While English majors may be a rare breed of college student, and overall percentages of English majors nationwide have been on the decline, but even within a small population, four different archetypes seem to exist. While these are my personal observations on my own campus, I find that these hold true especially among the other English majors I have encountered, and most people I know fall into one category or are a hybrid of two.
1. The Creative Writers.
The first breed of English major is the Creative Writer- those who produce their own writing be it poetry or a novel. These are the types that attend or host open mic nights and writing workshops. Their heads are constantly buzzing with inspiration, and some of them may seem like their heads are always in the clouds. The flip side of that coin is that some Creative Writers are very pessimistic about the world, and their writing matches their outlook. These are the kinds of people who get tickled pink if their friend reads their work at all regardless of hitting monetary success- though many may wish to be the next J.K. Rowling or G.R.R. Martin.
2. The Journalists.
The other Writer type of English major is the Journalist. This kind of person is often up-to-date with all the news stories and may even share articles on their social media every single day. These people aim to or already work for newspaper or magazine agencies where they are able to write about current events or other topics about which they have extreme passion. These types of people are often very worldly and cultured, and they often seek the truth. Many may become freelance reporters as they become disenchanted with the current mass media and all the untruths that are fed to the public. Others maintain a more naive outlook and still aim to work for big name newspapers and news networks.
3. The Teachers.
The third type is the Teacher. These are the people whose main goal is to move right from their own education into educating others either by becoming an elementary or secondary school teacher or a professor. Some may go so far as to earn a doctorate in their field so that they can become professors, while others take their minor in Education and move right into elementary or secondary schooling. These people are passionate and empathetic, and they often want nothing more than to share their passion with a younger generation and to help future English majors find their way. Many also want to help those who are not English majors understand their English courses and to have an appreciation for literature and to help those who struggle to understand things like poetry.
4. The Ones Who Hate Writing.
The fourth types of English major are the Ones Who Hate Writing. Not every English major is keen on producing their own writing either creative or journalistic style. There is the breed of English major whose passion is practically solely in reading and discussing literature rather than writing their own work or essays. They thrive on verbal discussion and excel in Socratic seminars. They have boundless appreciation for literature but often struggle to produce their own content. Despite this, they still pursue their passion in school.
While these are the main four archetypes I have observed, it is possible to be a mixture or hybrid of two of the above. For example, a Journalist can also be a Teacher; a Creative Writer who Hates Writing may jive better with spoken word or slam poetry and so on and so forth. If there is an English major in your life, it's likely that they fall into one category or are a blend of two.
Try asking your English major friends if they agree with this list!
