English majors have a somewhat bad reputation. Not for being a bad degree, but for more of something that people see as useless. Being an English major myself, and having people question me about it, I have put together this list of misconceptions people have about my degree.
1. They automatically assume you want to be a teacher.
When people hear "English major" the first thought that pops into their head is teaching. I guess because the biggest job people see in the English world are middle and high school teachers.
2. There are only three types of jobs for people with an English degree.
Most people automatically assume that you either want to be an author, a teacher, or a journalist. The English degree is more about the skills it gives you rather than setting you up for specific jobs. Many English majors end up in law, publishing, marketing, advertising, and even working for magazines.
3. You will end up being poor.
Because there is this assumption about jobs for English majors being limited, people also assume that you will be poor. I hear jokes all the time about how I'm going to end up being a barista at Starbucks because I won't find a "real job" with my degree.
4. All you do is sit around and read books all day.
If an English major has a focus in literature, there is the stereotype that they just read. This assumption is very common when discussing classes they take. English classes are not just reading books. There are many that are focused on writing as well.
5. It's a waste of a degree.
Because of these assumptions about careers after graduation, people think it's not worth going to a university for a degree like that. As if you don't need a college education if you're going to end up working as a barista.
Whether you think any of these things to be true or not, someone you know has probably assumed at least one of them. There are so many things that English majors can do that people don't even realize. It's time to get rid of these misconceptions and take majors such as those in the humanities seriously.
