Is there any money in Philosophy???

Question

Ive thought about majoring in Philosophy but is there any real money in there? Like what could you be? A professional philosopher?

...........and no I would not just be in it for the money. Just curious

Answer 1

The answers I'm seeing here make me laugh. The spelling issues alone are really something. Anyway...I originally took philosophy as a minor to Poliltical Science but then went to History as a minor instead. The truth is I dropped it because I felt it was just too hard and the studying involved was so time-consuming I didn't have time for any of my other classes. I graduated with a 4.0 and normally have little trouble with most any subject, so I feel this is saying something.

If you wanted to major in Philosophy and just run with your BA rather than going on to grad school you are somewhat limited. You could teach in public school if you also worked on a teaching degree concurently. If you wanted to go to grad school after your BA you might consider an MA in history, english, art, biology as in bio-ethics or something similar, law, social work, political science, i.e government studies, or even journalism, and I'm sure there would be others that would work well with a BA in philosophy - particularly the majors offered in Arts and Sciences.

You aren't going to go to college just to be able to earn a living - this is paramount - of course, but you also need to be studying something that truly interests you. If you find you love philosophy there are many ways to make it work for you as a vocation. Most people don't even really know what they want to major in when they are Freshmen, and a large number of people think they do but then change majors when they get a taste of something interesting to them from taking classes.

Take the introductory philosophy course (101) and see if you really like it and if it's what you thought it would be. Good luck!

Answer 2

If you get a PhD in philosophy you can basically work for anyone with that amount of analysis. I don't care if it's financial, think tank, organizing, managerial-- that's a cream of the crop thinker.

And if you're successful being a paid lecturer is probably one of the most rewarding jobs. It's not just the **** 40k salary you get, it's all the benefits of living in a community, being on campus, having lots of free time to develop your theories, Office with a window and a sofa. It's plush.

Not to mention be able to directly affect so many people, and learn everything about the world, and have access to so many other great minds.

Which can be a problem as well -- since philosophy then gets wrapped up in the apparatus of the college, and students study to fill the job openings -- bioethics comes to mind. What made you fascinated in the first place may not be of interest. So you end up a specialist with a trade to perform for an audience. You become a librarian with a complicated view no undergrad can debunk.It's a highly regimented form of study, steeped in peer reviews and extensive literature. Precision is highly emphasized. It's not possible to really influence philosophy outside academia.

So there's alot of pressure and poisoning of wells. But successful philosophers really love what they do, and it's not simply charity that they end up with the life they do.

Answer 3

I have a BA in philosophy from UVM. The only way to make money in philosophy is to be a philosopher, which will require you to get your PHD, become a professor, teach and write for other academics. Philosophers are not all dead by the time they are appreciated, there are many respected philosophers out there today teaching and writing and making a career out of it.

I just liked philosophy and had free tuition because a parent worked at UVM. The small classes were great. Now I work for a large multinational maintaining tools which make semiconductors. I WAS planning on continuing on to be a professor, but by the time I graduated I decided I did not want to be a "professional student" for the rest of my life.

You don't use A BA in philosophy for anything in particular, you use it as a way of looking at everything. It opens your mind instead of narrowing it and will change how you look at and solve problems though out your life.

Answer 4

No. Money is found in banks and the pockets of college graduates that did not major in Philosophy.

Answer 5

Well, sure. Many self-help books are a form of pop-philosophy, and there's definitely money in those.

Now my question to you: Is there any philosophy in money?

Answer 6

I am a phil major, and no, there is NO money in it. Unless you decide to go to graduate school and teach at a private college... that's about it.

I am a phil major because I love it, it keeps me going, and I am extremely motivated by it. All I need is a piece of paper saying that I completed school, that is all jobs really care about. Not many people go on to do what their degree says.

It is a fulfilling major. It is enlightening.

Answer 7

I took my little AA in philosophy, but when I got to working on my BA, I absolutely hated predicate logic. That class made me so miserable that I switched to Linguistics, and now I am a high school English teacher. And just so you know, there is DEFINITELY no money in that.

Answer 8

Basically, no it is the search for "truth" and way's to think about life. All the great philosophers were dead a long time before they were recognized. There is a good job in politics if you get this and another degree say in international affairs ....

Answer 9

Almost every undergraduate who majors in philosophy is considering it pre-law. So yes, there is money in it. Go from there to law school and there is potentially quite a lot of money in it.

Answer 10

Sure there can be money in philosophy. Ayn Rand made plenty of dough.