tarker12 Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 Hello hello to anyone that takes time out of their day to read this! I'm rather new to the forum and I am trying to get feedback on this question I have regarding education. I recently have taken great interest in philosophy and am considering getting a B.A. in philosophy. I just have no idea if I can acctually get a job with a B.A. in that field. What jobs are open to me if I were to pursue this goal? Thanks! -Jeremy
dsayers Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 Well, getting a BA in any field will certainly get you massive debt and a profound loss of your time. What area interests you? Philosophy has so many offshoots: math, physics, science, astronomy, etc.
tarker12 Posted January 17, 2014 Author Posted January 17, 2014 Haha, debt. I can't argue with that. I really love astronomy, electronics (computers and such) and philosophy. I have absolutely no idea what I can do or what degree I should get. My parents are paying for it so I won't be in debt thankfully. Thanks!
dsayers Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 10 years of persistent internet access would be cheaper for them, more beneficial to you, and is compatible with everything else you might choose to do in the meantime. Sorry, I'm not trying to be flippant with your topic. I noticed you approached the subject as if it's a given, so I wanted to make light in an attempt to encourage you to explore the possibilities. Maybe doing so, you'll find out it's not for you. Or maybe it'll help you better figure out what you're looking for. Just as you shouldn't get married to somebody you don't know (including if you do not know yourself), spending money when you don't know what it's for is irresponsible. More so if it's somebody else's money. So ask yourself why you want to go to college and work from there would be my advice.
ribuck Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 Well of course Stefan created a job in philosophy for himself, so it can be done. But usually the only job that follows a BA in Philosophy is teaching students who are studying for a BA in Philosophy. Astronomy and electronics, on the other hand, readily lead to satisfying and well-paying jobs. If you can stretch to astrophysics instead of just astronomy, even better.
tasmlab Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 Hello hello to anyone that takes time out of their day to read this! I'm rather new to the forum and I am trying to get feedback on this question I have regarding education. I recently have taken great interest in philosophy and am considering getting a B.A. in philosophy. I just have no idea if I can acctually get a job with a B.A. in that field. What jobs are open to me if I were to pursue this goal? Thanks! -Jeremy Nope. No jobs in philosophy except perhaps teaching. There was even a thread here where a philosophy student was wondering why his philosophy professor at his po-dunk midwestern state college had a Harvard PhD teaching the class and that's because that was the only job a PhD in philosophy can get. But two other considerations: - If you go to college to enjoy yourself, meet friends, chat with girls, learn how to drink beer, don't spend too much money etc., and just need a diploma to enter the job market, philosophy is just as valuable as any other nonsense degree such as english, communications, sociology, psych, anthropology, reading, acting, finger painting etc. It would at least show that you are awake and thinking. - I'm not a big fan of using what you really enjoy as a means to pay bills, because too often you'll have to screw one or both up to keep them the same. I.e., you will have to compromise your philosophy (say, teaching Plato and Decarte to disinterested undergrads) or screw up your money making ability (say, working at a college teaching philosophy) It'd be better to become an oil baron or something and then study the philosophy that you enjoy from your yacht.
tarker12 Posted January 18, 2014 Author Posted January 18, 2014 Sounds reasonable. In response to dsayers, the reason I want to go to college is that its easier to get a job with a degree. It sucks but it simply makes things easier and many jobs require them. So what about astronomy? What careers do you guys think I could get with an astronomy degree?
LovePrevails Posted January 18, 2014 Posted January 18, 2014 www.coursera.org lots of philosophy and philosophy-related courses on there, why not take some of them for a start and connect with other students and see how much you enjoy it?
tarker12 Posted January 21, 2014 Author Posted January 21, 2014 Ill look into that. What about astronomy? What can I do with a bachelors in astronomy?
ribuck Posted January 21, 2014 Posted January 21, 2014 What can I do with a bachelors in astronomy? With a BSc and an astronomy major, you can get a job in an observatory, a museum, or a planetarium. Or perhaps as an editor or consultant for science magazines, hollywood productions, etc. If you want to do pure-science research, you can continue beyond Bachelors and become an astronomy professor. If you can stretch yourself to a degree in astrophysics, lots of exciting well-paid jobs become available relating to spaceflight (communications satellites etc). The best jobs in this field go to those with more than a Bachelors.
tarker12 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Posted January 22, 2014 Hm, well at my college they offer a major in physics and I could do electives that are astronomy classes. Any idea if those are similar enough to use? A degree in astronomy and a degree in physics?
ribuck Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Yes, absolutely. In my part of the world we would do this as a BSc with a major in physics and a minor in astronomy. It's a versatile degree that leads to a wide range of solid careers.
LovePrevails Posted January 26, 2014 Posted January 26, 2014 there are basic courses on astronomy, physics, maths and other sciences there all teh time yeap, why not try before you buy?
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