I’m fascinated by philosophy, but due to its limited career application, would it be a good idea to take it as a minor and major in something a little more practical? To be a little more detailed, I’m thinking about either Journalism, Politics/Gov, or Planning (city/urban, community, regional), would either of those pair particularly well with philosophy? Thanks for your help!
Philosophy teaches logic like math, but in the context of human beings, and it addresses morality and the big questions of life. So I think one or more courses in it will better most people regardless of major.
It depends on what your goals for receiving a college education are. If you are seeking to become educated, learn how to reason, argue persuasively, think more critically, write well, and gain a greater understanding of the human condition, philosophy will do that for you. If you are looking for practical skills with which to enter a job market with just an undergraduate degree and no further education or training, it might not be the best choice.
Thanks to both of you, do you think it pairs better with one of the majors than the others?
No.
Also, you can get a job post-college with a major in philosophy and no further education or training. I know a couple people with a BA in philosophy who are gainfully employed.
I see a lot of people trying to plan out double majors that have some special kind of synergy. Humans are endlessly creative, and we can find ways to blend anything with anything. To that end, philosophy can influence journalism or political science/government or a planning major in a variety of ways. People have blended philosophy with all kinds of other studies - biology, computer science, psychology, etc.