Yes. I am an English major. As someone who only recently declared this major this past year, I was at first hesitant to actually declare a major in what had only been a passion of mine in the past. As the year has progressed, I have grown into my major: it is a perfect fit for me and my interests.

I have also grown to notice, however, that having an English major makes me the receiving end of several jokes and assumptions about me and my future. Admittedly, I was hesitant to declare the major because I had some pre-conceived notions of my own, but here I am going to set the record straight on some of the most common misconceptions I’ve faced since declaring my major.

1. So, you want to be a teacher.

No, I do not want to be a teacher. Just because I have an English major does not mean that I want to grade essays and teach grammar skills; however, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to do this either. A lot of my fellow English majors and classmates are also education majors and they have to work hard. Teaching is a greatly undervalued profession, and people with other majors should treat them with more respect.

As I said, however, I do not want to be a teacher. I actually plan on going on to law school after I receive my undergraduate degree in English. English, like all Liberal Arts and Sciences degrees, gives important skills other than just a knowledge of Tennyson and Whitman. In my classes, I have improved my writing skills, presentation skills, and critical thinking skills. All of this experience is valuable in any profession, so I can do whatever I want after graduation.

2. You never have to study.

This is true -- most of my time is not spent laboring over a textbook memorizing facts, learning equations, or solving problems. Instead, I spend my time writing papers, reading novels and poetry and piecing together their deeper meaning through critical thinking, and yes, sometimes I do have to study for in-class writing exams or finals. You may spend a few hours before each exam studying, but I spend the same amount of time researching, outlining, and writing. We’re doing the same amount of work.

3. You couldn't handle a STEM major.

I’m not a STEM major, and I respect everyone that is. It’s a lot of work, a lot of studying, and you’re going to go really far after graduation and have a really impressive educational history. A lot of my best friends are STEM majors. However, just because I didn’t choose to have a STEM major doesn’t mean that I couldn’t handle it or wasn’t smart enough to. LAS degrees require equal thinking, maybe different, but equal.

4. You'll never get a job.

Well, that’s a comforting thing to say to someone; however, I’ve heard it more than once. No one is guaranteed a job after graduation. I’m not going to get a job as an engineer or a nurse, that I will agree with you on, but my degree will be just as competitive for jobs in my field as any other. People with English degrees work in a variety of fields, so I think I have a fair shot.

5. You have so much free time.

My major does not determine the amount of free time I have. I still have classwork, I take fifteen or more hours each semester, and I still have to write papers and presentations and read outside of class. The free time I have is determined by my work ethic and organization, and it has nothing to do with my major. I can procrastinate like anyone else if I want to, but blaming a major on finishing homework early doesn’t make sense.

So maybe the next time you talk to an English major, please keep all this in mind.