Besides giving you a balanced and excellent liberal education, a Philosophy degree's best recommendation is that it trains the mind. A Philosophy major acquires sophisticated skills that are always in demand and can be applied to any field.

Philosophy majors become adept at extracting the main points from difficult material, following arguments, and thinking questions through. They learn to analyze and solve problems, considering them from many points of view and assessing the pros and cons of different proposals. Thinking logically and reasoning soundly are skills that are valuable in any pursuit.

Philosophy majors must learn to express themselves clearly and persuasively. Studying philosophy means gaining skills in writing and verbal communication. Philosophy involves making decisions and then justifying one's position in a clear, logical, and compelling way. The argumentation skills involved in Philosophy can be applied to any subject.

Philosophy majors gain proficiency at conducting investigations of many sorts. They learn to ask the right questions, and to develop and assess methods and standards for answering those questions. Philosophy teaches one to solve problems using careful but innovative techniques and to base one's conclusions on reliable evidence.

An important thing to note about these skills is that they are basic skills that can help in any field. They are what marketers call "transferable" skills: they can be applied to many kinds of tasks and problems. They make it easier to take on new challenges and responsibilities, cope with change, and move into new positions and careers. In times when employers, the economy, and personal circumstances change rapidly, this can be very important. (The current estimate is that you can expect to hold 10 to 12 jobs in three to five different fields in your lifetime!)

Statistics show that Philosophy majors gain skills that show up on a variety of standardized tests.

• On the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT), Philosophy majors rank third highest in performance, ahead of Political Science or Pre-Law majors.
• On the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Philosophy majors rank first on the verbal section, second on the analytic, and higher on the quantitative than any other humanities or social sciences majors.
• On the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), Philosophy majors rank second highest, ahead of all types of Business majors.

Since Philosophy provides an education rather than specific job training, majors in Philosophy can go on to do just about anything. However, there is no particular job that a Philosophy degree gives one an automatic entry into. If your primary interest is in having a major that will provide you with technical training for a career, you probably shouldn't major in Philosophy. However, if you are interested in gaining good basic skills and developing a potential for advancement and success in many fields, Philosophy may be for you.

Academic careers in social sciences, humanities, law, medicine, religion, mathematics, business, and the physical sciences

Teaching

Law practice

Medical practice

Business, management and administration

Computer science

Public relations

Writing and journalism

Consulting

Government

Social work

Library work

Ministry

Systems analysis

Criminal justice

Physical sciences

To put your degree to work for you after graduation, you have to start planning your overall college experience now. Philosophy will give you rare and valuable skills, but if you want to put these skills to work in a field, then you should start preparing yourself to enter that field. You can do this by carefully choosing your general education coursework, your minor or second major, your jobs or internships while in college, and so on. Think now about your long-term goals, and choose your activities in and out of school to help you reach those goals.

This is a very different question from "What can I do with a Philosophy degree?". The answer to the first question directs you to the professions or graduate education. The answer to the second question refers to the intrinsic value of philosophy. A degree in Philosophy is a sign that you have invested wisely in yourself by gaining a solid education and cultivating a love of learning. You have to approach your study of Philosophy in that spirit if you hope to reap its rewards.

• You are attracted by the challenge of grappling with issues that have been studied by some of the greatest thinkers of every age
• You are excited rather than put off by the prospect of studying questions without answers that can be looked up or found in data
• You are interested in finding correct answers to these difficult questions, or finding fundamental truths
• Alternatively, you just enjoy "doing philosophy" and get pleasure out of just analyzing difficult problems
• You enjoy critical assessment and the development of arguments
• You like thinking about different ways to deal with issues and problems
• You enjoy grappling with problems through discussion
• You can't help but ask "why?"

Links to helpful web sites - these are sites from all kinds of Philosophy Departments and other sources. They offer tons of advice, information and statistical data about the benefits of studying Philosophy. Don't let the titles fool you: many of these offer interestingly different insights and data.

http://www.philosophy.ubc.ca/faculty/irvine/iftu.htm - "Why Study Philosophy?"

www.muohio.edu/~phlcwis/jobs.html - "Vocational Opportunities for Philosophy Majors"

www.muohio.edu/~phlcwis/uses.html - "The 'Uses' of Philosophy"

www-phil.tamu.edu/Philosophy/Undergrad/why_major.html - "Why Major in Philosophy?"

phil-www.tamu.edu/Undergrad/what_philosophers_do.html - "What Do Philosophy Majors Do?"

www.uindy.edu/~prel/nyt.htm - New York Times article: "Philosophers Find the Degree Pays Off in Life and in Work"

www.wlu.ca/~wwwphil/studyphl/leoinv5.htm - "How Does Philosophy Relate to My Career?"

www.philosophy.ilstu.edu/whatcani.htm - "What Can You Do with a Philosophy Degree?"

www.virginia.edu/~philos/undoverview.html - "Majoring in Philosophy"

www.phil.unt.edu/philtalk.htm - "Why Study Philosophy?"

www.csus.edu/phil/whyphil.htm - "Why Major in Philosophy?"

www-phil.tamu.edu/Philosophy/Undergrad/why_major.html - "Why Major in Philosophy?"

www.yorku.ca/dept/Philo/index.html - "Why Major in Philosophy?"

www.virginia.edu/~philos/undoverview.html - "Majoring in Philosophy"

www.cmsu.edu/englphil/pmajor.html - "Why Major in Philosophy?"

www.phil.unt.edu/philtalk.htm - "Why Study Philosophy?"

www.philosophy.eku.edu/why.htm - "Why Study Philosophy?"

www.earlham.edu/~peters/philinks.htm#jobs - "Philosophy Jobs" (MANY links!)

http://web.phil.ufl.edu/ugrad/ugcrhbk.html - "Career Handbook for Philosophy Majors"

For more information, contact me