Am I fucking stupid for wanting to major in philosophy?
Do you come from a wealthy family that can support you for the rest of your life?
Dont worry, i dropped out of E.E. to economics so you're not the dumbest person.
You should probably major in something else and continue to take classes unless you very confident you can get a job. The most likely job is to get a class teaching philosophy which itself is highly unlikely given how few philosopher teachers are needed. If you can get into a prestigious school or setting than you can start publishing papers in scholarly philosophical journals. The ultimate end is to produce your own books which go onto shape the field but that's very rare.
There is no reason why you can't learn philosophy and get a degree that more likely to earn you a living. You can even publish philosophical work without a degree provided the work is actually good. Many big name philosophers had no diploma, Kierkegaard being one of them. The point of the classes is to provide an accelerated approach to learning and to provide you with professor that can mentor you, the degree itself is meaningless.
>>285188
Economics bachelor's degree holder here, it's not too bad bruh. I was able to get a job immediately upon graduating. The pay is meh ($45k/yr), but it's better than where OP will be with his philosophy degree. Also if you want to go to grad school in Econ your prospects for employment are even greater, also you can expect to make more.
I'm thinking about going back for my master's.
>>285176
I was a Double Latin/Classics Major with minors in History and Philosophy and I walked out of school with an 80k a year job. Ultimately undergrad degrees don't matter too much if you have a plan for later. As long as you don't turn into some idiot who gets too into the Philosophy kool-aid and can write/analyize well you'll find a job somewhere.
>>285246
>80k/yr job
Please tell me how. Did you go to a really good school?
>>285246
Whats jobs are there for a philosophy major?
>>285255
I went to one of the top schools in the southeast United States, I worked my ass off, and I made a good impression when I started doing interviews.
Now I do middle-management in logistics. Why? Because I can speak and write well and can do analysis way better than your average business major. It's not the degree that matters, it's the individual.
>>285176
Yes. The degree is worthless, read books and attend seminars without majoring in it.
You can major in philosophy as long as you do other stuff too. If you develop other skills or do internships or other activities to make yourself an attractive hire you can surely get a job or into a professional/grad school.
If you solely attend classes and get your degree you will be worse off than an engineer doing the same. But if you do a bunch of extra stuff and are well spoken and smart then that degree will only make you look better. If you're a shit that degree makes you look like an idiot.
>>285278
Nice, congratulations to you anon. I wish you luck in your career. Also I agree with what you say, hell my boss got a degree in sports management and now he's probably making pretty good.
>>285238
Thats reassuring. I wanted to do a math minor to see if it helps out for a master's but it will cost up to $3000 per class. I already have calc I and II so just three more classes.
>>285308
A math or statistics minor will help if you're wanting to go to grad school. I was one class short of a stats minor and a couple short of a math minor. It's my understanding that grad school is really math intensive.
>>285176
Somewhat. On one hand if you enjoy it and it helps you think and articulate without being a douche, it could be nice. On the other, I imagine you really have to sell yourself well to land a good job. Consider a double major if possible.
>>285270
>>285305
The secret of a Liberal Arts education is that it's meant to give you a mixed bag of skills to make you a complete person. Most Engineers I know are raging autists who can barely function outside of their fields; med majors are head cases.
I can walk into a room and generally be familiar enough with things to be able to speak confidently about it. Why? Because I learned about research, analysis, and preparation from my studies. I know how to write a well-thought argument for a position. I'm educated enough that I can drop references and quotes to sound smart. I'm varied enough that I can talk to my employees and my managers about different things in life.
99% of suceeding in the workforce is just putting forward those little efforts. I'm fucking tired of the Med/Engineer crowd preaching their gospel when I know engineers and med students who can't find a job because those fields are starting to get overcrowded. Or for engineers, that company cuts jobs because it can get outsourced to someone just as easily as an industrial worker. Meanwhile, I'm practically untouchable because I bring multiple assets to the table.
>>285345
Med student here. Studied history and molecular biology. Not risk of not finding a job because I don't live in LA or Boston. Literally every other market guarantees great employment and likely bonuses if not at a large hospital.
While you may be tired of STEM shitting on humanities, the opposite is just as true: "You can think critically" says a philosophy major, failing to realize chemistry requires very difficult problem solving in addition to all the often lauded (or hated) rote memorization.
I can also personally guarantee you no modern physician outside of maybe pathology or radiology will succeed without strong interpersonal communication - and yes I mean verbal as well.
>>285188
>admitting to be an EE apostate
It just fuels my master race boner.
>>285180
this
Either you are able to pull a Wittgenstein or do a boring major with better job prospects like everyone else
Major in math and do courses on logic and set theory and get a minor in philosophy
Also do some stats and such to get an actual job at some point
Philosophy majors score highest on the LSATs.
If you don't want to be a lawyer though, then yes it is quite stupid.
>>285394
Good luck. I couldnt handle the autism in my classes. You would make bank
>>285409
While I don't ignore this, consider that many LSAT-takers are business and political "science" majors. The lot tend to sort themselves out.
>>285411
Good luck to you too, m9. I hope I can get settled well in an EE job, and then spend my free time studying history.
I want to make enough to have a massive library.
It isn't stupid if you intend your college experience to be focused on education and learning about your personal interests
If you want college to be a job factory it's pretty stupid.
STEM autists have it the best because they can study something they are genuinely passionate about while also getting marketable skills.
>>285176
I have two friends who majored in philosophy and graduated in 2013.
One is in his third year of grad school for landscape architecture.
The other looked for work and did odd jobs for a year before getting a "global sustainability" masters? degree over the course of twelve months. He's been jobless and directionless since then and most recently has worked as a substitute teacher's assistant.
I think the biggest question is if you can do it without debt. If you're down to do something stupid and bohemian after school than whatever. If you need a steady job to pay off your loan though it would be wise to choose something marketable. Sucks that we all can't go to school for what we're passionate about but that's the US college system for ya.
>>285176
What's the difference between a pizza and a philosophy major? A pizza can feed a family of four.
>>285176
If you really love Philosophy then no. If you want to be competent at Philosophy then no. Very few people can manage to be good at Philosophy without a good philosophical education and all the work that comes with that. Just reading on your own won't cut it.
>>286053
You'll probably do OK, everyone needs accountants
>>286053
No you're fucked.
>>286053
Don't listen to these guys
>>286128
>>286381
The money is in big data, which economics mixed with math and stats is actually perfect for. Look for jobs in data science, risk management, etc. They make good money, especially if you have a masters. Also a masters in Econ opens you up to bigger research positions and shit. Government jobs, bank jobs, research jobs, teaching, etc.
People who shit on economics have no idea what they are talking about.
>>286435
>People who shit on economics have no idea what they are talking about.
>Economics as a subject field
Dohoho.
Just read Marx and be done with it.
Do what you want. If you're passionate enough about philosophy or preferably a specific area of philosophy, you could just go into academia.
>>286444
Marx is pure philosophy. Applied economics involves practical research and an actual understanding of math and statistics.
>>286462
You're like that guy who wants to be in the cool clique so shits on his friends but ends up having no one.
http://philosophy.unc.edu/undergraduate/the-major/why-major-in-philosophy/
phil is the highest paying lib arts major so there's that, but go double major and specialize. Critical thinking is great but being able to think critically about a specific field is greater.
>>286462
>marx
>pure philosophy
dis apologist tho
>>286581
Lots of Philosophy majors go on to be lawyers. Also it has a reputation for being hard (for some reason), so probably attracts smart people who would do well with any degree.
I graduated in philosophy in 1998. I work as a programmer, because it pays well and is super easy. At least, my degree wasn't completely unrelated, I did have to study logic and Turing machines.
Don't spend a bunch of your own money, otherwise you'll be fine.
