Philosophy Jobs?

ravenwing92 said:

If there any jobs you can get with a major in Philosophy? I was just wondering....thanks

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I hear McDonald's is hiring.

I personally wouldn't count on being employed as a philosopher except in academia, and you'll want a Ph.D. in philosophy for that.


eudaimonia,

Mark

I have a bachelor's degree in philosophy and I work as a missionary on a college campus. My degree was not required. If I want to use it then I have to get a PhD (which I'm currently considering).

Getting a degree in philosophy is a personal-formation thing more than it's an economy thing. I highly recommend it.

It's a dirty little secret of the academic world that even among people who get a Ph.D., there no guarantee of getting a tenure-track job at a good university. This is especially true in the humanities and the social sciences. More and more of the teaching load in universities is getting shifted to non-tenured lecturers, while there are fewer and fewer positions matching what we traditionally think of as "professor".

This is not to try to drive you away from the field. As brightlights said, do it if you think it's what's best for you. Just don't do it solely for the sake of getting a well-paying job.

Sales.

The Nihilist said:

Sales.

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Yeah, that's true.

"You don't know your money exists, so send it to me and I'll verify that. Nope, it doesn't exist. Thank you for your purchase."

I have asked about philosophy jobs and where transferable skills are needed rather than the content of the degree itself (e.g. a historian moving into a non history based job) it's argued that philosophy often trumps because it teaches to a greater degree the kind of analytical, logical and critical skills that employers might be looking for.

ravenwing92 said:

If there any jobs you can get with a major in Philosophy? I was just wondering....thanks

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If you study philosophy, do it for personal satisfaction, not for the thought of making a career of it. Jobs you will find where a degree in philosophy is valuable will be low paying, even if you can find them.

Question: What does someone with a degree in philosophy say to someone with a degree in engineering?

Answer: "You want fries with that?"

AlexBP said:

It's a dirty little secret of the academic world that even among people who get a Ph.D., there no guarantee of getting a tenure-track job at a good university. This is especially true in the humanities and the social sciences. More and more of the teaching load in universities is getting shifted to non-tenured lecturers, while there are fewer and fewer positions matching what we traditionally think of as "professor".

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True.

Masters programs don't frequently pay you, but PhD programs do. Tuition waived, health insurance covered, and a modest stipend-- pretty sweet deal. Of course, your masochistic streak needs to be substantial enough to spend 5-7 years getting that degree. And acceptance rates for grad school are low (my cohort had 2.4% acceptance) and job prospects in academia are depressing. Also, it's so stressful and so, so much work. But if you passionately love philosophy (I do), it's worth it. I'm worrying about job prospects later.

Philosophy is good for graduate jobs which don't need a specific degree. Thinking about getting a masters if you enjoy it might be an idea because it is just a year more (well it is in England) but increases employability and potential pay a good amount considering it is just a year more. Plus it gives you a change to do Philosophy with another subject.

You could be a philosopher king, like Muammar Gaddafi. Don't let the pessimists around here sell you short.

Eudaimonist said:

Yeah, that's true.

"You don't know your money exists, so send it to me and I'll verify that. Nope, it doesn't exist. Thank you for your purchase."

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I'll try it some day.