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Philosophy Degrees

#22
I got my B.A. in Philosophy in 1993 along with a minor in Biology. I haven't seen any real direct applicability of the degree, only the use of critical thinking as some have said here. Also, simply having a college degree opens some doors. I have just earned my paralegal certificate and it seemed relatively easy, I'm sure the Philosophy studies prepared me well for this.
 
#23
I hold a B.A. in Philosophy from Stony Brook University. The education I received in Philosophy was life changing to the point I would say it was an emancipation of the mind from its previous slave indoctrination. I wish we taught more Philosophy to our young people during their secondary education.
 
#24
I have a Philosophy & Theology degree, to this day I think to myself why didn't I used all the effort and sweat and hundreds of books read to study something else. Not that I didn't loved the subject, but I have never done anything related to it. I ended up studying a MA in Management (and I can't believe how easy it was compared to my BA, and I did it in english, not my native tongue). After all this years I realize that I should have gone into be a Policeman but I own a car mechanics business. How about not having my life clear?:crying::D
 
#25
tova said:
I have a Philosophy & Theology degree, to this day I think to myself why didn't I used all the effort and sweat and hundreds of books read to study something else. Not that I didn't loved the subject, but I have never done anything related to it. I ended up studying a MA in Management (and I can't believe how easy it was compared to my BA, and I did it in english, not my native tongue). After all this years I realize that I should have gone into be a Policeman but I own a car mechanics business. How about not having my life clear?:crying::D
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meh, it's all good though. At the end of the day, you've got enough cash to afford housing, transportation, and bass gear, right?
 
#26
Mark Latimour said:
In the UK a classics degree (fine arts, philsophy, history) from a good university is generally regarded much more highly than a specialised degree in business fields. You will find many of the bankers, lawyers, politicians etc actually have a classics degree from Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews etc rather than something more specialised like commerce, economics, science etc. Obviously if you are going into a field that requires a specific degree (engineering) then you need to do that degree. However, I was quite shocked to find this in the UK because in Australia an arts degree isn't worth very much (if anything) in the business fields.
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Not true, in Australia arts degrees - along with most 'generalist' degrees - are well regarded by industry because of the generic analytical, writing, thinking etc skills they impart.
 
#33
Mark Latimour said:
That's not my experience. Fwiw I have both an arts degree and a law degree from an australian university.
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I've got a science degree and an arts degree from an Australian University, as well as a number of years experience recruiting graduates within the banking sector.

Until the late '90s, MBAs and law/commerce degrees were favoured by industry over most other disciplines. This has changed and generalist degrees - including Arts - are now equally valued.
 
#35
Part of being an adult is being allowed to make your own mistakes. Also, part of academic freedom is being able to study anything that you're interested in. A love for the subject matter is what dictates the choice of major. I don't know a single person who is using the math or physics that they learned in college, who isn't in love with those subjects for their own sake.

If colleges decide what subjects students should major in, it will just create "bubbles," as well as pressure to make the mandatory subjects easy enough for everybody to pass.
 
#36
A good friend has a philosophy degree from a renowned university here in the USA and has not been able to get any lucrative jobs. She's absolutely brilliant which is the sad thing. Some value logic and the ability to think critically, some see it as a dangerous thing.
 
#37
theNoseBleedKid said:
I don't think there are many fields that will teach you the type of critical thinking philosophy would encourage/train to you to use.

Seriously, if you can read 'Limited Inc.' by Derrida and be able to understand half of what he is writing you are an amazing person and an asset to the world.

Don't let people with comments about work dissuade you, there are always opportunities for intelligent, capable, well-rounded critical thinkers no matter what their background, and if your philosophy component is combined with physics or maths I think there would be plenty of opportunities out there.
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Derrida was my philosophy professor in college. He generously gave me a 'D' in his class, and still, to this day, I find myself thinking about some of the things we talked about in his class. Not sure I understood the rest of it. :D
 
#38
Texan said:
A good friend has a philosophy degree from a renowned university here in the USA and has not been able to get any lucrative jobs. She's absolutely brilliant which is the sad thing. Some value logic and the ability to think critically, some see it as a dangerous thing.
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Logic and critical thought have to be augmented by other abilities. Also, those skills are not the exclusive domain of philosophy. Virtually every field of study claims to teach critical thought.

Blaming the world for not rewarding her brilliance will get her nowhere, and may be part of the problem.
 

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