# Philosophy



## Ti Dominant (Sep 25, 2010)

What careers are available with a major in philosophy?


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## Valdyr (May 25, 2010)

Voyager said:


> What careers are available with a major in philosophy?


From what I know, most philosophy majors who actually complete the degree tend to go into higher education themselves/become academics. However, a sizable minority use philosophy as a stepping stone to politics, law, activism etc., by going to law school or international relations school (and the like) after they complete their undergraduate.

I'm probably going to major in philosophy as well, once I get to college, so I've researched this. :tongue:

EDIT: However, many non-technical jobs will take people with varied educational backgrounds provided they're appealing candidates in other respects, and a philosophy degree can be useful for any job, since it teaches technical writing and critical thinking.


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## Ti Dominant (Sep 25, 2010)

Valdyr said:


> From what I know, most philosophy majors who actually complete the degree tend to go into higher education themselves/become academics. However, a sizable minority use philosophy as a stepping stone to politics, law, activism etc., by going to law school or international relations school (and the like) after they complete their undergraduate.
> 
> I'm probably going to major in philosophy as well, once I get to college, so I've researched this. :tongue:
> 
> EDIT: However, many non-technical jobs will take people with varied educational backgrounds provided they're appealing candidates in other respects, and a philosophy degree can be useful for any job, since it teaches technical writing and critical thinking.


Indeed. I'll probably go into grad school for philosophy, or use a minor in journalism or technical writing to become a writer. The main goal would be to teach philosophy, but given the horrible job market, it's likely I'll simply end up using the degree to become a writer. What are your backups?


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## heartturnedtoporcelain (Apr 9, 2010)

My journey as starting off as a Philosophy major:

I majored in Philosophy then I ended up getting a double major in Philosophy and History. I wanted to become an academic (in History btw) but now I'm going to get a Master's in Psychology and become a Psychotherapist.


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## Valdyr (May 25, 2010)

Voyager said:


> Indeed. I'll probably go into grad school for philosophy, or use a minor in journalism or technical writing to become a writer. The main goal would be to teach philosophy, but given the horrible job market, it's likely I'll simply end up using the degree to become a writer. What are your backups?


Assuming you mean backup degrees, I'm looking at cognitive science, biology (ecology), and linguistics. Philosophy is still my most likely though - I can just feel that it's what I'm going to end up doing.


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## amon91 (Feb 1, 2011)

I know someone who went into business and did quite well with that degree. That's a small minority, but absolutely what I would do if I took it.


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## CynicallyNaive (Jan 18, 2011)

@Voyager: 

Philosopher.  

No, seriously, it's not a field you study because the specific degree is going to help you in your career (unless your career goal is specifically graduate study in philosophy as several have said). But that doesn't mean not to study it.


Given a clear choice, i would always suggest going for what you're passionate about over what you feel is pragmatic. If you're sufficiently passionate it you'll do well in school. You can do a lot of professional jobs that don't require any specific undergrad concentration, but for which it would be good to have good grades. Also, law and medical schools* tend to value concentrations like that as a sign of well-roundedness.

By the way, why do you want to pursue a bachelor's in the first place?

*Provided you did a pre-med curriculum, of course.


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## Bote (Jun 16, 2010)

Different type of activism like Valdyr suggested. Right now, the biggest problem in the world is lack of appreciation of the other party in pretty much all areas of human endeavor. Politics, religion, cultural and national differences between people often lead to misunderstanding, and also in more serious cases violence, hate speech etc. Philosophy has one quality that no other field has - it teaches one to appreciate difference as valid not in terms of Truth, but in terms of individuality and beauty in variety. That's at least what I got from my studies of Philosophy. Basically, a person who has covered all branches and -isms present throughout history indiscriminately will know how to find common ground and alleviate tension in communication. Understanding of human motivation and nature is also another quality in philosophy. 

You can become a public spokesman for the environmental movement ( or similar organization) since hey you will have covered Rethorics as a separate field. You can be a columnist for the Arts and Culture branch in papers and magazines. You may even be a "secondary" psychiatrist in discussion groups where people struggle with depression and alienation (one of my temporary jobs lol - my role was to explain to the people involved in what sense can life have a purpose since that's what most struggled with. Some people reacted well to theology, others reacted well to vitalism and voluntarism, one guy was instantly inspired by pragmatism XD). 

Basically, you can work in many different fields, but you need to be convincing to the employer. Again you can use the knowledge of rhetorics and employer's power trip to your advantage. 

If you need a permanent workplace them my advice is to avoid Arts and Humanities, and Education (unless a college hires you) and focus on Natural Sciences or Politics/Movements. Primarily natural sciences since that is the area which showed most progress in the last 50 years and yet people are still poorly informed. Arts and Humanities is a disaster imo. The graduates and professors in those areas are so obsessed by complex language and can make such ridiculous sentences that I'm fucking glad I read Wittgenstein when I was young. Such positing is for me nothing but masquarading one's insecurities and ignorance, not to mention that they fail at the most basic point: to clarify, not to obscure further.


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## Ti Dominant (Sep 25, 2010)

Mostly, it seems like career suicide. My other option is learning as much math/science as possible and just majoring in psychology.


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## CynicallyNaive (Jan 18, 2011)

Voyager said:


> Mostly, it seems like career suicide. My other option is learning as much math/science as possible and just majoring in psychology.


Not career suicide -- i covered that in my post above. But it's not a utilitarian degree. You need a plan for why you're passionate about it and how you plan to find a post-school job. (Hint: Network! No matter what field.)

I'm still curious why you think you're seeking a degree.


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