Ever since I decided that I wanted to study English in college, I've constantly been asked: "what are you going to do with that?". And it's a valid question. English is a very broad subject, and with that comes the possibility of many different paths, just like any other major.
The beauty of an English degree, no matter what your concentration is, is that the skills you learn studying English can translate into so many different jobs outside of English. Writing is such a large part of language, and therefore as an English major, you have the ability to gain strong written communications skills, among many others.
And while English can help in many different professions, I still get asked what exactly I want to do with just an English degree. And the answer is, I have no clue what exact path I want to take with English, all I know is that I cannot spend the rest of my life not writing. So, here are just a few of the possible jobs someone with just an English major can find.
Author
I feel like this is one of the first things that people think of when they hear that someone is an English major. A person who wants to spend all their time writing, aspiring to be published, hopefully, one day getting there. For me, while I think it would be amazing to be amongst the brave people who are able to publish a novel, I don't think I have enough patience to stick with an idea long enough to finish one.
Teacher
I had one truly amazing English teacher in my life before coming to college. None of the others were actually bad, but my sophomore and junior year teacher pushed me to become a better writer. Teaching English, possibly as a second language, or just, in general, is something that I've actually been very drawn to. Whether or not it happens, we will have to wait and see.
Journalist/Editor
While these two things are very different, they are the two jobs that I am most currently interested in, so I decided to put them together. While I don't have the patience to stick with the same idea long enough to write a novel, I think that writing about different topics, doing research, looking at stories from different perspectives, would be incredible. Following those same lines, I also believe that being an editor is intriguing because you would have the ability to ensure that a story reaches its full potential.
Lawyer
While this requires more than just getting a degree in English, having an English major can be a good first step towards law school.
Public Relation Specialist
Having an English major in this field would be extremely useful, because of the story writing qualities necessary to be successful. This position would be useful in news outlets, magazines, television, or working for specific people.
Other options:
Librarian
Social media manager
Technical writer
Proposal manager
Copywriter
While these are just a few of the options that someone with an English major has for a job, there are hundreds more. I'm not sure what my path is exactly, but I'm certain that I will be writing in my future, all thanks to my English major.
