english vs philosophy major

[Anonymous No.15877075]

I've been dabbling in classes for both english and philosophy during the past few years and now I need to decide between them. so far I've found that lit has high highs and low lows; many styles or eras just don't pique my interest at all but I absolutely love the rest. philosophy courses and writings are generally fairly enjoyable but don't quite offer the same sharp kick that good literature does, though I've yet to explore the more rigorous branches; what I've taken so far is primarily anchored in value theory and existentialism and such. which should I commit to? I can't do both because this is the side hustle and my main major is math (so no need to rail about the job market).

[Anonymous No.15877089]

>>15877075
Philosophy. It is clear that you've never had a German Philosophy induced high before.
>sharp kick
Have never experienced the wit of Schopenhauer

/thread

[Anonymous No.15877103]

give up your study of math and commit to studying what makes you happy

[Anonymous No.15877222]

>>15877075
Not gonna pretend to be an authority on this, but isn't math math something you can learn on your own. As far as I know, it's not like it requires lab experiments. For this reason, wouldn't it be better to go with something lke enginering instead?

[Anonymous No.15877711]

>>15877089
I'll check him out, thanks anon

>>15877103
I hope you did/can

>>15877222
short answer: maybe but then I'd have to be an engineer, no thank you

long answer: math is best if you don't like commitment. studying engineering more or less locks you into whatever field of engineering you chose, and you won't have as many opportunities to go into research. broader STEM fields like physics or chemistry have more flexibility in that regard, but generally you'll still be committed to your field. meanwhile taking just one or two additional classes in addition to the math core gives you enough of a background to pursue almost any applied science field, since they'll care more about your math skills (I studied dynamical systems and am currently planning to go into neuroscience modelling research, though I could also work with population dynamics, physics, chaos theory, sociology, etc). most people also reap massive benefits from having close contact with a professor for more rigorous math classes; the more abstract topics are very difficult to self study. also I'm just pretentious and cringe at the thought of studying something as applied as engineering.

[Anonymous No.15877792]

>>15877222
nothing in learned in an engineering program gives you any value to employers. In Engineering you have to somehow figure out what the industry wants and then self teach yourself that on top of learning the useless shit for your degree.

[Anonymous No.15879342]

[Anonymous No.15879487]

>>15877711
Informative. I suggested something like engineering because of the legal barriers to entry that restrict you from being a "professional" engineer otherwise. In that sense, it has a secure future to fall back on. Plus, I've read that an engineering degree is versatile, as many engineers also end up working in finance and other lucrative fields unrelated to engineering, including other applied sciences. So it's very adaptable in that way. Keep in mind though I'm not an engineer, so if it sounds like I'm shilling, I'm not.

[Anonymous No.15879605]

>>15877792
Please see see above. Based on what I've read, the classes due seem to lack relevance, since actually working in the field is more like glorified paper pushing. To my understanding, engineering is also dependent on the strength of the economy, so I can see the other part you're saying.

[Anonymous No.15879920]

>>15879487
what do/did you study, anon?

[Anonymous No.15879970]

>>15879487

Engineering is based.

t. compsci major who regrets not going into electrical

[Anonymous No.15881229]

>>15879920
Haven't settled on anything yet, just been trying to research as best I can. Problem is, that every time I feel like I'm informed, I find a notable amount to the contrary. Case in point, the last few days I've come across multiple people on /lit/ saying engineering didn't benefit them at all or that it's undesirable. >>15879970 is the first I've seen to talk positively about it. All that I've been able to gather is that everyone is fucked, some slightly less so than others. Only way to make it seems, is to strike out founding a startup, or go full wallstreetbets.

[Anonymous No.15881349]

>>15877075
>what I've taken so far is primarily anchored in value theory and existentialism
You're missing out on real philosophy

[Anonymous No.15881436]

>>15879970
Electrical eng is such a flexible degree

[Anonymous No.15882851]

>>15881229
do you have some interests you favor more than others at least? I might be able to offer a few pointers if I know anything about their fields.

[Anonymous No.15884905]

>>15882851
Problem is that everything I'm drawn to the most has no financial future. Other areas of interest would be crippled by government bureaucracy, so they're not too high on the list either.

Barring that, bioengineering is of interest in some areas like prosthetics and genetics, as well as others. But from what I've read, this field is still not well established so opportunities are scarcer, and pursuing a degree in it isn't advisable unless you're going for a masters at the bare minimum. Something like mechanical enginerring is better to break into the field, but I'm certainly not as enthusiastic about studying it. Though the supposed versatility of the degree might make it tolerable enough.

What I need to do is find out what combination of choices would give me the most flexibility.

[Anonymous No.15886356]

>>15881349
Isn't CS more flexible than EE? Pretty much any industry that exists wants coders.

[Anonymous No.15886492]

>>15877075

Don’t.

You only go to uni to get licences for architects, engineer, doctor, whatever else. For passion projects your drive will either take you somewhere or it won’t.

[Anonymous No.15886500]

>>15884905

No amount of philosophy can heal the hole created by a lack of income to fund the things you actually enjoy in life.

[Anonymous No.15886735]

>>15884905
does your school offer biomechanical engineering? looking at the applications and course requirements, biomechanical engineering isn't too different from a mechanical engineering degree, it's the same core with the engineering electives being focused on biomechanics, systems biology, etc. if your school doesn't offer that, you might consider studying mechanical engineering with a second major or minor in biology, focusing on the quantitative classes. then you ought to have a sufficiently competitive background for bioengineering positions, while leaving you the flexibility to pursue other opportunities as a backup. for reference, I've beeing using stanford's listing of its engineering programs here: https://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/soe-ug-majors/, your school may of course have a different selection.

the drawback to this is that it would leave you with little time to pursue passion interests, and you'd be unlikely to have another opportunity to explore /lit/ in an similar academic setting, whether that's worth it is up to you.

[Anonymous No.15886801]

I majored in CS and Philosophy. It's always pleasurable to know there are other STEM/Humanities Chads on /lit/, but let's keep this thread literature based. For those considering majoring in English, they rrally ahould consider Philosophy instead since the material, and the standard for logical coherence, is more rigorous which will benefit personal literary studies for the rest of your life. I was formally recommended by the University to pursue English, but then i realized that it's mostly elaborating on metaphor and symbolism found in the texts you read (most are not worth reading). As OP said--high highs and low lows. But the degree has little to offer as developing skills you can use. Philosophy, however, is equally self-indulgent, but as I've already stated you develop your logical reasoning which IS useful. Im currently working as a software engineer and I can tell my written communication skills surpass other SEs

[Anonymous No.15886823]

The further you go into the literature major, the more freedom you should have to pursue what you want. So you've had low-lows now with eras you don't care for, but moving forward you can focus on what you do like and working with the best professors in the department.

[Anonymous No.15886884]

>>15877075
If you're interested in learning philosophy at meaningful level of depth, I'd pick that as your major. A good teacher is essential to understand a difficult philosophical text while Literature teachers do not seem so essential

[Anonymous No.15886941]

>>15886928
whoops. Time is passing me too fast. Disregard my post

[Anonymous No.15888524]

>>15886500
>>15886492
L A W S C H O O L
A
W

S
C
H
O
O
L

Within the T14 of course.

[Anonymous No.15888588]

>>15877075
I studied pure math and philosophy. imo philosophy classes were not useful, I just did the reading by myself and the people in my classes were psueds and autists. (It seems that even at very good universities this is the case)
imo take whatever classes you are interested. if you are going to end up going into a career with your math major, nobody cares about your philosophy or english major.
if you have a professor you really like or likes you, then that might even be the most important deciding factor

[Anonymous No.15889376]

>>15886500
I would only consider it as a double major at most. Seems like people's experiences with it can be hit or miss, as indicated in this thread.

>>15886735
Only bioengineering offered where I am. But engineering majors are to take a selection of courses in a sub field. It amounts to about a semesters worth. So bioengineers can dabble in mechanical and vice versa, among other fields.

Btw, if you are op, have you considered comparative literature? From my (limited) understanding, it is interdisciplinary, exploring some philosophy as well as others. Might not be an option though if your program involves a second language and/or you're already too far in.

[Anonymous No.15890400]

>>15889376
my school doesn't have a general comparative literature major unfortunately, it's split into specific brances of english/french/german/russian/etc language and literature. I considered french but ultimately most of my lit couses have been in english lit.

also I'm grateful for everyone's input, there's been some nice food for thought this thread.

[Anonymous No.15890450]

Awesome images

[Anonymous No.15891437]

>>15890450
glad you like, I've been collecting them from /wg/ on and off for a long time now. there's also a whole archive of classical here: https://mega.nz/folder/rVcExIbB#VN9alzay0OrctggvEn1DUg

[Anonymous No.15891848]

>>15877075
ditch both, study astronomy as a side to math