WE’VE ALL HEARD THE JOKES ABOUT PHILOSOPHY MAJORS AND THEIR PERCEIVED LACK OF JOB SKILLS. One example: How do you get a philosophy major off your porch? Answer: Pay for your pizza. While the joke is humorous (unless you’re a philosophy student or professional), the message it conveys is not true. A bachelor’s degree in philosophy provides good preparation for careers in government and politics, activism, business, academia, religion, writing, news and journalism, and arts and entertainment. Many well-known people have degrees in philosophy, including Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn; Tamara Keith, journalist and National Public Radio White House correspondent; Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and presidential candidate; Emmanuel Macron, president of France; Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Flickr; Lana Del Rey, singer-songwriter; Phil Jackson, former NBA coach; Kazuo Ishiguro, Nobel Prize-winning author; and Jesús López-Cobos, conductor emeritus of the Cincinnati Symphony. To learn more about the benefits of pursuing a degree in philosophy and potential career paths for philosophy majors, I talked with Amy E. Ferrer, the Executive Director of The American Philosophical Association (APA).
Q. What is one thing young people may not know about a career in philosophy?
A. There is no one particular career in philosophy. Whether you want to be a professor, a CEO, an artist, a writer, a politician, or just about anything else, philosophy is great preparation.
Q. What advice would you give to young people who are considering majoring in philosophy, but who worry that a degree in philosophy may not prepare them effectively for the workforce?
A. My advice: don’t worry about that! Philosophy students are very well prepared for the workforce. Philosophy teaches skills that employers value–critical thinking, analysis, effective written and verbal communication, problem-solving, moral and ethical reasoning, and more. And don’t just take my word for it: there have been a number of news articles in recent years pointing out that philosophy and other humanities majors are successful and sought-after in the business and technology sectors, for example. For those planning to go on to graduate school, philosophy is a particularly good major, as philosophy majors consistently outperform nearly all other majors on graduate entrance exams such as the GRE and LSAT.
And the skills philosophy teaches are especially valuable in today’s workforce because they prepare you to adapt to changing circumstances. Many people now have not just one career, but several, over the course of a lifetime, and philosophy gives you the tools you need to excel right out of school and throughout your working life.
Q. What is the job outlook for philosophy majors?
A. Philosophy majors are quite successful. In fact, philosophy ties with mathematics for the highest percentage increase from starting to mid-career salary for degree holders. And because students of philosophy have learned such versatile and valuable skills, they can succeed in any field they pursue.
Contact the American Philosophical Association to learn more about education and careers in philosophy. Additionally, check out the following websites for more information:
Copyright, Andrew Morkes, College & Career Press