Hello, my dear literary friend,
Put down your great novels and halt your latest writing task for a short while. I come bearing gifts of advice and encouragement as one of your own.
First, I would like to get it out of the way that just because you are an English major does not mean you have to teach. Now if that is what you want to do, then by all means! Go you! But the mistaken stereotype that all English majors will be teachers is simply not true.
As an English major, your career paths are vast and numerous. You are being taught how to communicate and how to communicate well. You may prefer speaking over writing or vice versa. I, personally, trust the words I put down on paper more so than the words that come out of my mouth. Communication is something that will always be needed in the working world; otherwise, things don't get done!
You are taught to read for the deeper meaning and to write with creative and collective precision. Those are amazing skills to have!
Another mistake non-English majors make is that we basically learn about grammar all day. No. No. No. No. NO! Most of us are actually not sticklers about grammar. Now, we can use it a good deal more accurately, but I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one who's NOT torn up about the Oxford comma debate.
Also, those great works of literature that your professor assigns a hundred pages per night for you to read? They give great insight into different aspects of the human condition. How else are we supposed to think about what tragedy and comedy really are if we don't write about it? How do we delve into the human mind and heart if we don't somehow communicate what it feels like to be in love or confront our worst fears?
Furthermore, it cannot be denied that we have some of the absolute coolest professors in the university. (I'm not biased at all.) Who else comes up with courses completely devoted to Tolkien, Sherlock Holmes, C.S. Lewis, etc.? Who else can teach a class on film and theater and the works that inspired some of the greatest performances known to man?
Who else tells you that when it comes to your writing, there are no rules, just make it work? They encourage us to open our minds and fill them with rich texts written by geniuses. They also tell us we have the opportunity, and if we work at it, we can be like those geniuses whose words have made us laugh, cry, and fill us with hope. I could go on and on about the pure awesomeness of the people who impart their wisdom to us and who we are truly blessed to have.
English professors – we love you, and we are sorry we complain so much about the amount of reading you give us for homework.
Fellow English majors, I'll leave you with this:
Go forth, and be writers, editors, lawyers, teachers, and communicators (or be whatever you want to be).
Don't be discouraged. You are where you're supposed to be.
Read, encourage, write, shout, analyze, speak, edit, challenge, re-write, argue, act, explain, and lead.
The world is waiting to hear and read what you have to say.
Sincerely yours,
M.T.
