Linguist to philosopher
A linguist already meets 71% of what the philosopher role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
39.8/ 100
1 How much of what a philosopher is expected to do is already part of a linguist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the philosopher role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A philosopher role treats 31 of its required skills as things a linguist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply for research funding
- apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities
- apply scientific methods
- communicate with a non-scientific audience
- conduct research across disciplines
- demonstrate disciplinary expertise
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 38 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A philosopher role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a linguist background worth leading with.
- already held journalism social sciences, journalism and information
- already held cultural history arts and humanities
- already held history arts and humanities
- already held develop scientific theories information skills
- already held write research proposals communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply scientific methods information skills
All 38 carried skills, including the 31 the philosopher role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn ethics required
- still to learn history of philosophy required
- still to learn logic required
- still to learn morality required
- still to learn philosophical schools of thought required
- still to learn philosophy required
- optional, not held phenomenology optional
- optional, not held metaphysics optional
- optional, not held religious studies optional
- optional, not held theology optional
- still to learn rhetoric required
- optional, not held political ideologies optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held politics optional
- optional, not held sociology optional
- optional, not held source criticism optional
- still to learn present arguments persuasively required
- optional, not held perform lectures optional
- optional, not held teach philosophy optional
- still to learn scientific literature required
- optional, not held Ancient Greek optional
- optional, not held Latin optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a philosopher role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 38 skills that carry over
- already held apply for research funding skill
- already held apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities skill
- already held apply scientific methods skill
- already held communicate with a non-scientific audience skill
- already held conduct research across disciplines skill
- already held demonstrate disciplinary expertise skill
- already held develop professional network with researchers and scientists skill
- already held disseminate results to the scientific community skill
- already held draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation skill
- already held evaluate research activities skill
- already held increase the impact of science on policy and society skill
- already held integrate gender dimension in research skill
- already held interact professionally in research and professional environments skill
- already held manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data skill
- already held manage intellectual property rights skill
- already held manage open publications skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
- already held manage research data skill
- already held mentor individuals skill
- already held operate open source software skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held promote open innovation in research skill
- already held promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities skill
- already held promote the transfer of knowledge skill
- already held publish academic research skill
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held speak different languages skill
- already held synthesise information skill
- already held think abstractly skill
- already held write scientific publications skill
- already held apply blended learning skill
- already held cultural history knowledge
- already held develop scientific theories skill
- already held history knowledge
- already held journalism knowledge
- already held teach in academic or vocational contexts skill
- already held write research proposals skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held phenomenology optional
- optional, not held metaphysics optional
- optional, not held perform lectures optional
- optional, not held Ancient Greek optional
- optional, not held Latin optional
- optional, not held political ideologies optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held politics optional
- optional, not held religious studies optional
- optional, not held sociology optional
- optional, not held source criticism optional
- optional, not held teach philosophy optional
- optional, not held theology optional
32 held skills the philosopher role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role anthropology knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply teaching strategies skill
- not needed by the target role computer engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer science knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct field work skill
- not needed by the target role conduct public surveys skill
- not needed by the target role cooperate in linguistic process steps skill
- not needed by the target role develop technical glossaries skill
- not needed by the target role develop terminology databases skill
- not needed by the target role forensic linguistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role grammar knowledge
- not needed by the target role history of literature knowledge
- not needed by the target role improve translated texts skill
- not needed by the target role interview focus groups skill
- not needed by the target role linguistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role literature knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage ICT semantic integration skill
- not needed by the target role philology knowledge
- not needed by the target role phonetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role postediting knowledge
- not needed by the target role practical lexicography knowledge
- not needed by the target role pronunciation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role psycholinguistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role semantics knowledge
- not needed by the target role spelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role study acquisition of language skill
- not needed by the target role teach languages skill
- not needed by the target role terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role theoretical lexicography knowledge
- not needed by the target role translate language concepts skill
- not needed by the target role use consulting techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
19 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn ethics required
- still to learn history of philosophy required
- still to learn logic required
- still to learn morality required
- still to learn philosophical schools of thought required
- still to learn philosophy required
- still to learn rhetoric required
- still to learn scientific literature required
- optional, not held phenomenology optional
- optional, not held metaphysics optional
- optional, not held Ancient Greek optional
- optional, not held Latin optional
- optional, not held political ideologies optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held politics optional
- optional, not held religious studies optional
- optional, not held sociology optional
- optional, not held source criticism optional
- optional, not held theology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a linguist become a philosopher?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A linguist already covers 71% of what a philosopher is expected to do: 38 skills carry over, 31 of which the philosopher role treats as required.
What skills does a linguist need to become a philosopher?
9 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by arts and humanities. The single most important is ethics.
How hard is the move from linguist to philosopher?
Its learning distance is 39.8 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.