Venture capitalist Peter Thiel studied philosophy at Stanford University. REUTERS/ Fred Prouser Last year, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen said that he believed in the value of college, but only for math-based majors, rather than the "softer stuff," like English or philosophy.

"I'm sure it's fun, but the average college graduate with a degree in something like English is going to end up working in a shoe store," he said.

Andreessen's comments ignore the fact that you get more out of college than job-specific skills. You learn how to think critically, write well, sell ideas, and interact with people. And the statistics on humanities majors' ability to secure jobs aren't as bad as people think.

Even philosophy, one of the more cerebral and seemingly less practical majors out there, has produced some incredibly successful people. Here are some of our favorite examples.