What is a philosopher and how to become one

I'm not sure any of us will be able to give much insight into how it's going to be in the current state of things. Usually, we would say that philosophy grads generally do very well in the work world; on average, they make more money than most other humanities grads and more than business majors, at least if you look ten years or so out from graduation. The skills of rigorous thinking that philosophy provides equip people to be successful in a great many different careers. The website of the American Philosophical Association has some data on this.

So that's the usual story, and it contradicts a typical image of philosophers as just dreamers (as shown in Marco Rubio's comment in the 2016 presidential campaign, that welders make more than philosophers, which was dead wrong). But as for how this translates to today's world, I don't know what to say. I pity anyone looking for a job right now.

Some others in my department who might have some ideas on this - picked somewhat at random, to be honest, but they're all thoughtful people with an eye on the real world - are Hilary Bok, Ian Phillips, Hanna Pickard, and Michelle Kosch (who just joined the department).