Stereotypes come in a variety of flavors in modern society. Many enduring stereotypes apply to those individuals who have achieved – or are working towards – a degree in English. The common types of derisive questions asked of these people are, “What are you going to do with your degree? Write a bunch of poetry?” and “What good is an English degree except to teach other people English?”
Considering how truly well-rounded and useful an English degree is, it is befuddling to try and understand why this particular educational path is derided as limited. Apart from a career as a teacher or a professional writer, an English degree actually opens up quite a number of career avenues.
English Majors are Good Communicators
Through years of taking the time to thoroughly, comprehensively understand the workings of the English language, and forming cohesive arguments and explanations through countless essay assignments, English majors gain valuable verbal communication skills to a much higher degree than many of their fellow students. English majors are prime candidates for any type of job that requires strong communicative skills, written or verbal.
English majors have often held jobs in a variety of diplomatic posts, because a strong knack for effective communication is extremely valuable for a career in diplomatic relations. English majors are also valued employees in the world of media communications. Radio stations, for instance, commonly look for English majors, as they not only have skills in writing copy and news stories, but they are also usually smooth at delivering this information verbally, due to their background in English.
Public Relations
Public relations is a field of utmost importance to businesses, politicians and anyone looking to make a good impression on any individual or group. English majors make good public relations sepcialists, as their skill with the written word lends itself to becoming adept at “spinning”. Taking an issue or situation that may not actually be of the most desirable nature and putting a twist on it that makes it seem not quite so distasteful is an art that most every business or politico will need at some point.
Public relations people spend a lot of their time addressing concerns of consumers, voters, and various people who generally feel they have a reason to feel dissatisfied. As communication with these people will many times take place via email and standard mail, an education in expressing oneself delicately and effectively through the written word is most desirable.
New Media
Aside from one’s main profession or career path, a major in English has become a great aid in securing a nice secondary income. With the advent of new media as the public’s main source of news, information, and consumerism, the need for quality copy for websites, blogs, mobile phone apps and a slew of other venues has skyrocketed.
Many profitable companies have sprung up solely to help feed this constant need for quality written content. Aside from the possibilities of using one’s English degree to secure work with one of these content companies, there is also the option of offering freelance writing services. Once a strong reputation as a solid writer has been built, the sky is the limit for the amount of work one can appropriate.
The Future for English Majors
Due in large part to the growing new media outlets, the future for English majors looks to be a rather rosy one, indeed. Despite the rumbles of the written word industry dying as a result of the troubles of newspapers and print magazines, it turns out that online entities are even more in need of staff with a talent for manipulating the intricacies of the English language. English majors will always have a place as teachers and poets, but the world will always have plenty of other avenues for those with this very versatile degree.