anyone in here with a graduate degree

and available to share advice with me? Maybe via PM or a chat client or something? I’m trying to figure out my options after a 4 year philosophy degree and having some difficulty with getting it all straight in my head.

What do you want to do?

Teach philosophy, but I’ve been advised that the market is exceptionally tight and that even if I do really well in graduate school, it might still be years before I even get an interview. Another option would be to go for a masters in philosophy and find some “real” job, or to get a masters in social work (easy 2 year degree).

I’ve got a Masters by research, you can certainly feel free to drop me a PM.

Captain, you should sell cars.

Congrats on the years of effort, but I’m suprised you had to be advised on the market. I mean, didn’t you know that going into it?

know what? that I wouldn’t be the only guy out for a job?

What I didn’t know is that 100 people have applied to take my current advisor’s job now that he’s retiring, and only three are getting interviewed. Maybe 35 even had a PhD.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obTNwPJvOI8[/youtube]

I am tutoring one who just went through making decisions over several Online Master Degree programs (which she stubbornly dragged me through even though I told her a million times I didn’t know- she insisted I know every damn detail in the decision process), it’s important to make sure your college your choosing is accredited, if you have any intention on getting a PH.D later on. It’s easy to get loans apparently, too fucking easy if anything.

Only problem is, that’s not going to get you inside of a college as a assistant professor. Writing provocative books and knowing the philosophy department of a university, and making known your available is. Easiest way to do that is to… well, develope deep, perferably unique ideas… set them up in that book under terms where it’s seen you can teach them to students (for me, a great idea isn’t truthworthy unless I can figure out how to deliver it in a way that’s easily digestible, 90 percent of philosophy is in the way it’s transmitted), and hang out in places where philosophy professors hang out. In San Francisco I had easy, easy access to the guys from Berkeley and Sanford, as well as the local universities. It’s 90 percent of the reason why I can’t any longer respect them, once it occured to me how low the standards actually were. It’s all about getting them to know you, and making sure your on their shortlist.

I’ve done research assistant work before as well. That gets your name on people’s studies… and teaches you how grants work. Now the funny thing is… I never even bothered to finish my college… but I am surrounded by nothing but know-how as to how to get into one. It’s just not worth it in all honesty. The tenure process is ugly and brutal, and North Korea has a more egalitarian merit system in my opinion. Your stuck saying repetitive bullshit to students year after year. Shit… there are a few advantages, I got a class in Cincinnati to watch Idiocracy as part of their inclass study material- which I giggle about often… but the professors are also weeded out due to reasons of paranoia and hysteria… if your a male professor, and you get a bad comment from a female student who thinks you hate her because she has a vagina, instead of you just targeting her for laziness or not picking up on the context of the discussion, your gonna find yourself unemployed very fast.

Plain and simple, I do not recommend teaching in a university. If your pathetic enough to go after a masters degree, most people I know did it online, or traveled across two states twice a year for short test taking and classes. I personally am more focused on making a contribution to my society and philosophy than wanting to waste my time in such a massive money scam… it has pyrimid scheme written all over it, but hell, everyone is doing it and apparently it makes average to dumb people feel entitled and very good about themselves. If they can’t get a job in their selected field, the problem isn’t their own… it’s the wrongness of the capitalist system and the president has to fix it, and make certain they get jobs and also that they don’t have to pay their student loans. The whole system just encourages mundane paracites to bitch and whine and increase the debt.

If you just want a job, jobs are available. Plenty of employers are willing to higher silly fucking people to do meanial pointless tasks… with decent pay, mostly to justify having middle management so they don’t have to downsize and actually work themselves. Yes… a diploma mill and a little self study can get you there just as easily- actually a lot more easily, but such a existence is disturbing to me… fuck cubicals. But so many people love that sort of shit these days. Just sit at a dest with a stape and a computer screen, and your troll doll… and do nothing for 40 years. If your lucky, you’ll retire and they will throw out your lifes work. That’s some sweet shit there… definately helped out humanity there, and explored your unique potential as a thinker. I would rather be held as prisoner by the Taliban however, fully knowing I’ll eventually just get beheaded. Honestly, fuck cubicals.

I just saw smears post above… the link… it’s good.

Hey man, good luck and all. Slim pickings.

I was english major. I wanted to write a best seller. I did not expect the english degree to help me write what sells, so I dropped out. I figured I could I write the thing on my own (would have to anyway). The same way a philospher might by taking books out of the library. Maybe I’m jealous you graduated.

I don’t know if I can help. I had the job first, and then got the masters degree to make more money. It really paid off too.

With a philosophy degree, I suspect you need to make connections in the field and publish something really impressive and avant garde, leading the field in new directions. Think and study and research big and wide, out of the box, so to speak.

Contra you’re saying my name at the end of your posts to see if I really control+f.

You’re sick dude.

What does control + f do?

find.

I’m considering going back into Law, despite my rabid hatred for our justice system. Social work is still an option but I don’t think I could make any money doing it.

Sigh

I really don’t think you know what average means. At any rate over the last few weeks the idea of trying to teach at the university level has gotten less attractive, not because I wouldn’t like it (I’ve been a TA and enjoyed teaching undergrads just fine) but because it seems ridiculously unlikely to work out in this economy unless we get more funding for education, and given that in 4 years time we’ll probably have some suave republican cunt in office it won’t change any time soon.

I’m already a social worker, so if I just want a job I’ll do that. Doesn’t really satisfy my curiosity but I’m starting to think that philosophy can only be done on the side.

Some other options I’m looking at include Law, Medical Ethics (idk how to turn that into money), Human Resource Management, and getting a masters in philosophy and going from there.

Pav, I don’t read posts over 500 words, and usually only every 3rd or 4th word of each post that I do read. But because I’m an egomaniac, when I open a page I search it for my name. Contra always puts my name more than 500 words down into those books he writes because he thinks I wont see what he’s saying.

Captain, another video for you. I like this one even more. You should go to jdunderground

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMvARy0lBLE[/youtube]

I’m not a former med major, I have a philosophy degree. Over 3.5 GPA in major related studies or whatever. Took tons of law courses and all that, gotten the As and such. Philosophy of Law too, for what that’s worth.

Law was what I wanted to do before I got into philosophy, I would do fine if I went into Law. I just wouldn’t enjoy it as much.

So what then, Smears, is a good thing to do? Or is everything equally shit?

Everything’s equally shit. We have the same stats. I’ve always said if you’re not sure of what you wanna do, then be sure of what you don’t wanna do and don’t end up trapped.

Well there was a time where I was really into law, but I discovered I really just liked philosophy. I tried economics, and found out I really just liked philosophy (Marx, etc). In terms of what I want, I’d want to teach philosophy at the university level but that’s looking like it’s not gonna be feasible.

Sell cars.

I might do that down the line if it makes you happy, but for now I’d like to at least try to reach my dreams before giving up.