<p>which do you think would let employers know you can "read and write?"</p>
<p>english seems like the obvious answer
but history makes me think you can read, write, AND analyze.</p>
<p>i'm gearing towards a bachelors of science so i want employers to know i have the "reading and writing skills" and that i'm not a robot</p>
<p>There are analysis skills required in English as well. Possibly more so, but I’ve only taken two history classes and both required little analysis other than a book review.</p>
<p>It will be assumed you can read and write regardless of your major.</p>
<p>Being able to read and write are usually bare minimum requirements for any job, so you will need to find some other skills to impress.</p>
<p>You: Well, Sir, I think you will see from my resume that I can write and read.</p>
<p>Employer: Yes, so can my 8 year old nephew…can you operate databse systems? </p>
<p>You: Lol, oh heavens no…but I can read about database systems</p>
<p>Employer: OK, thanks for coming in. You will be emailed when we make our decision.</p>
<p>^ Many employers explicitly state a requirement for excellent written and oral communication skills. Clearly, many applicants do not have such skills, even though they have a college degree.</p>
<p>English would be better IMO, but that’s coming from an English major. I didn’t feel that my writing or analysis skills were challenged in the majority of the history classes I took. Were they easy? No. Did I read and write? Yeah. But I usually didn’t have to work as hard for a satisfying result.</p>
<p>When employers asks for “excellent writing skills” they are not requesting basic literacy, but the ability to express ideas cogently and felicitously. That skill is not as common as BigEastBeast seems to believe, especially among engineers and hard scientists. If you can combine writing ability with scientific or engineering expertise, you will be very valuable to an employer. </p>
<p>It matters more which courses you take within each of these departments, than what your major or minor is. Both English and history involve a lot of reading, analysis, and writing, but within departments, some faculty assign a lot more reading and papers than others. You want professors who make you do a lot of writing and give you a lot of feedback. Ask other students for advice, or read course descriptions carefully to see what the assignments are going to involve, before you sign up for classes. Don’t shy away from the demanding teachers.</p>
<p>In my experience as an undergraduate, more English profs than history profs gave me helpful feedback on the structure and style of my papers. On the other hand, I got more experience doing extensive research in history classes; undergraduate English classes tended to involve close analysis of a few texts rather than a lot of digging around in the library. Philosophy courses can also be excellent for developing skills of logical argument.</p>