Love Philosophy? Build Your Career Without the Degree

There’s a bit in That’s 70’s Show where one character says “I’ve decided to major in philosophy.” Another responds, “That’s good because they just opened up that big philosophy factory in green bay.”

If you’ve expressed interest in studying philosophy you’ve likely run into jokes like this. Philosophy is considered a useless subject, less important than those practical topics like engineering or mathematics. This push back is amplified if you love philosophy and are skeptical of universities. If you can’t work a philosophy job within academia what’s even the point?

There’s a problem with this thinking. Philosophy is actually quite important. It’s the exploration of ideas that drives activism and changes nations. Constitutions are written by philosophers, not chemists. If you’re still unconvinced I have a challenge for you. Without using philosophical thinking, explain why someone shouldn’t study philosophy. I suspect you can’t. Once we’ve entered into the realm of “why” and “should” we start doing philosophy. It’s an area of study self-evidently worthwhile.

Now suppose you’re convinced that philosophy is what you want to do, but you’re uncertain about universities. That’s good. There’s great reasons to be skeptical of higher education. Students often acquire debt that burden’s their career journey for decades. Many universities have a bias towards some philosophies while actively discriminating against others. Maybe most importantly, alternatives like Praxis are making their mark. Competition is lowering the value of a college degree. It’s hard to see university as the obvious path for most people beyond the careers that legally require it.

This leaves philosophy nerds in an awkward position. Is studying ideas still worth it outside the academy? Can you even “work in philosophy” without a degree? The answer to these questions is a very firm yes.

Philosophical thinking is an inescapable part of life and work. We use it for small decisions like who to spend time with on the weekends and big decisions like choosing to report someone to HR for misconduct. Philosophers like Nietzsche can teach us to find strength and meaning when we fail in life. Philosophers like Aristotle encourage us to think about our happiness and goals. Studying logic can help you be a better coder, studying ethics can show you how to treat your co-workers, and even a general overview of philosophy can make conversation with clients and customers more interesting.

How about working in philosophy without a degree? A philosophy job doesn’t have to mean teaching ideas to university students. Arguably most people study philosophy through YouTube videos and web articles. You don’t need a degree to produce this type of content. You can build a serious intellectual brand by just putting your ideas out there. Look at the example of Steve Patterson. He’s a philosopher outside of academia. He has published a book on epistemology and his podcasts regularly get over ten thousand listens on YouTube alone. He did this through treating his work like an entrepreneur. He built a brand from the ground up, he marketed himself by connecting with other philosophically minded people and engaging public debates. You could do this too.

Work in this space isn’t just limited to educators. Philosophers build brands that need helpers at all levels. They need editors to review their content, they need assistants to help them secure speaker slots, and even web developers to build their sites. Philosophy is an industry like any other. All the standard roles you see in other industries are just as applicable. In fact there are large organizations and companies that operate in this space. The Institute for Humane Studies is a personal favorite. I worked there for 2 years managing relationships with intellectuals and helping them organize programs. I do not have a college degree, but was accepted into this community because of my intense curiosity. This gave me an opportunity to work directly with philosophers and engage their research. In some sense, I got paid to read philosophy books. Really a dream come true.

Philosophy is important. Maybe too important to leave up to the academics. If you want to explore ideas or work with philosophers you don’t need a degree. Produce the content and see what happens. Become friends with the thinkers you like and find ways to help them promote their work. There’s a whole industry out there eager for your talent. You just got to go for it.