In both a university and world dominated by STEM and business, many people overlook the true value of majors like philosophy. Philosophy is deemed by many as a useless or impractical major; however, this is far from the truth.

Stephen Puryear, the interim head of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at NC State, said philosophy is “the best thing you can study to become a better thinker, and pretty much every job benefits from good thinking.”

While often dismissed as another useless major, a bachelor’s degree in philosophy has proven widely useful in a variety of fields.

Jessica Shepherd, a former news editor for The Guardian, wrote, “It is in the fields of finance, property development, health, social work and the nebulous category of business that those versed in Plato and Kant are most sought after.”

While unexpected, it makes sense major fields like these would seek out those with the skills a major in philosophy provides. The official NC State website for the Department of Philosophy provides an overview of the degree program, writing, “You’ll learn to think critically, constructively and independently about important issues in today’s world.”

Essentially, students in philosophy will not only become well-versed in the classical thought processes of major thinkers, such as Plato and Aristotle, but also learn how to critically think for themselves.

These skills taught by the philosophy department at NC State can be attributed to their focus on analytic philosophy, in which clear and precise arguments centered around formal logic and analysis of the terms, in which they are expressed, are stressed.

“I actually think [majoring in] philosophy is the best preparation for a legal career,” Puryear said. “Lawyers read and interpret legal documents. They make arguments. They raise objections to arguments. That’s exactly what we do in philosophy.”

Puryear also gave insight into what is likely the most surprising profession that students studying philosophy can go into: the tech sector, specifically programming and software development.

“Part of that’s due to our focus on logic,” Puryear said. “A programming language is … essentially a language and a logic for that language that tells you what the rules are that you have to follow.”

Puryear compared the practicality of philosophy to other disciplines.

“It’s not going to help you build something physical, in the way that engineering might,” Puryear said. “But that’s not the only way that something can be practical. And I actually think philosophy is extremely practical because it has to do with the way that we experience and understand the world around us.”

The way in which we experience and understand the world is extremely important. It shapes a person’s understanding of truth as well as who a person is in terms of their exposure to different situations and their environment. A person’s view of the world impacts the decisions they make, the people they interact with and much more. Philosophy teaches students how to interpret these views.

Being both a practical major and holding many employment opportunities outside of academia, it makes sense that philosophy holds the title of both the highest starting salary of any humanities major, and the highest percent increase between starting and mid-career salary.

The American Philosophical Association reveals that within six months of graduation, 77% of 2021 philosophy graduates had either found employment or were continuing their education.

Puryear also commented on how philosophy graduates can market their experience within the major more effectively.

“The best way to market themselves is to emphasize how their study of philosophy has helped them to become better thinkers, more creative thinkers, to think outside the box … [and] that philosophy hasn’t taught them what to think, but how to think,” Puryear said.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of students majoring in philosophy. Even as the workforce continues to seem dominated by STEM and business graduates, there is still space for the humanities, especially philosophy. By teaching students the methods to become better thinkers, philosophy departments at universities across the country are preparing students to go out into the workforce and set themselves apart from other graduates.

Learning skills like analytical thinking, logic and critical analysis are all crucial to the employability of a graduate in any field. Contrary to popular belief, philosophy is one of the best majors to teach you these skills.