How to Start Your Career with an English Degree

In the musical Avenue Q, the track, "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?" laments, "What do you do with a B.A. in English? What's my life going to be? Four years and plenty of knowledge have earned me this useless degree." Sadly, this seems to be the response on many recent college graduates, heads filled with Pynchon and Hemingway and Proust, nervously making their way into the real world beyond academia.

As a former English major, I felt the pressure after graduation. Sure, I loved my field of study and the array of classes I had taken, but where could I go next? After speaking to my fellow students, we realized that many of us were in the same boat: what can you do in the real world with an English degree? Outside the realm of academia, students strive to be marketable and employable, and some of us were afraid our resumes and transcripts would not be enough. However, employers should know that English majors are excellent writers and communicators, along with sophisticated critical thinkers. So fear not, fellow English major - there is hope for you yet! Here are some possible careers that you might consider with an English degree.

The most obvious choice, of course, is teaching, but there are many options in this category. You might decide to focus on Elementary Education, with a special focus on Language Arts. If you love working with children, this could be a viable option for you. Another possibility is becoming a high school English teacher; paired with another major or minor in college, you become extremely employable in a high school environment.

You might also consider teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The difference between the two is that ESL is taught as a student's secondary language, generally outside of the student's native country, whereas EFL is taught as a foreign language inside the student's native country. Based on your experience and desire, you can choose to either stay in the U.S. or work abroad. A number of foreign countries desperately desire teachers, and popular countries to teach in include Japan, South Korea, Costa Rica, and China. If you'd like to have an adventure along with making a good salary, teaching English abroad may be the way to go.

Students with English degrees might consider advanced degrees as well. Post-graduation, I returned to my alma mater as a graduate student. I decided to further explore my love of English; also, in order to make money and find tuition assistance, I worked as a graduate assistant and taught freshman writing and ESL classes. The work experience combined with my studies allowed me to find work in my field almost immediately upon graduation. So, if you feel that you would like to continue your studies, graduate school may be for you.

A possible track that one might follow is found in the editing/publishing field. This field leaves many possibilities to work with books, magazines, textbooks, journals, and other areas of interest. Of course, a good background knowledge of conventional grammar skills and styles of writing is necessary in these fields. If you desire to work for a major print source, a portfolio of your own work is necessary as well. One way to build this resume is to work for your school or local paper to gather good clips of articles that best represent your writing.

Some English majors also consider a degree in Law, a field in which English majors are valued. Some of the key components to studying law are critical thinking skills, the ability to communicate well, and the ability to form strong arguments. Fellow major, we've all been through the pain of writing strong papers to debate post-modernism or Steinbeck, so why not use those skills to give law a try?

Another option for recent grads is to consider working in a retail environment. Many retailers today are looking for college graduates to join them on the sales floor. Having an college degree may afford the opportunity to move up in the company and secure a position in management, HR, or other possibilities. The workforce is competitive these days, and companies are looking for well-educated, well-rounded students to represent them.

A final possibility for English students to consider is working from home as an independent contractor. There are numerous writing, editing, tutoring, or test scoring opportunities out there. One popular job is at-home scoring though educational companies. Scorers may work on the ACT, SAT, or a number of other standardized tests; however, most of these jobs prefer workers who have some sort of teaching experience. You also might check within your community for people looking for writers, tutors, or editors (www.craigslist.com is often looking for help in all of these categories). On the negative side, the work as an independent contractor is not consistent. However, in most cases, you can set your own hours and wages, which is ideal for some.

Above all, remember that you always have options. A college degree, no matter the subject, is a great achievement for all. Continue to follow your dreams and your passions, and know that something will come through. Keep being the great thinker, creative writer, and literacy brain that you've always been.