Somewhere along the line, studying English became synonymous with being undecided. When you tell someone you're an English major, they often make a face as if they're trying to squeeze out a weak smile while also holding in a fart. Suddenly, people you were never close to become concerned with your future. They ask innocently, "What in the world are you going to do with an English degree?" Or rudely, "Don't you wanna make money?" Or presumptuously, "Oh, so you're gonna be a teacher?" No, we don't all want to be teachers. Yes, I want to make money, but I want to be passionate about my work first and foremost. I can do anything I want with an English degree. Seriously.
I am an English major, and I am not lost, confused, or refusing to grow up. I have a clear path of what I'm going to do after college. I have changed course a few times and I may change again, but that's because with this major, every single door is open (except maybe being a brain surgeon or an astronaut). I have considered being a journalist, a television writer, a booking agent, a literary agent, a proofreader, a freelance writer, a publishing editor, a ton of other careers in between, and I know that I am perfectly capable of doing them all.
The flexibility of an English degree is found in very few other degrees. The skills learned studying English have made me a well-rounded person and have given me a view of life that I hadn't had before. English majors may be able to beat you in a literary round of Jeopardy, edit your papers, and read 20 chapters for homework as if it's no big deal, but beyond that, they are able to see a deeper meaning within everything.
Some of the best history lessons I've ever had have been in English classes. Literature can capture a moment in time and preserve it forever. Sometimes, in cases of writers like Allen Ginsberg, their work transcends time and we are able to apply their words to our world today. Some of the best psychology lessons have been given in English classes as well, like when I studied Nietzsche for an entire semester in relation to 1969's Woodstock festival. We English majors learn how to analyze everything and see things for more than face value. I have gained an understanding of the human existence from reading, writing, and even editing. That is a skill for which I am eternally grateful.
Being successful as an English major is different from being successful in a business or science major where there are many rules, and to be good in your field, you need to follow those rules. To be good at math, you need to be precise and exact, and everyone must do the same thing to receive the same result. The beauty of the English field is that there are so many different aspects of it because everyone's mind creates differently. While one person might be excellent at writing literary theory, another may be a stellar short story writer or poet.
Just as we need our teachers, brain surgeons, astronauts, and business majors, we need those short story writers, poets, literary theorists, journalists, and novelists. Without them, everything would be bland and a sunrise would just be the earth rotating on its axis, making a complete turn toward the east. Instead, we are able to have these incredible words, "the heavenly-harness'd team begins his golden progress in the east," from William Shakespeare to describe the very same thing.
English majors have the most enriching college education, and whatever we may end up doing, the degree will certainly not be wasted.
