How many times has some biomedical engineer wannabe asked you what you majored in, only to roll his eyes at your response? For me, it’s too many times to count. After college, the eye-rolling and the fake pity doesn’t always get better.
Two ignorant comments struck me this week. I was at Pier 1 buying a chair for my new desk (the one at which I plan to kick-start my career as an author), when I began talking with a mother whose daughter graduated in May with a degree in, surprise surprise, English. She announced rather loudly, “I was so shocked when my girl got an actual job! I didn’t think she would be able to do it with an English degree! I think she’s like, the only one, like ever!” Like stop.
The other comment was from a friend. I was expressing my struggles surrounding job-searches when he pompously responded, “Well what’d you expect with a degree in English?” as if I purposely sought out unemployment as a form of post-graduate happiness.
Regardless, there are infinite amounts of encouraging reasons to stay proud, happy, and confident with your English degree. Here are just a few.
Some of our reasons are obvious. For instance,
1. While they were dissecting rat brains, we were dissecting Latin roots.
I would always choose the latter. Granted, if they gave us a scalpel, one of us might not come out alive.
2. We know words and phrases some couldn't even pronounce.
And we have an insatiable urge to know more.
3. What we may lack in common sense, we make up with creativity and intelligence.
So what if we're bad at directions and need a calculator to figure out the tip at a restaurant. That only means our creative, holistic, content-filled right brain triumphs over their systematic, linear, data-filled left brain.
4. We are confident in the professional emails we send.
Maybe our job wasn’t lined up for us like accountants or physician’s assistants, but we do have the capabilities to get one. And yes, we know our field is hard to break into; we’ve been told. That doesn’t stop us from trying and succeeding!
Some reasons are more difficult to uncover. We discover these as we venture through our favorite 4 years, and after.
5. We know how it feels to be doubted, and we are able to grow from that.
When people ask us what our major is, some of us instantly feel ashamed. It’s not a math or science, so it’s easy, right? According to them, even if it’s not easy, it’s useless in the work field. This is false. English majors have writing skills, reading skill, and researching abilities. We communicate excellently and clearly. Most importantly, we understand the field of humanities. We perceive compassion and empathy as more than just black words on a white page. Sometimes, that's more powerful than anything you can find exploding out of a beaker.
6. We all have the power to prove you wrong.
I don't know, I guess we just have a way with words.
7. We have a different view of the world.
We've read an eternity of novels, articles, short stories, journals, and more. Each story tells us something new about the world, giving us a new perspective we never had before.
8. We understand that language is the root of all communication, and communication is the root of, well, everything.
Do you think they would be able to figure out the cellular anatomy of a pig if it wasn’t for an English Major who spent years meticulously raking through the biology textbook to make it error-free so they could learn it just right?
'And other reasons are just plain amusing.
9. We have a sense of humor that's all our own.
What do you call a dinosaur who speaks English?
A thesaurus.
10. In the end, English was, and still is, a perfect fit for us.
It doesn't matter how many science specialists, math magicians, or business buffs try to take away the pride you feel towards your past achievements and future aspirations. As Maya Angelou said, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." We have the power to let it out.
