For the last ten years or so, technology has been entirely shifting and reshaping various industries. Everywhere one looks, it seems that the impact of technology has been felt on some level. The education industry, for instance, has been dramatically changed in the last few years, with evolutions in aspects of education like the data science test or submission platforms being some of the most instrumental in the evolution of the education industry. The reality is that, as the whole world has gone steadily more and more tech-savvy, so have the people that exist within it. What this means for industries the world over is that they are finding themselves amid a transitory era that seeks to change not only the individuals behind them and supporting them, but the industries themselves.

For education specifically, the biggest change has come in the form of open education. Open education is essentially an extension of traditional education in that it has taken historically successful principles and turned them into a learning platform that technologically efficient generations can and do want to embrace. Paper textbooks have been replaced by digital versions – a similar thing has happened to the submission process in most higher education institutions. Entire courses are now offered online, giving students easier access to education around the world.

Millennials are combining technology and education in a way that was previously unheard of. Not only are students from the younger generations born into a world where technology means that a world of opportunities lay in the palms of their hands (literally, through their phone screens), but they expect everything that they encounter to have the same kind of technological proficiency as they do. Millennial students want to learn (perhaps more than any earlier generations) but it is the time that they lack; there is not enough time for them to schedule in the rest of their lives around university classes.

The students of today are vastly different to past generations of learners, and their presence is being felt long after they graduate and move into their respective career fields. In fact, since 2015, millennials are the most dominant generation in the workforce of today. The average millennial student works full time or insane hours at work, studies a full course load, and must find time to slot in personal and social time with loved ones as well as partaking in hobbies that make them happy. Because of this, many would-be students opt out of traditional learning methods and experiences because they simply do not have the time or the will to commit to them in the very tight schedule that they are offered.

This is where education and technology collide. The newest technologies in education have made various learnings and opportunities possible; from online classrooms to virtual textbooks, millennials’ tech-savvy lifestyle has kick-started a revolution that has combined education and technology to forge a future for education that is modernised, convenient, and efficient – all things that many millennials feel the traditional education system does not offer.

You decided not to listen to your parents or peers who urged you to study something practical that would lead to employment and instead decided to follow your heart into studying  the great existential questions like who am I and why am I here. But, your studies are coming to an end and now the burning question you need to answer is what am I supposed to do now with the rest of my life. While some would argue that a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy naturally leads to a career of discussing the meaning of life with your customers as you drive for Uber, there are other ways in which you can use the degree as a foundation for a fulfilling and meaningful life.

As Socrates famous dictum that “an unexamined life is not worth living” you can also find a very worthwhile life helping others examine theirs. There is an entire school of therapy that seeks to help people deal with their problems through a rational examination of their own choices. Existential Therapy is used to help people deal with substance abuse issues as well as marriage counselling and life coaching as practiced by the Naya Clinics.

Law is an other natural adjunct for those concerned with the human condition especially if your attraction to philosophy was moral philosophy or you just enjoy a good argument. You could even do a postgraduate degree in the Philosophy of Law. The law is probably the most popular choice to give yourself a well paying career and also will allow you to pose various philosophical questions as you seek to apply legal arguments on behalf of your clients. It can also lead to judicial appointments which will let you apply your philosophy to settling legal disputes.

An area that also offers careers for philosophy majors is in government and is natural place for those that enjoyed the study of political philosophy. So whether your a fan of Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau or even Machiavelli a life in government may be your calling. While you may end up in bureaucratic position where you are powerless to effect change you will at least have the ability to understand the underlying philosophy behind it.

Another area that is becoming increasingly popular especially among logicians is information technology. Whole vast vistas of exciting careers beckon in cutting edge areas of information technology such as cognitive science, machine learning and artificial intelligence. These areas are really growing rapidly and offer the opportunity to be involved with technologies that are destined to change the future and provide a raft of philosophical problems that need to understood and wrestled with.

So if you are about to graduate with your degree of philosophy there is no need to despair, especially if you take the Kierkegaardian attitude that despair is dialectically both both a merit and a defect. There are lots of vital and interesting careers that remain possible for someone that has spent their time contemplating the great questions.