How popular is philosophy as a major?

College Majors
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<p>Whether or not majoring in philosophy is a good idea for someone depends on what that individual wants to get out of his/her college experience. If the goal is to end up with a career then maybe philosophy isn’t the best choice, although I don’t really think we can make general statements like “philosophy is always a bad idea.” It depends on the individual. </p>

<p>That’s from my perspective at least; I’m a sophomore Civil Engineering major with a career in mind. I’m considering a minor in philosophy for the “analytical skills,” what ever that is, but when it comes down to it I’m pretty sure employers are going to care more about the engineering degree.</p>

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<p>[Best</a> Undergrad College Degrees By Salary](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp]Best”>Common Jobs for Majors - College Salary Report)</p>

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<p>PoliSci is more employable? …yeah, by about a 1000 dollars.</p>

83

<p>As I said a couple times, this isn’t a Poli Sci V. Philosophy debate - I just offered it up as an alternative.</p>

<p>However, your list does show that there are MANY other majors that are more employable.</p>

<p>This is only a list of mid-career salaries. Mid-career is usually pretty equal across the board. But if you take Biology, Business and a couple other majors listed there, I bet you will see that the earning potential is much higher than the earning potential of a Poli Sci or Philosophy grad.</p>

<p>For example, a mid-career Poli Sci career is almost always going to be a government/non-profit related job. If you are a federal employee on the GS Scale, you are only able to earn so much - you’re capped. It’s not like business where you can earn as much as you generate or as much as your company (or some other company) will pay you. Typically, a mid-career professional would be a GS 7-11. Depending on your location, you could be a GS 11 and making the high end that is listed on that chart for Poli Sci.</p>

<p>However, it may be decent money - it never grows. You just get promoted through steps, and basically everyone, regardless of their job makes the same amount of money.</p>

<p>If you have a security clearance, which many federal employees have - you can jump into private contracting (Lockheed Martin, Boeing, BAE, General Dynamics) and make ALOT more money, well into 6 digits - you just need to put your time in government and gain your clearance.</p>

<p>However, a Business major really has no cap. Their earning potential never hits the ceiling, assuming they are willing to switch jobs, relocate, ect.</p>

<p>Same goes from a Communications, PR, Marketing, ect. They can keep earning in their field as long as their qualifications increase over time.</p>

<p>Biology and Microbiology have tons of opportunities in front of them, I assume over the long run they too would enjoy a much higher earning potential.</p>

<p>Also, that list doesn’t identify what jobs those majors pulled from. More than likely, the philosophy majors were academics, which would be a pretty accurate salary.</p>

<p>But I thank you for posting that chart - it proves my point accurately. If you look at what majors earn the best, the ones that provide a martketable skill (like the ones I’ve been repeating over and over again) are at the top of the list and Liberal Arts majors are at the bottom.</p>

<p>P.S. It’s obvious that that list didn’t factor in career placement. If so, Nursing (one of the fastest growing careers) would be much, much higher.</p>

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<p>From:
[PayScale</a> College Salary Report Methodology](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/salary-report.asp]PayScale”>College Salary Report Methodology | Payscale)</p>

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85

<p>Yea, but as I said - these are salaries for entry to mid-level professionals.</p>

<p>I think the overall earning potential of a bio major is much higher, let alone it has much better opportunities coming out of college.</p>

<p>Throw in the fact that this list only calculates careers with undergrad degree - it’s pretty pointless. A Bio major often goes on to get their master (research), or Med school - a pretty common track.</p>

<p>The two really aren’t comparable.</p>

86

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OK, but not nearly as much as you said the discrepancy would be. Besides, if you look at the trend, philosophy majors tend to catch up to other majors later in their career and even surpass many that started off with better starting salaries.</p>

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Completely false… Philosophy majors have less of a cap than most other majors. What makes you think that if philosophy majors have some of the biggest growth in salary from starting to mid salary that they all of a sudden get capped?</p>

<p>Your logic comes from the assumption that all philosophy majors go on into academia, which is just not true for the vast majority of philosophy and other liberal arts majors. You’re assuming that all majors are pre-professional and vocational and lead to one career path, which they are not.</p>

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Your point is refuted by the fact that many if not most (just like a bio major) philosophy majors go on to get graduate degrees in law, business, social science, research, and even med/pharma/dental.</p>

<p>Show some stats and facts to back your redundant claims up, otherwise there really isn’t much conviction in your endless rant.</p>

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<p>lol, you guys posted all the facts that are needed to prove my point.</p>

<p>Look at that list - Liberal Arts majors are all in the bottom 50%.</p>

<p>Philosophy is ranked 30th according to that study in terms of pay for mid-career professionals, which doesn’t even calculate job placement (which would is MUCH better for IT, Biology, Microbiology, Nursing, Business) which is a major factor in career earning.</p>

<p>After philosophy, the list is basically a collection of other useless majors.</p>

<p>So I’m not really sure why that listed was even posted, it completely proves my point that people are FAR better off majoring in something else.</p>

<p>There are 30 other majors ranked before it - which is how many majors some colleges offer, lol.</p>

<p>Philosophy Major = you want fries with that.</p>

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<p>Some more stats</p>

<p>Most common jobs for philosophy majors (where are the teachers? how come there are engineers and managers in the list? and why is the pay so high if the salary gets ‘‘capped’’?) [PayScale</a> - Bachelor of Arts (BA/AB), Philosophy Degree Salary, Average Salaries](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Arts_(BA%2FAB)%2C_Philosophy/Salary]PayScale”>http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Arts_(BA%2FAB)%2C_Philosophy/Salary)</p>

<p>Most common jobs for bio majors [PayScale</a> - Bachelor of Science (BS/BSc/SB), Biology Degree Salary, Average Salaries](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Science_(BS%2FBSc%2FSB)%2C_Biology/Salary]PayScale”>http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Science_(BS%2FBSc%2FSB)%2C_Biology/Salary)</p>

<p>Most common jobs for engineering majors [PayScale</a> - Master of Science (MS/MSc), Engineering Degree Salary, Average Salaries](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Master_of_Science_(MS%2FMSc)%2C_Engineering/Salary]PayScale”>http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Master_of_Science_(MS%2FMSc)%2C_Engineering/Salary)</p>

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<p>[Philosophy</a> Majors: Get a Job - BusinessWeek](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)</p>

<p>“The cruel irony is that the “losers” in 2009 are often the ones who, since they were in diapers, have been told they were the best and the brightest. Armed with self-confidence, stellar SAT scores, and ambition, they matriculated at some of the top colleges in the U.S., majoring in subjects like English, history, and philosophy.”</p>

<p>The article mentions the fact that in todays economy, employers are able to be picky. Remember that, because it’s important. If they are bringing someone on, it’s because they bring something to the table (skill). People with solid work experience are taking entry-level jobs to pay the bills, forcing new grads to find other alternative. If you are armed with a Philosophy Major, you are taking a knife to a gun fight.</p>

<p>A college degree IS NOT WHAT IT USE TO BE, it’s not longer about “just getting a degree”, or “employers don’t care what your degree is in, as long as you have.” Not anymore, a BA/BS is basically a pre-req, nothing more. Everyone has a degree now. People can go online and get them in a couple years for a low price. A Bachelors has been severely de-valued.</p>

<p>Do yourself a favor and prepare yourself for the workforce - the way the workforce wants you to be, not vice-versa.</p>

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<p>[PayScale</a> - Bachelor of Arts (BA/AB), Philosophy Degree Salary, Average Salaries](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Arts_(BA%2FAB)%2C_Philosophy/Salary]PayScale”>http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Arts_(BA%2FAB)%2C_Philosophy/Salary)</p>

<p>It looks like some Philosophy majors realized that they couldn’t find a decent job and went and got their JD or went back to school for software engineering and IT, lol. They would have just been better off majoring in those programs to begin with, huh? </p>

<p>BTW, the other chart (Bio) shows a much greater salary distrubition across the board, and don’t require a graduate retrain themselves - which appears to be the case in philosophy, at least according to your chart.</p>

<p>P.S. You may wish to start posting information that actually supports your argument, because it’s beginning to feel like you are just trying to help me out - thanks!</p>

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<p>lol, you’re obviously a ■■■■■. How much more immature and obtuse can someone out of college with a job in their mid-late twenties be?</p>

<p>The stats refute everything YOU have said. Yeah, so philosophy majors aren’t at the top of the starting salary list but no one ever said they would be. The only majors that far surpass philosophy in salary are engineering and CS (and not be the amount that you keep saying), we’re right with most of the sciences and business majors and other liberal arts majors, and we are ahead of nursing, advertising/PR and many other pre-professional majors. We have the choice of many jobs across a broad spectrum of salaries and work/life balance. The people who choose philosophy probably aren’t absolutely sure what they want to do out of college but they know that they enjoy the topic and it offers many openings providing you seek out some experience in the field etc.</p>

<p>Anyways, you can keep ■■■■■■■■ now. Sensible people will look at the stats and take them for what they are, your rants and immature comments have been shown to be exactly that: rants and highly immature opinionated comments. </p>

<p>Have a good day.</p>

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<p>I don’t understand why you keep referring to the stats, all they do is make your argument look bad.</p>

<p>They show that a philosophy major is going to put you behind everyone else (it was ranked 30th, followed by a long line of useless liberal arts majors).</p>

<p>Nursing may not have huge salaries, but there are a few important things not calculated. 1) A Nurse can find a job ANYWHERE, quickly! 2) Job security - again, they are in need, 3) Nurses usually have jobs lined up prior to graduation, 4) Most hospitals will pay for nurses to return to school, 5) They are hired out of college with SIGNING BONUSES (my wife got $10,000 sign on bonus), 6) They have a very good entry-level salary (wife started at $60,000, plus her sign on bonus and they are paying for her school to become an anestiologist which = big money. Plus she gets extra pay because she is a certified lactation consultant and is eligible for traveling nursing, which pays about $60,000 plus LIVING EXPENSES! She’s only 26, I doubt philosophy majors are being offered packages like that.</p>

<p>Now, if you are telling me that philosophy majors are recruited at the same extent (hired before they graduation, sign on bonuses, free education) you are an outright liar.</p>

<p>Sure, her earning potential may get capped, but she’s been at that rate since she was 21. So by the time a philosophy major is starting to make similiar money when they are 33, the nurse has been pulling it in for 12 years. So do you see the difference?</p>

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<p>So, to sum up the progression of your argument:</p>

<p>“Philosophy is useless.”
*Reasons and stats given that prove otherwise
“Political science is vastly more useful than philosophy.”
*Reasons and stats given that prove otherwise
“Nursing is a way better major than philosophy.”</p>

<p>No one ever said philosophy was a vocational major. Begone, ■■■■■. Get off this board and the Pitt board, as your facts are blatantly wrong.</p>

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<p>Nursing is a way better major than philosophy, period.</p>

<p>I do think Poli Sci is better than philosophy, because it prepares you for a specific carer - government.</p>

<p>Philosophy is useless.</p>

<p>The only thing that your “stats” have proved is that philosophy majors get mediocre pay with no pathway to the workforce.</p>

<p>In fact, the the stats provided by Xbtboy showed that the only way Philosophy majors seem to make good money is if they go back to school for a different program.</p>

<p>Begone, my nerdy friend.</p>

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<p>Nursing is great if you’re into biology and working with patients. What if you’re not?</p>

<p>What if you aren’t interested by business?</p>

<p>What if you’re not into engineering?</p>

<p>It’s all subjective. If you happen to like philosophy a whole lot, then you major in it. You work your ass off applying for jobs post-undergrad. Or you go to law school. OR you go to grad school for philosophy or another liberal arts discipline. Don’t talk anyone down for not taking the easy way out…which is majoring in something practical.</p>

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<p>There is some great logic - don’t do what is practical, do what is impractical.</p>

<p>That will take you far in life! Whenever faced with a decision, just do the most impractical thing you can think of, because that takes ummm, er - stupidity?</p>

<p>LOL, what an awesome decision making model. I can see CEO’s across the country using it in the board meetings. “Gentlemen, we are in a crisis, we have many resonsible and practical solutions at hand. But, what we really need is a philosophy major to give us an impractical solution. Because impractical solutions are always the best ones!”</p>

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<p>If you had taken language courses, you’d have understood that he’s referring to the term practical as it relates to jobs; ie engineering, nursing, etc. Not the definition of the word ‘practical.’ I guess they don’t teach language analysis in political science.</p>

<p>Nor would a philosophy major have impractical solutions; quite the opposite, in fact, considering that logic is a major part of analytical philosophy (the school of thought most strongly represented in academia).</p>

<p>Nonetheless, the point is beyond you. Some people actually have goals and dreams in life beyond “get X job to buy Y car and live in Z house, rinse and repeat down the family tree.” Most people who major in philosophy do so because it’s a passionate interest to them, not because it gets them a “well-paying job.”</p>

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<p>Cool,</p>

<p>Maybe they can create a major for Playstation 3, people seem to have a passion for that. </p>

<p>Passion doesn’t = practical.</p>

<p>I have a buddy who has a passion to play the piano, but he didn’t major in Music. He was an Architecture major and makes a good living as an Architect. Because the thing is, you can follow your passion regardless - you don’t need to major in it.</p>

<p>Besides, what happens after 4 years and you graduate and you don’t have your “passion” anymore? Is someone going to pay you to study philosophy your whole life? Not bloody likely. So then what? Are you only going to work jobs you have “passion” for?</p>

<p>Reality is gonna hit you like a ton of bricks.</p>

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<p>LOL, your arguments are getting hilarious.</p>

<p>This is how it’s gone so far,

  1. you already have your own opinion set in stone and mention it (no problem with that).
  2. you then read opposing arguments and read it, however you fail to comprehend what he wrote and interpret another persons words in your own twisted way that complies with your original opinion.
  3. you then go on to make a point that has close to no relativity to the original discussion, until some guy goes out to prove why you are wrong along with facts.
  4. you then misinterpret facts and arguments in a way that once again complies with your indestructible opinion and then since it went a bit off topic you mention your original opinion that was already disproved.
  5. People once again prove you wrong and the cycle repeats.</p>
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<p>What facts?</p>

<p>He posted a list of majors, Philosophy was 30th, followed by a long list of other useless degrees. So how did that prove anything, other than my point?</p>

<p>If you think it’s smart to ignore “practicality” when preparing for your future, be my guest.</p>