We English majors all face the dreaded question at some point in our lives: “What are you going to do with that?”
Inquirers range from our grandparents’ mildly interested friends to overly aggressive computer science majors intent on telling us how much money we’re not going to make when we graduate. No matter the intent, the question is annoying and unoriginal, and we’ve faced it too many times.
At this point, we have an answer to the question besides a stream of hysterical laughter, followed by, “Honestly? I have no idea.” That's courtesy of Marie Shaneyfelt, a fellow English major. We know how to answer the unanswerable. Thus, we present to you an article written for English majors (and English major doubters), by an English major, with citations from English majors: “What to do with an English Degree.”
By answering the question: “What are you going to do with your English degree?” we will prove that an English degree is a useful tool in the real world. Furthermore, we will illuminate the importance of each individual taking their own path, despite the fleeting judgement of others.
We're going to become teachers.
When people ask us what we will do with our degrees, teaching is the answer that makes people the happiest.
Haley, a Nebraskan and a junior at SOU, reflects on this phenomenon. She says about telling people her major, “I like to pause and give them a second to react. They usually try really hard to look positive, but the worry in their eyes is still obvious. Then I hit them with, ‘Secondary education concentration so I can teach high school,’ and the look of absolute relief in their eyes is priceless. It's now my favorite question to be asked. I can detect every shred of materialism and nosiness that exists in a person based on their reaction to my answer."
Teaching is one of the most important and under-appreciated professions. Read that sentence again, please. We owe everything we know—from grade school to high school to college—to our English teachers. I was lucky to have empowering, strong individuals teach me everything from basic grammar to larger social issues through books like “Native Son,” “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” and “Snow Falling on Cedars.”
So, yeah, some English majors are going to become life-changing teachers who shape the world views of hundreds or thousands of impressionable young adults with not yet developed prefrontal cortexes. Deal with it.
We're going to become something besides teachers.
While teaching is an awesome career option for English majors, it’s not the only one. As English majors gain a complex mastery of language and writing, they’re strong candidates for many different fields.
Fiction writer Brian, a sophomore at SOU, has an answer for the question, even though he’s not planning on going into teaching. He double majors in English and political science, plans to go to law school, and eventually wants to go into environmental or humanitarian law. But he still has a witty response for doubters saved for later. “‘I'm going to write things your grandkids will remember. I'm going to hold a mirror to reality that will make the good shine brighter and the bad change. I'm going to help people better understand the world on a larger scale and themselves on the smallest scale, and most importantly, I'm going to take a bunch of black scratches on the page and use them to make a difference.’” That sassy answer alone exemplifies the power of an English major’s writing and an English major’s ability to create change in the world.
Dante, a junior at SOU, combats, “Oh, you look like a barista” comments by explaining that he wants to become professionally involved in museum work. According to him, “Almost without fail, someone will say, ‘But what would you really want to do if there was nothing that could hold you back?’ and I'm usually just like ‘Uhh...’” The joke is on them. Dante is interning at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City this summer, and he’s actually doing what he really wants with his major.
Additionally, there’s a lot of boring adult jobs out there for English majors. We can write entries for encyclopedias, create advertisements for food products at places like Harry and David, or be the person who writes letters to disgruntled students who missed SAT questions and demand to know why.
Bottom line: We have plenty of career choices, and we’re smart enough to figure our lives out.
We're not sure what we're going to become yet.
There’s the possibility that we may answer the question with, “I have no idea.”
I fall into this category. I love reading and writing, so I’m an English major. That’s all I’ve figured out. And that’s OK. Because that’s not unique to English majors—many of us college students are not sure what we’re going to do with our arbitrarily chosen degrees and our lives in general.
Marie, a sophomore at SOU, says it like it is. “Who really knows what they're going to end up doing with their majors, whether it's wasting it and pursuing something unrelated or exploring a specific field. Who knows?” The better question, she argues, is why she’s an English major:.“Writing has always been a passion of mine. If your passion is the foundation for whatever you pursue in life, you're off to a good start in my book. I'm going to communicate my thoughts, my ideas, and my helping hand through words."
It’s true. Not all of us know what we’re doing with our lives, but we are following our passions and learning about ourselves and the world along the way. What better place to do that than college?
Ultimately, English majors have a myriad of skills that we can transfer to the real world once we graduate. We can become inspiring teachers, excel in other interesting careers, or we can figure that out later. As we continue through college, we will continue to defend our life choices and follow our non-conventional dreams just like everyone else.
The real question is not “What are you doing to do with your English degree?” but “What aren’t you going to do with your English degree?”
