The bulk of my research over the years has been in linguistics and cognitive science. As such, I've read a lot of philosophy, and I can tell you most of it was garbage. I'm continually amazed how many philosophers seem incapable of developing an argument that a scientist would consider sound. You've probably heard the joke that while a mathematician needs just a pencil, paper, and wastebasket to work, a philosopher doesn't even need the wastebasket.
Speaking of mathematics, I strongly recommend exposure to upper-division math, with theorem finding and proof writing. Math gives you a feeling for analytical rigor like nothing else will.
I'm not saying there is nothing of value in philosophy, just that you need to be selective. For the prospective software engineer, I think you are more likely to find helpful things coming the analytic rather than the Continental perspective.
The bulk of my research over the years has been in linguistics and cognitive science. As such, I've read a lot of philosophy, and I can tell you most of it was garbage. I'm continually amazed how many philosophers seem incapable of developing an argument that a scientist would consider sound. You've probably heard the joke that while a mathematician needs just a pencil, paper, and wastebasket to work, a philosopher doesn't even need the wastebasket.
Speaking of mathematics, I strongly recommend exposure to upper-division math, with theorem finding and proof writing. Math gives you a feeling for analytical rigor like nothing else will.
I'm not saying there is nothing of value in philosophy, just that you need to be selective. For the prospective software engineer, I think you are more likely to find helpful things coming the analytic rather than the Continental perspective.