Some of us have at least one degree and have not directly supported ourselves by "doing philosophy" but have been able with a philosophical background to translate the many skills learned sitting at her feet into rather well-paying jobs.

Just wondering but how much can you earn per year on average?

Welcome! Your not quite new with 51 posts.

A degree in philosophy should be looked at if you want to educate and thus your salary would reflect your educational level, background and so forth.

I have to agree with jgweed's comment as well. An education in philosophy can be used and applied to anything you do. Just understand that philosophy as it pertains to education is usually more of a history of philosophy and an understanding of philosophers. Thus, it's simply book knowledge. It's my understanding that Philosophy goes way beyond books and what we can learn in a school setting.

If you really want an education in philosophy, it can be found on the Internet in forums such as this and ebooks and many other resources. If you aren't specifically looking towards being an educator on Philosophy, it's always more efficient to learn what you need for those that have the education and are willing to share it with you.

I still consider myself new because I've only got 1 thanyou from someone.

There continues to be a steady demand in many fields for people skilled in analysis, able to read critically, and to write with some degree of precision. An understanding of logic and how systems work in an architectonic manner, for example and to be specific, seems a good "fit" for many IT positions. Again, the training in looking at problems critically and from more than one perspective is certainly important in any business environment.
Cheers,
John

I have a degree in philosophy. Suffice to say that it all depends on what you want to do with it. I can tell you my particular thoughts on the degree, but those thoughts may not be what others agree with.

First, remember that a philosophy degree in itself is not particularly useful in terms of the job market. To be sure, a philosophy degree exercises your mind to think abstractly and understand deeper notions than the average person. But then again, the average person can come to the same understanding through different means than a four year degree. So, you can philosophize even without a degree in philosophy. That much has to be said.

A philosophy degree is useful (arguably) when it is combined with useful minors. If you are unfamiliar with the major/minor thing, this is a brief intro. When you go to university, you will have to pick a particular major. Depending on this major, you will have between 127 to 137 hours to complete. So say you want a philosophy degree. You will have 127 hours to complete your degree (fulfilled by 2,3, and 4 credit courses.) About half of your degree hours will be philosophy classes. The rest of your degree is filled with core education requirements (basically what the university considers a well rounded education) and electives (random classes you want to take). Now you have about 40 credit hours of free space. With that free space, you can a) pursue another major, or b) pursue another minor.

That second major or minor/s will determine what you do with your philosophy degree. Now, say you wanted to teach philosophy. No major or minor, just more philosophy classes. You would take more advanced philosophy courses within those 40 credits of free space as well as English courses and mathematics courses. This will prepare you for the GMAT (masters admissions test). Now, there is a trick to this as well. You can take masters course as an undergraduate, etc. I can elaborate if you want to take this route.

Say you wanted to go to medical school. You would not need a minor as so much as you would need the basic requirements in order to take the MCAT (medical admissions test) or the DAT (dental admissions test). You would need to take Biology I and II, Chemistry I and II, Calculus (not required but needed), Physics I and II, and Organic Chemistry I and II. I also hear that histology is a good thing to have for the test.

For law school, get a minor in law, for business, get a minor in business, etc.

I guess you can guess at what I am getting at. A philosophy degree is a wild card degree. It is a super garnish for professional schools. But it is not to be done alone. It is basically a single degree that requires two or more degrees to go anywhere. I have personally had the appreciation for the mystical nature of philosophy sucked out of me, and have replaced it with a very systematic and serious account of it. Beware that this may happen to you too. Don't maintain any allusions of a philosophy degree. It will help you think abstractly, but it wont get you paid in most instances... unless you are really sharp. Personally, if you want to really utilize the things you learn in philosophy in your work, you may consider going into the law. I can say it will be a very interesting occupation.

So I won't get a degree in philosophy in order to make a living then.

I have a degree in Philosophy. But VidCorSpoon got it right on the button:

First, remember that a philosophy degree in itself is not particularly useful in terms of the job market.
----- Yep, you need to have a graduate level degree if you only have a Bachelors

A philosophy degree is useful (arguably) when it is combined with useful minors.
----- Hey, forget minor; get a Dual Degree or Double Major. I have a Honours in Philosophy and a Major in Computer Science; got a sweet ass job with a development studio who gets orders from Electronic Arts

What if you wanted to go into something like in the chemistry or pschiatry fields. Then would the combination with a philosophy degree be useful.

For chemistry no, for psychiatry yes. Chemistry relies more on the college of science and technology, where as the psychiatry is with the same liberal arts college (in most universities).

Are you considering being a chemist or a psychologist?

Hey don't discourage the kid, Philosophy goes with anything.
Chemistry, Biology and Physics go well with Philosophy of Science

Sorry, I don't mean to be discouraging. But I'm giving information that, if I had it, would have made my life a heck of a lot easier. Just giving the question a serious response.

What happened? You had mismatched majors?

Probably pshychiatry or pshychology than because I won't be able to afford a PHD

Victor,Astrotheological,

I guess the question will be whether or not you want to practice psychology as a profession. I can say that psychology is a very enjoyable subject. The good news with that is that a lot of classes required for psychology coincide with philosophy. There were a lot of psychology students in my philosophy classes.

More good news is that if you want to go into the professional field of psychology or psychiatry, you can gear your classes towards that Ph.D. or masters while in your undergraduate career. On the fact that you may not be able to afford the Ph.D., that's not the case. I know that in philosophy, when you go for a Ph.D (and masters) the school actually pays you if you get a fellowship. I think the same may apply to psychology and psychiatry programs.

So are you a lawyer now?

Well, what can I say; you need to know what you want to do with your life; *cough*existentialism*cough*, in order to make plans. But Philosophy is always good. You can use it as electives; take philosophy courses geared to your future profession e.g Phil of Law, Biomedical Ethics, Philosophy of Physics, etc.

I had a fascination with Tonka trucks when I was little as well--especially the back hoe--and thought my future would be digging in the dirt. Little did I realize that in the future I would actually work as a back hoe operator and front end loader operator for a few summers as a granite miner between semesters. Needless to say, it was some of the most horribly boring jobs one can do. I separated stones and moved piles of dirt just like I was younger but on a much larger scale. Good thing my life goals and tastes changed since the days digging holes in the ground because what was once my dream uas a child had become a form of torture.