Skills Philosophers Learn

Studying philosophy helps you:

  • analyze arguments
  • argue cogently for your own positions
  • distinguish fine differences between views and find common ground
  • write clearly and persuasively
  • generate ideas and come up with solutions to problems
  • be open to new ideas and perspectives.

You also gain general transferable skills including:

  • the capacity for self-motivated study and thought
  • flexibility and creativity
  • the capacity to identify, absorb and sift complex information

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Further study

Some philosophy graduates go on to further study in philosophy. This could be with the intention of pursuing a career in higher education or simply due to their love of the subject, or both. Related areas of interest include politics, literature, ethics, law, religion, and sociology.

For careers in law, lecturing and teaching, you'll need further qualifications. In areas such as journalism and advertising, you may find a postgraduate qualification useful, but relevant work experience is essential. Research the careers that interest you to find out if you'll need further study.

Jobs for Philosopher Majors

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

 

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

Philosophy majors have become...

  • President of Morgan Stanley (Robert Greenhill)
  • Founder and Manager of a Hedge-fund (Don Brownstein)
  • Investor (George Soros)
  • CEO of Overstock.com (Patrick Byrne)
  • Supreme Court Justice (Stephen Breyer AND David Souter)
  • Mayor of Los Angeles (Richard Riordan)
  • US Secretary of Education (William Bennett)
  • Prime Minister of Canada (Paul Martin, Jr.)
  • Network Television Journalist (Stone Phillips)
  • Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author (Studs Terkel)
  • Host of an Iconic Game Show (Alex Trebek)
  • Co-founder of Wikipedia (Larry Sanger)
  • Comedian/Actor/Producer (Ricky Gervais)
  • Academy-Award Winning Filmmaker (Ethan Coen)
  • Four-star General in the US Army (Jack Keane)
  • Fighter in the French Resistance in WWII (Stephane Hessel)
  • Co-author of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (P.C. Chang AND Charles Malik)
  • Martyr to German Opposition to Nazism in WWII (Sophie Scholl)
  • Pope (John Paul II AND Benedict XVI)
  • Seminal Anthropologist (Claude Levi-Strauss)
  • Dean of the OCC Library (John Taylor)