I take pride in what I study. Reading and writing only scratches the surface of what I perform as an English major, and I enjoy (almost) every second of it. Though it's nowhere near a walk in the park, English is something I'm passionate about, making the work I have to do not seem like work at all. There are some aspects, however, that I'm not very fond of, and I think my English peers can attest to these. Here are just a few of the annoyances English majors face every day:
1. So many books to read, not enough time to read them.
It’s a marvelous thing to know that there are so many good books in the world to read. From fantasy, to historical fiction, to horror, there is an infinite amount of books to get lost in. That said, there is never enough time to enjoy them all, and it’s truly sad. English majors have the perk of being exposed to all sorts of publications, expanding our knowledge and our reading lists. Also, we are constantly surrounded by book lovers alike who have various recommendations, and we want to buy them all! Slowly, our reading lists get longer and longer to the point where we’ll need an abundant amount of time and money to cross each one off, which is close to impossible to achieve. It’s reassuring to know there is always something new to read, but when we want to read them all, it’s discouraging to know that we probably won’t be able to.
2. Analyze, analyze, analyze.
English majors are trained to take what is given to them, thoroughly analyze it, and regurgitate our findings in our own words, just grasping the words on a page. It’s a blessing and a curse. I love being able to find alternative meanings and themes just by thinking in various ways. It expands the mind and exposes the versatility reading and writing has. While these features are nice, we also tend to analyze everything. When we read for pleasure, it’s very difficult to just enjoy a book for the sake of the story. I always find myself reading only for my brain to spiral out in this never-ending cycle of thought processes. Why did the author write a particular line the way he/she did? Why is there so much focus on how one character looks? Why is the color white always emphasized in this scene? It’s exhausting! And it can make reading a lot more rigorous.
This also goes along with everyday situations. English majors are trained to analyze, so we tend to overanalyze life in general. It makes reading people a bit easier because we pay attention to the little details, aiding our personal discovery of a person, but it’s also stressful. We can take the tiniest things and blow them out of proportion because our minds are built to constantly think. This can lead us to some major misunderstandings. If there was a way for us to turn off our brains for a moment, I think we would all take that opportunity.
3. Double-edged sword.
When I tell people I’m an English major, I get one of two responses:
a. “Oh, so you want to be a teacher?”
b. “What kind of job can you get with that degree?”
This is the biggest problem I face almost every day and one that I abhor. Yes, a lot of people who study English go on to be teachers, but it isn’t the only profession we’re destined to take. Because we’re still in college, we don’t have a full-time job in our field to prove that a degree in English has so much more girth to it. Instead, we have to try to defend ourselves in every way possible for people to take us and our major seriously. Some of the core requirements various jobs list in order to be a considerable candidate for a position, an English major possesses. We have superb writing and grammar skills, excellent communication skills, are able to work independently and delegate our time wisely, and are keen to solving problems with ease because of our analytical tendencies. These are just the basics. All of us specialize in different genres of reading and writing, which leads to other important qualifications that barely get any sort of recognition.
4. The grammar Nazis.
This might not be what you think it is. Yes, of course English majors can be critical about grammar, and rightfully so. Usually, it’s when we’re asked to read and critique someone else’s work or to playfully annoy our friends. We politely correct and move on. I can’t speak for all English majors, but those are my personal reasons. But when the tables are turned, English majors feel the burn. I get it, we should know anything and everything about the English language, but that’s pretty close to impossible.
There are so many rules and regulations, making English one of the hardest languages to learn. That being said, when we slip up by pronouncing something incorrectly or don’t know the definitions of certain words because we are not perfect beings, people take this as a sweet victory. Not only are we corrected, but we also get the classic line, “You’re an English major, aren’t you supposed to know these things?!” The ridicule goes on and on. It can be comical, but it can also be highly annoying. But I guess we can take this as a sort of backhanded compliment because English majors are held at a standard most other people are not.
So, for all you English majors out there, this one is dedicated to you. And for all the non-English majors, this one is for you, too. You might think English majors, as my good friend says, “sit around in circles during class and talk about their feelings,” but we embody so much more than the preconceived notions about us.
