What Can You Do With a Philosophy Degree Besides Law School?

[Universe_Man]

I found that someday I would really like to major in Philosophy, but it seems as though there are few careers for it. What can I do with a Philosophy degree?

 

[Universe_Man]

I could pursue a double major I suppose. I like Mathematics a lot.

 

[Universe_Man]

How much longer does it take to pursue a double major? I don't mind to take the time, but I'd like to know.

 

[Math Is Hard]

You could always become a wild and crazy guy
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/online/islands/images/martin.jpg
like this philosophy major.

oh, man, am I dating myself.

 

[selfAdjoint]

You could do what I did; major in math, which is going to take most of your time anyway, and do a minor in philosophy. There are such topics and careers as philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of science. You could also take a lot of history; the point here that math and philosophy give you a certain ivory tower view of people and the world, and popular culture is not deep enough properly to counter it. Nothing is better for that than a cool headed account of what people actually did, and how their different institutions interacted. Avoid sociology and psychology like the plague; those are good fields for some, but with your interests it would only distract you with findings that aren't strong enough to be called either math or philopsophy.

 

[loseyourname]

Having a philosophy degree is not the same as having a physics degree in the sense that it doesn't track you. It doesn't enable your entry into a decently-paying field of work. That doesn't mean it's useless. The ability to read through and comprehend dense texts, to write well and form convincing arguments, and to critically analyze the facts of a given situation are useful skills to have in any line of work. That isn't even to mention the ability to organize thoughts, conduct research, and give presentations and write proposals that you acquire from completing any degree. You won't get any job-specific training the way you will with a hard sciences degree, but that is true of almost field of study that isn't a hard science. All that means is that you'll need to work a little harder to get into a decent line of work right off the bat. It doesn't mean you need to major in a hard science to have any prospects for a decent career. Hell, Woody Allen and Steve Martin were philosophy majors. That's not to say you'll become one of them, but it's obviously enriched their respective senses of humor and helped them to be more insightful and intelligence writers and performers. It can do the same for you no matter what you do to earn a paycheck.

 

[pibomb]

I found that someday I would really like to major in Philosophy, but it seems as though there are few careers for it. What can I do with a Philosophy degree?

Depending on your interpretation of everything, you could argue, write books and essays, and pretty much make T.V. shows or online bloggs about your beliefs.

 

[AsianSensationK]

How much longer does it take to pursue a double major? I don't mind to take the time, but I'd like to know.

Because there isn't a large overlap between courses in disciplines like Mathematics and Philosophy, it will probably take you five years to finish. That should be more than adequate time to explore what college has to offer. If you really push it, I suppose you can finish in four, but you might miss out on some other interesting courses. A few course in accounting, finance, and economics are essential IMO, since it'll probably be one of the few opportunities you have in life to gain that kind of knowledge.

 

[PhilosophyofPhysics]

Double majoring sounds nice.

 

[AsianSensationK]

Hmmm...Forgot to mention.

A lot of philosophy majors go to law school. It's always an option, and let's face it. Philosophy is way better preparation for law than political science.