The Untapped Potential Of Philosophy

By Dominic DeHoratius on November 17, 2015

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As I mentioned in my previous article, philosophy majors are, in my opinion, highly underrated when it comes to job potential. I have always argued that philosophy can act as a sort of Swiss army knife. This might sound like an odd analogy, but let me explain.

Not only does one obtain many practical skills (such as critical and abstract reasoning) from philosophical studies, but think about how many types of job fields one has the potential of going into as a philosophy major! From medicine and law, to social activism and business ventures, philosophy has far more to offer than many give it credit for. In fact, studies and statistics show that medical schools are accepting more philosophy majors than almost any other type of major (including biology).

I encourage every prospective philosophy major to research and investigate how it can help them in terms of job applications and graduate school, not only because this is a good form of research for one’s future, but because it is equally important to dispel false assumptions. This is why we cannot always rely on mainstream thinking in regards to how we will spend our time in college.

We live in a focused and perhaps even narrow minded country of how one should go about planning for one’s future. Whenever we read articles about what major one should choose, what are the arguments based on? ROI (return on investment) and aforementioned job potential (including how easy it might be to obtain a job, and the future of a particular field/discipline) are perhaps the most common factors/premises. The debate over whether this is a valid (or “right”) way to go about this difficult decision must be saved for another time, but I would argue that it’s important to be aware of the influence society can exert over us.

We must ask ourselves, “Are we making this decision? Or are we simply following the status quo, afraid to venture out”? In this case, many would write off philosophy as a dead end major with no real practical purpose outside academia. Yet research and statistics tell us that employers and graduate schools are accepting more philosophy majors than ever. The logical inconsistencies are there, but what do they mean if no one has such knowledge? This leads into my last point.

Colleges and universities are the platforms that can best educate students on the benefits of becoming a philosophy major, but it seems that said institutions are falling quite short in this regard. The only time anyone really discusses the issue is perhaps in an intro to philosophy class where the instructor or professor elaborates (or sells you on) what one can do with a degree in philosophy. This is simply not enough, and why I so strongly encourage you to do your own research and find the answers for yourself.

Hey, you’re already doing that with the biggest questions humanity has come across (do I exist? what is the meaning of life? etc), what’s a little research on your prospective job market?

Source:

http://www.onedayonejob.com/majors/philosophy/

 

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