Dear "Just" English Majors:
Fellow "Just" here. "Just" English, nothing more. No elementary education, no secondary education, and definitely no psychology. Us "Just"s, we're a good bunch. We love to read, be they classics or fan fiction. We like to write, be they poems or, well...fan fiction. People like to joke about us ending up working at Starbucks after graduation, but there are so many fields that we've opened ourselves up to by taking on this literature-intensive, essay-heavy major--with teaching being one of them, of course. But for you "Just"s out there, hear me out: you aren't doomed to spend your post-grad days heating up milk and churning out PSLs for teenagers. The world is your oyster, you grammar-loving nerd. And whether you've gone through this, are currently or plan on subjecting yourself to this wonderful life, you should know these feels:
1. The "having your professor assign two Norton Anthologies for one class" feel.
They're SO HEAVY.
2. The "all of my finals are 10-12 page close readings essays" feel.
Don't mind me, I'll be taking up residence in the library for the next two weeks.
3. The "people automatically assuming you want to be a teacher" feel.
No disrespect to education majors (you all rock), but no.
4. The "classmates asking why you're paying 'x' much for a liberal arts degree" feel.
Because I want to that's why.
5. The "having to take more than one literature class a semester" feel.
Why did I do this to myself?
6. The "having to memorize poems for recitation" feel.
Why do professors do this to us?
7. The "maybe becoming a stripper won't be so bad" feel.
Except 90% of us can't dance to save our lives.
8. The "debating grammar with your fellow nerds" feel.
Oxford commas save lives, people!
9. The "classmates asking you to proofread their papers" feel.
Did you not hear the part about having my own papers to worry about?
10. The "not needing to take too many written tests" feel.
Those essentially stopped after you finished your GenEd classes.
11. The "family members assuming you have no job prospects" feel.
I can be literally anything I want.
12. The "math classes are torture" feel.
You probably only had to take a basic math class, but it was the worst.
13. The "through all this stress I wouldn't have it any other way" feel.
You're proud to be "just" an English major.
