Philosophy and Careers:
Can philosophy help?

There are many reasons for choosing to study philosophy at degree level: enjoyment, personal development, career change or progression are some of the reasons given by Open University students. Some people might be surprised by the last one: a qualification in philosophy, after all, is not required for any job, other than teaching philosophy in further or higher education. This is something it shares with many other Arts subjects. But like other Arts subjects it valued by employers. The study of philosophy fosters skills in analytical thinking and clear communication that are useful in a wide variety of careers. Graduates who have studied philosophy may go on to careers in the law, business analysis, administration, or software design, to name just a few.

What skills can I develop by studying philosophy?

The philosophy programme offered by the Open University is intended to foster a variety of skills, many of which will be of value in a range of careers. They include the following:

Cognitive skills:

1. The ability to think logically;
2. The ability to extract a philosophical argument from a prose text, analyse and evaluate it;
3. The ability to understand and evaluate secondary literature (including commentary in some recorded audio format)
4. The ability to formulate your own views about the problems discussed;
5. The ability to plan and execute philosophical writing at the appropriate level, including the ability to organise a number of arguments and counter-arguments into a coherent essay
6. The ability to understand and evaluate primary source texts in a philosophical manner.
7. The ability to conceive, research and write an extended project (at fourth level and above).

Key Skills

(a) Communication

1. The ability to communicate effectively by means of appropriate academic forms, e.g. the essay;
2. The ability to read and synthesise substantial amounts of material.

(b) Learning how to learn (Improving your own performance)

1. Knowing how to study a complex subject;
2. Knowing how to study and learn independently;
3. Knowing how to seek and use feedback from a tutor, and through self-assessment activity, to improve performance in the academic context;
4. Knowing how to learn from a variety of different media and different teaching methods;
5. Knowing how to reflect on the learning process and evidence of progress.

Practical and/or Professional Skills

1. The ability to understand the logical structure of complex and controversial problems, with an understanding of the major strategies reasoning designed to solve these problems;
2. The ability to read carefully and interpret texts drawn from a variety of historical periods and/or traditions with a sensitivity to context;
3. The ability to judge the success of arguments;
4. The ability to recognise textually-based arguments and subject their structure to rigorous assessment;
5. The ability to use and understand some specialised philosophical terminology;
6. The ability to employ detailed argument to support or criticise generalisations about the relevant subject-matter;
7. Readiness to view unfamiliar ideas with an open mind and a willingness to change one's mind when appropriate.

How can I get more information about careers with philosophy?

The Open University careers service offers careers information, advice and guidance to all its students. There are useful links on this site to further information on graduate careers and recruitment and vacancy sites. The site outlines how to assess yourself in planning your career and how to apply for jobs as a mature student. It highlights the kinds of skills that OU students can gain through study and those that are highly valued by graduate employers. To find out more, visit the Careers Service website at www.open.ac.uk/careers/

The Higer Education Academy have also produced a detailed 'employability guide'. Follow this link to download the guide.