. I mostly just want to learn. You got to fit your life into what works for you.


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## Ephemerald (Aug 27, 2011)

I've studied a couple years of almost everything. Nearly 12 years of university down so far. Why it's for enjoyment of course! Knowledge is addicting, as is having a large community of professionals to ping pong off of. Otherwise I practically live in libraries. My favorite hobby is synthesizing disciplines into abstract theories about life. If I had to pick something, I'd probably study cognitive science or neurology, but there's no way I could enjoy them without the enormous breadth of my foundation. Specializations in and of themselves bore me. I'm quicky drawn into my extrapolations, which is why I flip flop. If you're wondering about my academic debt, I'm only $20,000 or so in the hole, so not that bad considering. Few possessions in life interest me as "possessions possess us," so I figure I'll invest my money into simple survival and intellectual entertainment.

Yay! How do I plan to earn money? Well, I have so many things to write about.


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## The Wanderering ______ (Jul 17, 2012)

Ephemerald said:


> I've studied a couple years of almost everything. Nearly 12 years of university down so far. Why it's for enjoyment of course! Knowledge is addicting, as is having a large community of professionals to ping pong off of. Otherwise I practically live in libraries. My favorite hobby is synthesizing disciplines into abstract theories about life. If I had to pick something, I'd probably study cognitive science or neurology, but there's no way I could enjoy them without the enormous breadth of my foundation. Specializations in and of themselves bore me. I'm quicky drawn into my extrapolations, which is why I flip flop. If you're wondering about my academic debt, I'm only $20,000 or so in the hole, so not that bad considering. Few possessions in life interest me as "possessions possess us," so I figure I'll invest my money into simple survival and intellectual entertainment.
> 
> Yay! How do I plan to earn money? Well, I have so many things to write about.


You really are Bell arent' you?


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## Ephemerald (Aug 27, 2011)

The Wanderering ______ said:


> You really are Bell*e *arent' you?


Ha ha, no. My adventures in literature are lacking, and my grammar is atrocious. This is primarily because I suffer from a convoluted scientist's brain and rarely have bothered to express myself professionally. English is among the final frontier, to which I've recently turned to develop. Fine authors share their secrets: I adore Emerson's prose. Read his "Essays"--that's an order! This will simply require time, trial and error, catching up upon mountains of neglected fiction. My favorite poets are Rilke and Dickinson. I like to take Emily's and write a poem into her poem, expanding what I perceive she means.

PS: As a child, the first novelette I read was Camus' The Stranger. No wonder I'm goofy!


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## koalaroo (Nov 25, 2011)

Double major, imo.


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