Jobs for the Major

Jobs for the Major

How this major affects a job search

The future of a philosophy grad is always kind of up in the air. Sure, you can head straight to the work force with stellar grades and good recommendations from your profs, but it doesn't mean much when there are thousands of others just like you.

Until you get to a point in your career where you've done your time, paid your dues, and memorized everyone's coffee orders, you are vulnerable to termination due to poor performance, layoffs or disciplinary problems. So do whatever you can to hang on until you get yourself there. Then, you can perform poorly and display a lack of respect toward your minions to your heart's content. (We're kidding. Sort of.)

The truth is that there are no pre-packed jobs waiting for philosophy grads after college. Often, they continue on to graduate school to become professors or…something completely different.

Our advice? Get started on that decision early. You don't want to be the college graduate who answers the "What are you going to do after college?" question with a blank stare.

Don't despair, though. The skills you pick up while learning how to analyze life itself will (probably) be useful no matter what kind of job you get. In fact, they might even be marketable.

Common Career Fields

Criminal justice system. Given that the justice system is a massive government organization, philosophy majors usually do quite well at understanding how it works, when it works, and why it fails (when it fails). Philosophy grads also do well in the justice system because they can identify the social conditions that might influence people to commit crimes. They philosophize, you might say. Yep, they're good at that.

Journalism. Philosophy majors tend to see the world in a different, more interesting way because of all the reading and pondering they do. Sure, they might come off as a little arrogant at parties, starting a conversation by quoting Nietzsche and all, but you secretly wish you were that deep. Unsurprisingly, this is why a lot of philosophy majors go into journalism after college. They get to use their stellar writing skills and efficient work pace they picked up in college. Plus, they don't just think about what's going on around the world; they get paid to write about it, too.

Lawyers. (Requires a law degree.) Philosophy majors think a lot. They're familiar with all the most well-known perspectives and philosophies of life and can probably tell you about five different ways to interpret the human soul. A lot of philosophy majors also have to take a formal logic class, which includes a lot of formal semantics. Basically, what words you use are important in terms of evoking an emotion or image from, say, a jury or judge, and philosophy majors tend to be very good with words. They already have the makings of really good lawyers, which is why going to law school is a good option for them.

Politics. A lot of philosophy majors head to Washington after graduating. There, they get into politics by either writing public policy, or advising on it. Philosophy grads have a lot to say about employment, housing, agriculture, education, public finance, need we go on? No? Are you su—okay… It's a natural fit for them to work as senators, representatives, and even presidents. Their degree has given them the training they need to understand politics and navigate the waters at Washington.

Professor. (Requires a Master's degree or Ph.D.) A typical university professor teaches just a few courses—sometimes out of textbooks that they themselves wrote—and focus on areas that they studied and fell in love with as teens, so there isn't a lot of homework to do, per se. However, they are highly encouraged to write. "Publish or perish" is the refrain from the dean. So they research and hire their best graduate students to help them write their next book. Pretty cool…so long as you love doing that stuff.

You will likely be surrounded by spongy minds, hungry to learn in a positive, growth-oriented climate. Dreaming about the future is the default for any conversation. It's about as opposite as you can get to the brutish, whiny, stressed climate of hedge fund managers around Wall Street who make a ton of money but generally lead miserable lifestyles.

Psychologist. (Requires a Ph.D.) You've just spent a bunch of time thinking about people and how they relate to the world. Why not listen to their problems directly? Psychologists go to a college or university for five to seven years to earn their doctorate degree. Those who focus on research earn a PhD, while those who want to treat patients can earn either a PhD. or a Psy.D. It can be deceiving because you'd be putting in a lot of years in school, earning a doctorate, and adding a very doctor-y sounding suffix to your name, but no one is going to let you operate on somebody's spleen. As much as you may want to.

Sociologist. (Requires a Master's degree or Ph.D.) As an "official" sociologist, you will get to do research with government organizations, NGOs (non-government organizations), and consulting firms. This research, if you're lucky, will address society-wide questions. If you're really lucky, you might even get the results of your research published in a journal…that later college students will study, and your name will live on forever and ever.

Current unemployment of the major

4%

Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college

53%

Stats obtained from this source.