Internships for Philosophy students
Philosophy students can find internships in a variety of fields
Philosophy students can find internships in a variety of fields. These internships can teach them how philosophy is relevant to other areas such as business, government, law and education.
Businesses may choose philosophy majors for internships because they know that philosophy students are skilled at critical thinking and analysis. These skills will help them solve problems and make decisions at the company. Philosophy majors are also skilled at communicating their ideas clearly both orally and in writing. Employers know that these skills will be necessary for the employee to work with other people inside and outside of the company. The ability to present information well also makes a good impression on clients which is important for many businesses.
Government organizations often need interns who have strong analytical skills like philosophy majors do so they can analyze laws, policies and programs to see if they are working as intended or if changes need to be made. Good communication skills in writing briefs or reports is also important when working in government so that other departments or the public understands what you have found out about the program you examined. Some positions will require oral communication with citizens or policymakers which means that having good speaking skills is very important as well. Interns who understand ethics will help the organization make choices about policies based on ethical principles rather than only financial issues or what is most popular with voters.
Law firms bring on philosophy students for internship positions because philosophical arguments rely on logical reasoning so philosophy majors tend to be strong critical thinkers who can analyze legal cases well whether from a lawyer’s side (defending someone) or a prosecutor’s side (against someone). People applying for jobs in law must have excellent reading comprehension which means being able to read large amounts of material quickly while still understanding it completely, similar to what philosophers do when they read long works by famous philosophers like Plato or Descartes without losing track of central themes or key points even though those books may contain hundreds of pages of dense text.
Philosophy students may want to look at the philosophy department in their universities to find opportunities
If you haven’t already, you’ll want to check out the philosophy department at your university to see if there are any opportunities available. Talk with the staff and check their website and social media, as well as the department’s bulletin board, for openings.
Do your research, as many of these opportunities have limited availability or are time-sensitive
Please do your research before applying for any of these opportunities, as many have limited availability or are time-sensitive. Furthermore, note that many of these internships are only available to students who are citizens in certain countries and/or who are a certain gender.
Before jumping into this list, I want to make sure you’re armed with the knowledge you need about navigating this guide:
Find an internship that will teach you skills you can use in other areas of life, not just your academic specialty
It may seem like the perfect internship would be one that allows you to put your areas of study to use in a professional setting. This is not necessarily true. While it’s crucial to find an internship where you can develop the skills and knowledge that will make you more competitive in your field, think about how you can leverage these skills into other parts of life.
If you’re looking for work beyond your academic focus, try reaching out to alumni in other industries who have the same degree as you—perhaps they could know of opportunities or at least give some advice on which skills are most useful for their profession. LinkedIn makes this incredibly easy!
As an example, if you’re studying philosophy as an undergraduate student, consider doing a digital marketing internship; there are formalized steps that need to be taken when creating effective digital marketing strategies that involve logic and problem solving—skills highly valued by philosophy majors.
Internships are a great way for philosophy students to gain experience and get a head start on the job market
Internships are a great way to gain experience, network, and get your name out there. If you know that you’d like to work in a certain field after graduation, an internship is the best way to determine whether or not that line of work fits you. Don’t waste time trying to figure out if an industry is right for you—spend a few months as an intern and get paid!