Why You Should Major in English
- Reba
- Feb 27, 2016
- 3 min read
The number of English majors in the nation has declined over the last few years. I was an English major. Twice. I know the reasons: "Comapnies are looking for actual job skills," "What can you do with an English major? You won't even have a teaching certificate to teach!" "English is a degree in coffee making."
Yet I majored in English, and I am glad I did. I have several English major friends who are glad they have as well. For us, majoring in English was something that shaped our lives in a way we would not give up.
Misconceptions about the English major are filling the internet. I'm here to fight back.
1. English majors get jobs.
They do. I know many unemployed people, and none of my English major friends is one of them. I have English major friends in publishing, writing, business, teaching, and a variety of other successful careers, and we are not out of our 20s.
Do you know who doesn't get employed? People who only have experience or people who only have "book learning."
The English major, just like any other major, was never meant to be the only training you ever receive. It is meant to be a foundation.
As I talk to my college students about their futures, I always tell them to find internships, to volunteer, to seek out opportunities in addition to their college studies. Volunteering during college and graduate school is what helped me get my current job. Volunteering and experience was not enough in itself, and education rarely is. You need both, and the English major is just like any other degree program.
2. English majors get to do what they love.
Society is constantly screaming at us to be unique and do what we love. Sometimes, doing what you want requires working for it. You might have to work at Starbucks and go to graduate school in your early twenties, but most people do these days.
I love my job. It's fast-paced, I work with great people, and I have leadership opportunities as well as boundless outlets for creativity. Majoring in something I liked less "for practicality's sake" would have not made me happier. Every self-help book and psych article is telling millenials to embrace who we are. They neglect to tell you that just might be an English major.
3. English majors are career-driven, not job-driven.
If you want to get a job that allows you to make $75,000 per year right after college, then English may not be for you. The English major isn't job preparation in the short-term sense; it's a career plan. I love the idea that I can futher progress my career. The idea of working towards a Ph.D. doesn't seem unattainable. In fact, it's rather exciting. There's a deep difference between a job and a career; don't be afraid to aknowledge you have long-term goals in a world that wants instant results.
4. English majors are some of the most balanced people I know.
Perhaps I'm biased, but there is quite a variety of people in the "English" realm. Yes, many of them are nerds, but they can communicate the pants off of anybody as well as logically explain a reason for any of their actions. English majors think before they act; they recognize the causes of good and bad relationships and can act upon those findings. They can provide recommendations that have solid reasoning behind the claims. English majors have the chance to become some of the most well-rounded people on the planet.
So don't fret, English majors. Be happy and confident in your decision. Fight for your future, and you will be surprised by how much you enjoy it. Prospect English majors, be true to yourself and devote your career to a discipline in which you find true satisfaction. Your English degree will be whatever you make of it.
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