
There’s a kind of beautiful madness to philosophy. It’s like a wild dog that shows up on your doorstep, gnawing on your shoe and scratching at your brain until you can’t help but take it in.
You never chose it, but once it’s there, you can’t get rid of it. It doesn’t make you rich, but it makes sure you’re not wasting your time. Not in the long run, anyway.
You never really choose philosophy. It chooses you. It’s a lot like that girlfriend you had back in college—she was quiet, mysterious, and you never quite understood her.
But you couldn’t shake her off, no matter how hard you tried. And you know what? You didn’t mind. Philosophy’s the same way. It lures you in with questions and leaves you wondering if you’ve lost your mind or found your soul.
The Road to Nowhere… and Everywhere
Philosophy is the degree that takes you everywhere and nowhere all at once.
You think it’s going to get you somewhere, maybe even get you a nice corner office with a view, but then you realize that it’s not about the destination.
It’s about the wandering, the questions, the constant search for something just beyond reach.
You’re probably sitting there thinking, “Okay, so what the hell do you actually do with a philosophy degree?”
The short answer is: Whatever the hell you want. Some of us end up stuck in ivory towers—teaching, researching, scribbling papers no one reads.
Others wander the streets of academia, chasing the next thought, the next big question. But most of us?
We get real jobs. The kind where you don’t have to wear tweed jackets or speak Latin.
I’ll be honest. When I got my philosophy degree, I had no idea what I was doing. I mean, who does?
But here’s the thing—they don’t teach you in school that the real value in philosophy is the thinking. The questions. The fact that your mind never quite stops racing.
You don’t become the next Kant or Nietzsche (unless you get really lucky), but you become something more important: a person who isn’t afraid to ask the big questions.
Explaining It to a Kid
Alright, imagine you’ve got this really awesome toy that you love playing with. But then one day, you start wondering, “Why do I like this toy? What makes it fun?”
And then you start asking other questions: “Why do toys even exist? Why do I play with things? What does it mean to have fun?”
Suddenly, you’ve got a million questions in your head, and none of them have easy answers.
Philosophy is like that. It’s when you start asking all the “Why?” and “What if?” questions about everything around you.
Some people spend their whole lives thinking about these things.
Some make careers out of it. And while it may not make you a billionaire, it sure does make life a lot more interesting.
So, philosophy is like a treasure hunt. You’re not always going to find gold or jewels, but you sure as hell might find a lot of really cool stuff that no one else is looking for.
The Possibilities of a Philosophy Degree
A philosophy degree doesn’t have to be just a piece of paper you hang on your wall.
It’s a tool, like a Swiss army knife for your brain. And when you learn how to use it, there’s a world of opportunities out there.
The possibilities are:
Career Path | Description | Philosophy Skill Applied |
---|---|---|
Academia (Professor/Researcher) | You could teach the next generation of confused students, ask all the “Why?” questions, and never really solve them. | Critical thinking, argumentation, research, writing |
Writer/Author | You can write books, essays, or even start a blog about how nothing makes sense. | Creativity, analysis, problem-solving, communication |
Ethicist (Law/Medicine) | Help businesses, hospitals, or legal teams figure out the “right” thing to do in tricky situations. | Ethics, decision-making, moral reasoning |
Public Speaker/Consultant | You could get paid to stand up in front of people and ramble about life’s big questions. | Persuasion, communication, understanding human nature |
Tech/Software Engineering | Philosophy majors actually end up coding sometimes—logic is key to programming. | Logical reasoning, problem-solving, abstract thinking |
Politics/Activism | Use your philosophical training to change the world (or at least sound really smart while trying). | Critical thinking, ethics, public speaking, logic |
Business/Entrepreneur | Start your own business or dive into corporate strategy with your unparalleled analytical skills. | Strategy, analysis, leadership, negotiation |
Entertainment (Hollywood) | You may not be the next director, but you can help develop the intellectual angles in films, TV, or comedy. | Cultural criticism, creativity, abstract thinking |
No Bullshit: The Cold Hard Truth About Philosophy
But let’s cut the crap.
At the end of the day, philosophy isn’t practical. Period. Not in the way coding is, or the way plumbing is, or welding, or any of those trades that have people walking out the door at the end of the day with a paycheck that makes sense.
Hell, you can’t walk into a job interview with “Philosopher” on your resume and expect to get a real offer—unless you’re applying to a coffee shop and you’re looking to impress the barista.
Philosophy? It’s a luxury degree, plain and simple. It’s the thing you get to study if you’ve got the time, the freedom, and—let’s be honest—the financial stability to do so.
You study the big questions, sure, but you don’t have to be starving to think about existence, meaning, or the nature of the self.
If you want to pay the bills and avoid dying on the streets, philosophy’s not your golden ticket. It’s a mental gym, a way to stretch your brain, but it won’t put food on the table unless you can hustle your way into the right niche.
Now, don’t get me wrong. You can always do philosophy. It can be a side gig, a nice little supplement to something else you’re doing, something more practical, like an architecture degree or a business degree or—hell—maybe even a medical degree.
You don’t need to make philosophy your main hustle to get the benefit of it. It’s a bonus. Something to add flavor to whatever else you’re doing. Think of it as the hot sauce on your plate of life—it’ll kick up the flavor, but you’re not eating it for the hot sauce.
And let’s not forget: Philosophy is one of the most practical humanitarian degrees out there. If you want to understand the human condition, society, and the ethical dilemmas that drive everything from politics to the workplace, philosophy’s where it’s at.
We need people who’ve read their Kant, their Nietzsche, their Socrates—because these people help us think about the things that really matter.
What’s fair? What’s just? What does it mean to live a good life?
Hell, a lot of times, it’s philosophy that helps us untangle the mess we’re all living in.
But—and here’s where it gets real—don’t ever get yourself into debt for a philosophy degree, especially if you live in a country where higher education comes with a price tag.
Don’t you dare. Don’t put yourself in a hole that you’ll be digging out of for years just to pay for some degree that, honestly, might just leave you with a mountain of student loans and no clear way to climb out.
If you’re going to drop cash on education, you better have a damn good reason. And if you’re going down the philosophy road, make sure it’s because you want to, not because you’re trying to impress some professor with a top-tier degree or living out some intellectual fantasy that’ll never pay your rent.
If you want practical—look at coding. Look at the trades. Look at anything where you’re guaranteed a job at the end of the tunnel.
But philosophy? Philosophy’s the kind of thing you do because you need it. Not because you should do it, not because it’s going to make you rich.
It’s something you study because it helps you make sense of the world—or at least make better sense of how messed up it is. And if you’re smart, you’ll balance it with something that keeps the lights on.
So, do it. But know what you’re getting into. Philosophy might teach you to think better, but it’s not going to buy you a house. Just don’t get caught up in the romantic idea of it all. You’re not going to get rich off pondering the meaning of life. You’re going to get smart. And that’s worth something, but it won’t pay your bills.
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