<p>Is it worth it to get a pursue a major in Philosophy?? I was thinking of going into law school after UGrad, 95% sure, and I was debating to take Philosophy or a different business major at UTexas.</p>
<p>My brother/parents/otehr advisiors said Phil. is a waste of time and to just do business because they're inter-related...</p>
<p>What do you guys think I should do, and whats wrong with being a philosophy major?</p>
<p>Philosophy majors are virtually unemployable except for maybe teaching positions. If you intend to go into law school, why not spend your four years learning something relevent to your career? Consider Pre-Law or even Criminal Justice. Business would be a great combination with a law degree as well.</p>
<p>Actually, philosophy is relevant to a great number of career choices, which is probably why they have the best admit rates into med school, and have a lot of pre-business or pre-law students. Philosophy will teach you how to think, write, argue rationally/critically, etc etc etc. What job doesn't want you to have that?
Nice try though, alanstewart.</p>
<p>Gotta agree with Icarus here, but really, it depends on your goals and ideas about what college is <em>for</em>. Some people (more and more these days) think that a college degree is a professional training program, and college should prepare you for a specific career path. If one agrees with that, then one assesses majors based on how well they lead to a job. Electrical Engineering? Good. Education? Good. Philosophy? Not so good. </p>
<p>On the other hand, there are people who take the more traditional view, that college is about making you a better person, and an educated person prepared to be a good citizen and human being. That's much of the 'Liberal Arts' philosophy -- education to make you the best human being you can be. Programs and people that think that way tend to be more interested in the life skills -- thinking critically, being aware and involved, etc. In that mindset, an EE degree that teaches nothing but how to be an electrical engineer is not as desireable as a more generalized Liberal Arts field, or something like Philosophy. </p>
<p>The good news is, there are more and more employers looking for well-rounded candidates who know how to think, how to problem solve, and how to <em>learn</em>. A strong liberal arts candidate can find as many open doors as a strong technical/pre-professional candidate. </p>
<p>As Icarus said, Philosophy is a fine major for a Pre-Law student, and won't give you any problems. Certainly, I think it will better prepare you than a business degree, unless you're planning on going into business law.</p>
<p>Philosophy, like almost any other major, is fine for later admission to law school and actually provides some of the thinking and writing skills needed. Nevertheless, you must get admitted to law school and that is not guaranteed by any means. If all you end up with is a 4 year degree in philosophy and rejections from law schools, you will likely face difficulty finding gainful employment. Though it may be incorrect to say you would be "virtually unemployable," it is also incorrect to believe that a lot of employers will "want to have that."</p>
<p>Well college should be a time to gain formal vocational training as well as a time to expand your mindest and mental capacity. Should you take full advantage of it (as many choose to), you don't need a four year formal education on how to think and analyze arguments. With the proper effort most people obtain a functional degree at universities while gaining many of the skills that Philosophy majors spend (waste?) their money to get. The idea of going through college, paying tens of thousands of dollars (that most likely aren't yours - especially if you're going to be a Philosophy major) without gaining any real, tangible abilities - frankly is foolish and impractical.</p>
<p>I hope the OP doesn't listen to this:</p>
<p>"Philosophy majors are virtually unemployable except for maybe teaching positions. If you intend to go into law school, why not spend your four years learning something relevent to your career? Consider Pre-Law or even Criminal Justice. Business would be a great combination with a law degree as well."</p>
<p>There are so many things wrong with that post that I won't even bother. Just pretend it isn't there.</p>
<p>So UGrad Philosophy is actually a pretty damn good major if you've got a reallyl good shot at getting into a tier one law school??</p>
<p>do you guys think its better to take Philosophy or Business if i want to become a lawyer, possibly starting in coroporate law?</p>
<p>jpps... i agree with you.... Pre-law and crim justice is absolutely one of the worst "investments" there are in college. I think the person who posted that should be hung... You don't deserve to think if you criticize a major, yet have no prior knowledge upon what you speak of.</p>
<p>I have seventy-some-odd years on this rock... while I'm here I'd prefer to pursue the innumerable prime truths of this universe, rather than learn to put a satellite into orbit or tame a wieldy atom. These are earthly skills. Specialized abilities. And like they say - "specialization is for insects".</p>
<p>Philosophy is at the root of all knowing. I can think of nothing more important in this life, college years or beyond.</p>
<p>Whatever, you guys can ponder the universe while I'm making my first million. I'm done with this thread.</p>
<p>"Philosophy majors are virtually unemployable except for maybe teaching positions. If you intend to go into law school, why not spend your four years learning something relevent to your career? Consider Pre-Law or even Criminal Justice. Business would be a great combination with a law degree as well.".</p>
<p>Pre-law isn't a major</p>
<p>Alanstewart = Certified Idiot</p>
<p>Philosophy doesn't involve the Buddha-style cogitation that many people (for who knows what reason) associate with the field. It's about reasoning, which can be inordinately complex and trying but also incredibly useful. A firm grasp of rhetoric and logic is very helpful to a lawyer, and the writing and analysis you do also come in useful. A large part of philosophy is analyzing arguments and finding flaws in the logic- an essential skill for a lawyer. Depending on the university, the philosophy department may offer courses about ethics or public policy, which are also quite useful. </p>
<p>Of course, business courses would be helpful as well. I would certainly take some classes in it, but you don't need to major in it if you don't want to.</p>
<p>It's really not worth giving those idiotic comments serious treatment.</p>
<p>Its not that you're an idiot.... you just don't know what you're talking about big guy...</p>
<p>I still love you though :)</p>
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<p>With philosophy, you can do things like become an ethicist... although I personally would really hate that job.</p>
<p>Either way, I don't think anybody's going to pay you to "ponder the mysteries of the universe" or anything like that.</p>
<p>Seriously, please don't listen to alanstewart - he has no clue what he's talking about. I would love to hear about what he considers a "functional degree". If he thinks he's going to be "making his first million" with an undergrad degree, he's deluding himself.</p>
<p>Try doing a goggle on </p>
<p>"philosophy major" careers</p>