The two questions all college students are asked most frequently are “What is your major?” and “What do you want to do with that degree?” Some degrees have easy answers attached to them. Obviously, most education majors want to be involved with teaching, nursing majors want to be in the medical field, pre-seminary students want to become pastors or official members of a church, and engineering students want to become engineers. These majors are supposed to help guide you into an appropriate career, but as an English major, answering questions about my future are tricky.
It seems the default answer for a career for an English major after college is “writer,” but it is not a simple solution. Writing encompasses a whole plethora of options including scholarly writing, journalism, creative, and a host of other tasks. Also, writing is not a very stable or lucrative career. Not exactly something you want in a difficult job market. Another popular option is teacher, but that too is misleading. Many English majors are not interested in teaching at all, and if we wanted to be teachers we would have just majored in education. Asking why someone is an English major is difficult is because there are many different reasons and many different paths one could take with such a program of study.
Many people see English as a useless degree because of this. They fail to see the value in learning about literature and language when there are other more lucrative, alternatives that have concrete objectives. The stereotype is that English majors will be broke and struggling after college and that we are all just pie-in-the-sky dreamers who care more about finishing our debut novel than an actual stable career. But like all stereotypes, there is little truth in these statements, and the reasons for choosing to major in English are varied and logical.
That brings us to the question “Why did you become an English major?” If I were to answer that question, I would say it is because I have had a lifelong love of literature and stories since I could read. I also love writing and when I get the chance jot down my thoughts as much as I can. I love reading new and interesting books every semester and discovering the hidden themes and meanings behind them. I love examining people through the lens of a narrator. I love how authors use words and wordplay to create engaging tales and vivid images. I love discussing the historical context of a particular piece or how the author’s life shaped its creation. And I love how a piece can be interpreted in many different ways and how there is no one meaning to a piece. Literature and language enhances and enriches the mind, and life would be dull and unfulfilling without it. It can invoke strong emotions in people whether they realize it or not, and I love it when I can read something that gives me a visceral feeling. I do not want to be an English major necessarily to secure a six-figure job or to become the next best-selling novelist. I am an English major because I want to study something I care about deeply. And after all, isn’t that what college is about? Having a few years of freedom to do what you want before the burdens of adulthood are placed upon you?
