<p>I'm a philosophy major, and I absolutely love it. I've been most interested so far in philosophy related to ethics, morality, responsibility and law. I thought maybe I'd want to go to law school, but I feel like I'm not quite the person for that. I'm not a competitive person, so I feel like I wouldn't do well in a competitive field such as law, or even the competitive environment I've been reading that law school is. I'm not totally letting the possibility drop -- I'm taking a few legal studies classes next semester -- but it just doesn't feel right. </p>
<p>So maybe I want to be a philosophy professor? I'd love to do research for the rest of my life on a subject that I love and to interact with students, work closely with people, and impart knowledge. I'm also attracted to the fact that in philosophy phd programs, there is an emphasis placed on foreign languages. I love languages and I think it would be fun to use them as part of my job. I'd get a little down time in the summers if I wasn't teaching summer classes, so I could be with my family. I see negatives of a constant pressure to publish (although, I'd assume the level of pressure there depends on what school you work at) and that everything you do is for the school, so maybe a lessened level of independence than in other jobs, but I think that those negatives are certainly outweighed by the positives above.</p>
<p>My dad lived on extremely little money for a while, and is, as a result, very concerned about the money his kids will end up making, especially with the state that the economy is in now. If I tell him I want to be a philosophy professor, he'll flip, while if I tell him I want to be a lawyer, he'll be elated, even if it doesn't seem like that's the path best suited for me. </p>
<p>But then I don't know if I'm romantisizing the idea of being a professor. I've heard that getting into phd programs is extremely competitive, let alone getting actual tenured positions. All the tenured faculty at all the schools I looked at when I was looking for a college went to the best philosophy programs in the country. I feel like I'd have to go to one of the few very top graduate schools even to get looked at; that scares me. Also, I did science research internships every summer of high school and felt that I was set for college with a resume that showed that I wasn't just sitting on my butt doing nothing during the summer. If I pursued law, I could show that through legal internships, (which I haven't been able to get so far) but if I were to pursue the path that one pursues to get a phd in philosophy, I don't know, are there philosophy professor internships? (lol) I guess I'm not fully aware as to what a philosophy professor path is yet. I definitely plan on talking to professors once I return to school for the semester, but I'm a fan of instant gratification, and was thinking maybe I could get some preliminary thoughts from you guys.</p>
<p>I could just get summer jobs at target or something, but I feel like I'd want to be doing something I was actually excited about, which I think would be something related to a future career. I thought for a while, with my interest in languages, of maybe doing something like a Middlebury summer language camp thing, but they're extremely expensive! I don't know really where else to look in terms of things I might be interested to do with my summers. I participate in crisis counseling at school, and I thought about doing a summer related thing in that, but couldn't really find anything that college students could do. Also, if I fill my summers with lots of counseling related things, doesn't that look weird if I don't want to go into counseling as a career? Maybe not, I don't know.</p>
<p>I've read on these forums that for phd programs, extracurriculars don't matter and really what's significant is research. Is it possible to do philosophy research in the summers? I plan on doing a senior thesis, and I'm really excited about that, but is there anything that maybe I could do before that that anyone can think of?</p>
<p>I've always had an instinct to go against the whole idea of "marrying rich" and hoping to find a guy who makes a lot of money and being able to live off his income and do what I love even if it doesn't make much. I guess I'm a bit of a feminist. But I feel like if I were a philosophy professor, that's what I'd have to do. A number of our family friends are professors, and, in my experience, they don't make much. </p>
<p>I guess I'm just confused, and looking for some thoughts. I'm anticipating a few comments about how I need to stop worrying and enjoy college and then worry about the real world. I recognize that, and just because I'm thinking about my future and what some of my possible career prospects are, and what's best for me, doesn't mean I'm not enjoying college. It's been a blast so far.</p>
<p>I've read the wisdom of many on these forums, and I thought maybe some of you could post opinions. </p>
<p>Thanks</p>