Careers for English Majors

<p>I'm currently an Economics major, however I'm wanting to switch and become an English major. My Economics department is not well known, graduates make very little, my advisor is too busy to meet with me, and I do not like the professors in the department. English however, is the opposite of what I just mentioned about the Economics department. Therefore, I've decided to major in English. </p>

<p>But, what professions are available to English majors that are not interested in teaching? Are there any careers I can get upon graduation that will reward me with a high salary?</p>

<p>So...you haven't mentioned whether you like English or not... It's a little funny to start asking about salaries without establishing that basic fact for everyone's edification. But as for high paying careers--you can become an editor at a publishing house (hard to break into), write books (also hard to break into), get into journalism (hard to break into). keep in mind that majors don't necessarily dictate career choice, and that if money is your concern, it's MUCH easier to get a high-paying job right out of college in finance than English.</p>

<p>My recollection is reading that English is the most popular major for people who continue on to Law School. But you asked about "upon graduation" so maybe that's not what you needed to hear. Law School takes 3 years post-graduate.</p>

<p>English is an obvious pathway to Law because it involves reasoning about texts and good analytical writing. Law Schools also take people from a wide choice of majors, not just English.</p>

<p>You might begin a career in writing grants for non-profit foundations, right out of college. Your coursework to date from Economics would be relevant and not wasted, not that I think anything learned is ever a waste. Anyway, google up Grants Writing.</p>

<p>Also do you know about the US Department of Labor website on Occupational Outlooks? It describes careers by salary (starting and top level) along with the kinds of training and education required for each. It makes every career sound boring, but don't be dissuaded. Their website has no writer's voice :)</p>

<p>As for teaching English, it can be your ticket to travel the globe as an English Second Language teacher. That's no high-paying career, but it does sound fascinating.</p>

<p>Regarding what gj12789 stated, I do indeed enjoy English. My enjoyment tends to be more related to the writing portion, opposed to reading. I'm looking at doing a concentration in rhetoric, given that is where I have performed best and enjoyed the most. Whether or not I'll at least minor in Economics is still in the air. I've recently become fascinated with the energy crisis the world is facing and have been checking out my school's new Energy Sciences minor.
UNL</a> | Energy Sciences</p>

<p>After doing some thinking over the last couple of weeks, I've came to the conclusion that I would like to become a writer for a media company and write financial related articles. I do know this is starting to go away from the main objective of this thread, but would minoring in Energy Sciences, give me a step up in becoming a financial writer (writing about oil, gold, ethanol in the markets), opposed to just coming out with an English degree?</p>

<p>law school, med school, business school...honestly majors don't matter that much. I have a friend who was a philosophy major and is now working at a hedge fund on Wall Street.</p>