As an English major, I get a lot of confusion and snide comments about my major. The English major has somehow gotten a bad reputation, and there are all kinds of stereotypes about us that have emerged. Why? I don't get it, but for those of you who think an English major isn't respectable, here's why you're wrong.
1. We all want to be teachers.
Whenever I tell people that I'm an English major, people assume that I want to be a teacher. While many English majors do want to teach, not all of us do, and there are many different professions available for English majors. Also, it can be really difficult to find a university that offers a specialized English program separate from education, as even universities seem to think we all want to teach.
2. We know every word in the dictionary.
Believe it or not, there are in fact words in the English language that we haven't heard before or don't know how to spell. It does happen. Crazy, right? Even more shocking, when we speak, we use slang, trail off, or say the wrong word. I know, crazy! English majors are humans, too.
3. There are no careers available for English majors.
I don't get this at all. Basically, anywhere you see words, there's a job for an English major. Editing, writing, grant writing, copywriting, library science, publishing, social media, and many more careers are available for English majors. Just try to find a job where you don't need to read, write, or communicate.
4. It isn't applicable to the real world.
True, at a job interview you probably won't be asked to tell the boss about symbolism in "To Kill A Mockingbird." However, in any job that you might ever have, you will, in fact, have to communicate your ideas with other people, and you may even have to defend those ideas. Grant writing, reports, and even simple emailing are parts of most jobs, and these skills can be learned in English classes.
5. We don't know what we want to do.
Either people think we're teachers, or we don't know what we want to do. Most English majors do go into the major with an idea of what they want to do in the field.
6. All we do is read and write book reports.
OK, whoever says this has never taken a college-level English course. English classes require much more than simply reading a book and writing a synopsis with some metaphors mixed in. English in college requires tons of research, analysis through many different theoretical lenses, and intensive application.
7. "English? Isn't that what we speak?"
No. Just no. Stop.
8. We're all writers.
Not all English majors are creative writers and want to be authors. Like I said before, there are a ton of professions that use an English education. We're all not super creative authors.
Despite all the misconceptions, getting an English major is totally worth it.
