What Can You Do with a College Degree in English?

Some college students entering their first semester of college have no clue as to what they want to be when they grow up, and then there are some college students that already know what they want to do for the rest of their life. Then there are those college students who know what career they want to choose, but aren't quite sure what the best major or minor is best. No matter which category you fall into, the outcome isn't always what you think it will be. For instance, I majored in English, and now I work as a secretary, translate for Spanish residents, and teach Spanish to nurses, managers, and everyday people interested in learning the language.

When I first decided to attend college, I had no idea what I was going to major in. I didn't figure it out until my third semester. My intentions were to get accepted into a law school, and I knew that as long as achieved a bachelor's degree, it really didn't matter what my major or minor was. So, I visited a University counselor who suggested I major in English. My first thought was, how on earth is English going to teach me anything about law? I decided to take the major in English, and took several classes in reading and writing and found them very rewarding. With this degree I also had to take four semester in a foreign language, I chose Spanish, since I had taken a few classes in high school. I did not have a minor, although I could have minored in education, which would have made sense if my intentions were to become an English teacher. When I graduated from college, I had read a collection of books and wrote many reports and articles, that I felt educated and smart. My Junior year, I was accepted into law school and was well on my way to becoming a corporate lawyer.

I started to work for a non-profit agency right out of college that assisted migrant workers with getting an education, employment, food, and shelter. Most of these migrant workers were of Spanish decent and did not speak English. For a whole Summer, I traveled in the Lake Erie area reading, writing and speaking Spanish to pure strangers. Without my knowledge, word had spread that I knew how to speak Spanish. A few months later i received a job offer from a local plastics factory for a shipping clerk. On occasion, I was asked to call a supplier in Mexico. After a few years, I began helping area residents by translating for them at the local hospital, doctor's and dentist's offices. Just recently I was asked to start up a class to teach Spanish to nurses, managers and everyday people interested in learning how to communicate with the growing number of Spanish residents in the area.

Since my English had grown over the years during college and working with clients, I decided to write for cash. That's when I found Associated Content. For about a year now, I have been writing articles for money, and have thousands of page views. I have now decided to take it a step further, and applied for the examiner.com. I have recently been accepted to write for the restaurant category in the Youngstown, Ohio area.

Although I never attended Law School, I used my English degree to further my career in several ways. I speak to people with an excellent vocabulary, sentence structure, and intellect. I use my Spanish class experience to become an interpreter and a Spanish language instructor. In the past year, I have opened myself up to become an entrepreneur and write articles on the internet for cash. Who would have thought I would be doing this? Not me. In a few years, maybe all of these experiences will land me a new career, one I never thought of pursuing with a bachelors degree in English.