Philosophy is central to a liberal education. It is also immensely practical. Many employers seek workers with a background in philosophy -- providing they also have the requisite technical skills. It is not difficult to see why:
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Philosophy majors as a group had a higher mean score on the GRE Verbal Section than students in any other major.
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Only philosophy majors were 5% or more above the mean on all the following tests:
- LSAT (law)
- GMAT (graduate management)
- GRE (Graduate Record Exam) Verbal
- CRE Quantitative. [For details ...]
Some philosophy majors go to graduate school in philosophy. Most, though, pursue careers in other fields: law, medicine, government, computer science, publishing, public administration, etc. -- any field which requires clear thinking.
More specifically, a major or minor in philosophy would be helpful in any of the following fields:
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BUSINESS: insurance, publishing, advertising, computer programming, consulting, investment banking, marketing, technical writing.
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GOVERNMENT: public administration, diplomacy, human services, intelligence, policy analysis.
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JOURNALISM: editing, free-lance writing, literary and film criticism.
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LAW: legal journalism, criminal justice, law practice, legal aid, legal research, paralegal assistance.
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MEDICINE: consulting, hospital administration, medical practice, nursing.
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THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES: private and public administration, theater production, creative writing.
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OTHER: education, administration, computer science, library administration.
Ideas adapted from a brochure by Daniel Kolak.