There's a good chance that those reading this article are English majors themselves. These readers are probably getting heated at the mere possibility that I appear to be readying my verbal canon against them. Let me begin by saying that you can lower your pitchforks and grammar guides; I'm not opposed to you.
Many will pursue a career which is either directly or indirectly provided by an English degree at the undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral level. I have met, studied with, and worked with many bright individuals who graduated from college with an English degree and are using what they learned in their careers. However, things did not work out for me that way. Despite being an avid reader and writer who seemed like the perfect candidate to spend four years pouring over various kinds of literature and writing papers, I discovered that I was not. Studying English was not meant for me. In the hopes that my academic and personal realizations may be of use to some fellow students out there, I would like to share how I realized this.
As aforementioned, I love reading and writing. I plan on being a full-time author someday. The literature market is very difficult to be noticed in. As a result, I decided to major in English for job security, assuming I could be a professor of some sort or even pursue law in the future.
After taking my third college-level English class last semester, I realized that I had hated all of them. Not because they were difficult, but because there were not what I expected. Even though I enjoy reading and writing, I discovered that I do not enjoy doing so when forced. The thought of continuing to study old literature and taking quizzes over them for the next four years made me want to cry. That's when I re-evaluated and considered more creative ways that I could explore my passions, while still being able to find a job after graduation.
At this point, I began researching online. For any of you who are unsure of what you want to study, I would highly encourage you to research too. Talk to advisors, professors and family about your passions. Often times, the people close to you have noticed more of your strengths than you have. I realized that while I love writing and will continue to attempt getting published, my other chief passion is people. Specifically, I love talking to people. I felt pretty down when I considered all of my interests. Talking? Working with others? Public speaking? Those aren't really skills, are they? WRONG! I discovered there are so many job markets looking for people just like me. When I decided to switch my major to Public Relations, I was giddy with excitement when I saw the degree plan. Now, I am learning more about different avenues of creativity, which in my case, I believe will help me more in my career goals.
Studying books is cool and all, but I quickly realized that I didn't love doing that enough to make a career out of it. If you're a fellow bookworm or writer, consider your options! Journalism, news, screenwriting, and copy editing are all booming fields looking for creative minds to employ. "Find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life." - Confuscious.
