We English majors sometimes hear a lot of snide and disrespectful comments for choosing the major that we did. It is safe to say that most people are uneducated about English as a major. But guess what? You should be proud to have chosen the major that you did! Everyone is called to do something in life, and some people just don’t understand how great it is to be an English major. Here are a few common misconceptions about majoring in English.
1. You have to become a teacher
When I tell people that I am an English major, the first thing that they usually say is, “so what grade do you want to teach?” This is incredibly frustrating for me. Just because I am an English major does not mean that I have to become a teacher. There are countless opportunities for students who major in English. English majors can become doctors, lawyers, copywriters, editors, news reporters, or even web editors. There are plenty of fields hiring newly graduated students who have solid writing, editing, and proofreading skills. And if you are an English major who wants to become a teacher, then that’s great! However, that is not the only option when it comes to finding a job with a degree in English.
2. All you do is read
Majoring in English is more than just reading! A lot more. We write, edit, proofread, and analyze. Yes, a key aspect of the major is reading. However, we also learn to communicate at a professional level. We have to answer questions in a well-defined manner that gets the point across. Today, writing skills are a crucial aspect of life. As an English major, we learn to write concisely and in a tone that is compelling. Reading isn’t the only thing that we do.
3. You don't learn any "real world" skills
This stereotype usually stems from people who have taken a freshman English class where they read a book and summarized the plot. Obviously, in a job interview, you will not have to summarize any books. However, English majors learn to communicate ideas clearly and more efficiently. We learn to present and defend information in a way that is intriguing and convincing. Communication is a key aspect of almost every business, and majoring in English prepares people to communicate with elegance and confidence.
4. Your major is easy
Anyone who says being an English major is easy has never taken an upper-level college English class. There is nothing easy about writing a 60-page paper. I say this from experience. English majors are required to read multiple novels per week, write papers that require extensive research, and give presentations on numerous time periods in literature. We do not just summarize books in short two-page papers. Often the text must be read over and over again to truly understand the meaning, and then research must be done to answer the question at hand. We spend months reading and writing, rereading and rewriting. English is not an easy major.
