Every time someone asks me what I am studying in college their immediate, without fail follow-up question is always the same. “What are you going to do with that English degree? Are you going to teach?” Unfortunately for them, the conversation won’t end there because I respond with a simple, but firm, no. “Oh, so you’re going to be a writer then?” they respond, thinking they have my life all figured out. Again, I shake my head. The questioning party looks at me, perplexed. If I’m not going to be a teacher or a writer, what could I possibly be doing with my life by getting a degree in English Literature?

I will tell you exactly what it is I am doing with my life. I am preparing myself as best I know how for the ever changing job market that is plaguing my generation. Jobs that were in high demand 50 years ago don’t even exist today, and jobs that will be available to me upon my graduation in two years haven’t even been invented yet. So please, stop asking me what I plan to do with my degree in a condescending tone because you, with your highly specialized, very technical, STEM-specific degree, may very well end up working for me. Majoring in English prepares students, like myself, for so much more than one specific job. Becoming well-read, learning to communicate ideas clearly and effectively, and gaining a deeper knowledge of cultures, time periods, and lifestyles different than your own isn’t just setting you up to be successful within your English major, it’s setting you up to be successful within your life. Conan O’Brien majored in English at Harvard University and is now one of the most well-known late-night television hosts. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was an English major at Holy Cross College. Michael Eisner, the former CEO of Disney majored in English at Denison University. He told USA Today, “"Literature is unbelievably helpful, because no matter what business you are in, you are dealing with interpersonal relationships. It gives you an appreciation of what makes people tick." Eisner didn’t take a single business course, and yet he went on to become CEO of a major company because his English major prepared him in a way in which a traditional business degree might not have.

My English major is setting me up for so much more than just a possible future career in traditional careers English majors are funneled into, such as teaching or writing. Every company, whether it’s a Fortune 500 or a small, local non-profit needs employees who are able to think critically and communicate, both verbally and through writing, very clearly which is precisely what English majors are taught to do. Writing instruction manuals for an IT startup company, crafting memos for the employees of an expansive hospital, editing a cooking or travel magazine, I could go on and on. As long as there is a market for articulate and well-written individuals, there is a place for English majors in any job market they may choose to enter. So don’t automatically limit my career choices based on my major, rather, sit back and watch as I redefine what an English major can do for me.