English majors have long had held the stereotype of being the “easy” major, simply because skills like reading and writing have been taught to us from the very first day of kindergarten (and often times even before school). But if you talk to any English major they will tell you the same thing: that as enjoyable and compelling it is, English is anything but straightforward. Here are a few things that you should never say to an English major with strong feelings about its level of difficulty.
1. Isn’t English one of the easiest majors?
This is the number one way to upset any English major. Having to read multiple 300 page books at once, while also trying to understand their specific and overall meaning, can be just as difficult and time-consuming as the work of any other major. English is not easy, it’s just different.
2. Are you going to be a teacher?
Many English majors are hoping to be teachers, which is great, but there are also many who are aiming for a variety of other career paths. To assume that every English major wants to be a teacher is the same as assuming that every business major wants to teach business, which just isn’t the case whatsoever.
3. Can you even do anything with an English major?
Surprisingly, many people ask this question in conjunction with the previous one. One Google search would be enough to inform someone otherwise, because in fact, there is a wide selection of careers for English majors to choose from, both in and outside the field of English. Journalism, public relations, and marketing researcher just to name a few.
4.You probably won’t make a lot of money.
This is especially sad when a lot of English majors would probably agree, but there are actually a lot of well-paying jobs for people with an English major, such as web developing and marketing communications. Nonetheless, you will find that many English majors don’t necessarily care about becoming millionaires.
5. Reading is kind of boring.
This is fair enough as a matter of opinion, since other people find calculating a math problem or performing a science experiment boring, but many people who aren’t even English majors would vehemently disagree that reading is boring. If nothing else, it’s probably better to avoid a tangent on why reading is important and an art form of its own (as I had to refrain from doing while writing this).
6. Have you read [insert classic book title here]?
Because the answer is always yes. We’ve read most everything.
7. At least all of your finals are just papers.
“Just papers” is a vast understatement. English majors love to write, but essays are no easy feat, especially when you have to write five 10 page papers in a matter of two weeks.
