The first thing to notice is that it is only your socialization that leads
you to think that majoring in philosophy needs any more justification than
choosing a major in history, English, sociology, political science, etc, etc. If,
for whatever reason, you are not drawn to a narrowly focused career-oriented
major, then philosophy can provide you with a first rate liberal arts education
as well as—if not better than—any major on campus. Training in philosophy provides you with:
These are incredibly valuable skills. They are valuable not
only to you personally; they are valuable to others too! This leads to the next question:
“OK, I will gain a lot by being a
philosophy major, but CAN I GET A JOB?”
To begin with you need to realize that there are two main tracks for any college student, no matter what their major. Once
you graduate you can:
As a practitioner of logic, I should take a moment to point
out that—strictly speaking—these choices are not exhaustive. For example, you could join the military or
the Peace Corps. You could help your
family, travel, or run off and become a hermit.
But for now, let's consider the two main options in order.
If you decide to enter the job market, you can approach this
in basically two ways. On the one hand, you can be apologetic about being a
philosophy major. For example, you can
go into your job interview and say something like:
I
suppose that you are wondering why I chose to be a philosophy major. Well, I'm
sorry about that. I know that I should have done something more practical.
Everyone told me that I'd regret it. But if you'd only give me a chance, I'm
sure you will soon see that I don't always make impractical self-indulgent
decisions.
On the other hand, you could be proud, concise, factual, and persuasive by
saying something like:
You
want to know why I majored in philosophy. Well, I thought about it like this. I
knew that someday I'd be competing for a job with a lot of other kids my age,
and--to be blunt about it--I wanted to give myself a competitive advantage.
Philosophy majors are special people. By majoring in philosophy, I have
acquired precisely the skills that you want most in an employee. I have
excellent critical thinking skills. I have learned how to think about problems
from a wide variety of perspectives. I can grasp and work creatively with many
divergent points of view. I can construct new and innovative solutions to
problems. I have also acquired a rich ethical perspective that is grounded in
caring about individual people and honoring basic principles. I have learned how to collaborate with others
and to seek win-win solutions. I can clearly articulate my thoughts both
verbally and in writing. I have all the skills that you could want in an
employee. Philosophy is a demanding major and my performance shows that I can
master difficult material. I believe that I have the skills that will allow me
to go through your training program and emerge as one of your best employees. I
have this confidence because I know that majoring in philosophy has given me a
competitive advantage over most of my classmates.
If you put yourself into their shoes and think about what most employers are
looking for, I'm sure you will agree that the student who gives an interview
something like the one directly above, will not suffer relative to his or her
classmates from having chosen to major in philosophy.
So what about the other option—graduate school? The first thing to realize here is that philosophy
is an ideal undergraduate major for
those who what to go either to law school or to divinity school. Furthermore, many
other fields and programs are happy to accept philosophy majors. Finally, going
to graduate school to study philosophy is also an exciting option. There are
many excellent career options available to students who have advanced degrees
in philosophy.
It is always difficult to strike out in an unfamiliar direction. But the intrinsic and practical appeal of
philosophy is worth your courage. Your
parents and others no doubt have your best interests at heart. But ultimately, you are the one who must live
your life. If you are deeply interested
in studying philosophy, then you should listen to yourself and go for it.
Dr.
Elon University Department of
Philosophy
For additional information, see:
http://www.apa.udel.edu/apa/publications/texts/major.html and
http://www.apa.udel.edu/apa/publications/texts/nonaintro.html