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I'm have a master is philosophy and don't regret it for a second. Helped shape my thinking in so many ways and was probably one of the largest contributors to my ongoing success as in software development. I've known a surprising number of philosophy majors in software, so I don't think it's an accident that it helped me. Seems like philosophy may be one of the better areas of study to help get your brain working in ways that are conducive to software.

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I used to hate Philosophy and think it's something people who can't do anything do. My vision changed lately and I think Philosophy and theoretical thinking is important.

However, abstract theoretical thinking without an adjacent skill (like software development), is probably useless in the market today. This is probably why the OP didn't find financial success.

Suggesting a philosophy career is then a bad idea. Suggesting a CS + Philosophy career might be a decent one though.

Oh, for sure. Philosophy has pretty much 1 career path, acedemics, and it is pretty cutthroat and pays poorly. I figured out that didn't appeal to me in time to pivot into software development.

It is possible to study philosophy without putting your career on hold for 4+ years, and spending tens of thousands of dollars.

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