I’ve found that a common topic of interest between college students is asking each other what their majors are. Understandable, I guess. I just always feel weird answering “English lit” because unless they are also an English major, they don't understand why. Most of the time, they politely ask what I want to do with that kind of degree.
Side note: if one more person replies, “Do you think there will even be any books to publish?,” when I tell them I’m interested in publishing and editing, I will scream (not literally, but I will be annoyed and probably a little sad).
There are several misconceptions about being an English major, and while they’re not always wrong, it’s still not very reasonable to assume that every English major is going to be a writer. I, for one, am not very creative (hello, literature emphasis). I'd much rather edit or add onto someone else's initial idea than come up with my own, and I'm also much better at it. I think the last time I tried to write something other than an essay and my articles, I was in middle school and inspired by the new Tinkerbell movie -- actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I think I unintentionally wrote fan fiction when I was like 11, and now I'm immensely disturbed. Anyway, it has never been my dream to write a book. I've thought about what it would be like before, and I just get overwhelmed and confused, so I’ll just stick to reading, thank you.
But the questions don't stop there! If it’s not writing, it’s teaching. I actually do know a lot of English majors that want to become teachers, and if you’re one of them, that's fantastic. But I get too nervous speaking in front of crowds to spend an hour or longer at the head of a classroom. I had a teacher last year who thought I didn't write my own essays because I never talked in class, but aced my written work. Can you imagine that personality type trying to teach other people? I’m embarrassed just thinking about it. I can, however, read silently to myself and work with small groups, and I'm also slowly but surely getting better at confidently(ish) putting my work on the Internet. The fact that I can do these things and happen to be able to articulately express myself via written or typed words has more appliance than just trying to convey that skill to other, much younger people who don't all have the same knack for it.
Reading and writing are the most essential skills a person can have. You can major in engineering or political science, but if you can’t read or write, how are you going to learn? Or succeed? Daniel R. Schwarz said it best: “What an English major brings to career possibilities is the ability to think critically, speak articulately, write lucidly and precisely, and to read powerfully, deftly, and with understanding of subtleties and nuances. They know how language works and have the written and oral skills to communicate effectively.”
Sure, these skills would ideally, and often presumably, be used to educate others, and I commend the writers and teachers that have degrees in English. But not every English major is the same. Yes, I love books and libraries, but I'll let you in on a little secret: I've never read "Pride and Prejudice." Or "To Kill a Mockingbird" (still don’t know how I went through high school not having done that, but whatever). Virginia Woolf is OK, but I'd rather be reading some YA novel that's being made into a movie, and it's those kinds of books that encouraged me to declare. I read a lot, and according to popular belief, that means I spend my free time contemplating Plato’s views on writing, or trolling the Internet to correct grammatical mistakes -- but I only do that to my sister, because she should know better. And Plato conveys most of his stuff through Socrates, who I’m admittedly not very fond of.
So, considering my lacking ability to form words in front of more than 10 people at a time, and the fact that I’m pretty sure no one would publish my Tinkerbell fan fiction, I think it’s safe to say not every English major wants the same thing. And the best part is, uniformity surely isn't expected of us.
