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With a degree in Philosophy, are there any other jobs you can get besides being a professor?

Philosophy is what I'm truly passionate about and love to study, but I don't see much of a future in it career wise. #philosophy #career

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Dexter’s Answer

Hi Andres, I'm so happy to hear about your passion for philosophy! I originally planned to get a degree in computer science when I started my journey in higher education, but quickly fell in love with my philosophy electives and actually took the plunge to dive right in and get my B.A. in philosophy. I've been out of school for about 7 years now and have happily been working in the tech industry since I graduated. During interviews for tech companies after graduating I explained (like others have mentioned here) that my degree helped me focus in on critical thinking, analyzing problems from different perspectives, and had trained me to help guide others to solve problems through means like the Socratic Method.

My point, and it could be an unpopular one, is that you aren't pigeonholed into academia or law school if you go down this path. You should however explore minors/dual majors in other areas that may help compliment your love for philosophy as well. You may even explore career opportunities at your university or nearby that will help bolster your resume and experience early on so you can ensure you have multiple options right out of the gate.
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Ken’s Answer

The major of philosophy potentially has many applications. The most important thing for you to do is to get to know yourself better to determine which application would be most suitable for you based upon your personality traits as they relate to people involved in various career areas and meet and talk to people who are doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can see what they do, how they got there, and what advice and suggestions that they might have for you.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
• It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Carol’s Answer

Hi Andres

Over the many years I have done recruiting on a multitude of positions I have not recruited for a position that specifically required someone to have had a degree in philosophy. I have found that the best way to find out about any career is to go online and ask.

 

So, I went on Google and asked. I found an interesting site. It said that philosophy majors have, perhaps indirectly, sharpened their ability to speak and write in a clear, articulate, and incisive manner. Due to the nature of the subject matter, many philosophy classes will likely tend to be more discussion-based than lecture-based. As a result, students of philosophy learn to think critically and analyze, and view problems from multiple viewpoints and consider different modes of reasoning.

The article then went to chose different careers where the skills you gain as a philosophy major may serve you well. Most likely if you major in philosophy you may want to make certain you take other classes that might stand out to an employer.

Editorial Assistant

Paralegal

Public Policy position.

Non-profit

Grant writing

Marketing PR.

http://www.onedayonejob.com/majors/philosophy/

 

There is more information out there that will tell you what people do in certain careers, other sites that might describe a typical day in the role, job sites with openings and job descriptions as well as salary ranges for the positions, etc. YouTube may have videos explaining the same. If you look at multiple sites, look for consistencies in what they say. This should help you feel more comfortable that the information you are reading is accurate.

 Hope this helps. Feel free to reach back out.

Carol

Carol recommends the following next steps:

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Will’s Answer

I have a BSc in Philosophy, an MSc in Neuroscience and a PhD in Philosophy and Neuroscience. To maximize the potential of getting a job and having impact in the world, I would suggest that you learn some other, more tangible, skills alongside philosophy if you want to get a job outside of academia. Learning a programming language will open a lot of doors and there is a lot of overlap with philosophical logic in computer programming. TBH, I would try and get some scientific experience and skills too. Science in the private sector is a huge industry. Perhaps do a Science MSc after your degree, if you can. I did this and I am having much more career success that my fellow undergraduate philosophy students that studied philosophy only.
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