There is no greater hell than having to tell someone you’re an English major, forced to smile and be polite when they look at you condescendingly and inquire what kind of job you can get with that. You’ll want to slap them, but usually, Miss Manners prohibits slapping others in a polite society.
Most people assume that English majors can only do two things: write or teach. And although those ARE two possible options, a degree in English can do so much more for you than you may think.
I became an English major partly because I love to read and write. However, studying English does more than help you discern tricky novels and stories that many people have trouble with. Being an English major is more than that.
It can be about honing your critical thinking skills, and requires you to be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas effectively both orally and through writing.
And although the unemployment rate in this country has gone down quite a bit in the last few years, it still isn’t at 0 percent. Therefore, many believe that it’s much safer to major in something that will almost positively result in a job immediately after college.
For me, majoring in something like engineering or chemistry or business was never something I considered. In high school, I usually struggled in whatever math or science class I was taking at the time. So the idea of devoting my whole life to one of these areas of study makes being homeless sound like a real prize.
I would probably have to put in three times the effort of my classmates just to get by.
But despite what everyone assumes, there are many studies out there with results that encourage more people to become English Majors.
According to the Georgetown Center on Education, English majors are at about a 9.8 percent percent rate of unemployment. This may not seem impressive, but other majors, such as economics and political science, were both at over 10 percent unemployment.
Not only that, but those majoring in computer science had an 8.7 percent graduation rate. Therefore, compared to other majors that are supposed to automatically get you a well-paying job right out of college, majoring in English isn’t exactly an inane (look it up, non-English major!) thing to do.
Many successful people majored in English. People like Diane Sawyer, Mitt Romney, Alvin Hansen (renowned economist), Toni Morrison, Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Barbara Walters, and Henry Spira (renowned animal rights activist), to name a few.
So, if you’re an English major, you shouldn’t let the rest of the world’s inaccurate ideas bring you down. You won’t necessarily have to wait tables for the rest of your life.
And the next time you’re drunk and at a family dinner, don’t make a mental list of things you need to start collecting after your son/daughter/niece/nephew tells you they’re thinking about majoring in English in order to keep them alive during their years of unemployment. Instead, just keep an open mind.
