Hope for an English major in the Real World

Parent Cafe
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<p>Pink, It is hard to envision a career that doesn’t fall into a specific category, like doctor, lawyer, Indian chief, but the truth is that “business” covers a wide range of disciplines and fields and an English degree is a wonderful entree. </p>

<p>Business communicates like all organizational hierarchies in words – spoken, written, and increasingly e-mailed. We don’t sit around and talk about dollars and statistics (well, we do, but rarely); we talk about ideas, concepts, strategies. We argue, we explain, we sell, we instruct, we clarify and we clarify again. Everyone I’ve known who’s been successful in business has been a strong communicator. (When I read some of the e-mail messages that come out of my home office I WISH they’d hire some more English majors.)</p>

<p>I don’t know that my dual art history and English degree prepared me for my specific job (which is basically international manufacturing) but it certainly provided a sound foundation for the day to day challenges that I’ve faced over the years, which continue to be mostly communication driven. My colleagues, many of whom are VERY well paid, have college degrees in everything under the sun – from biology to engineering to political science to music and even English. They stumbled into their careers much the same way I did. You start as a trainee, an administrative assistant, a gopher (in my day a secretary), move up as opportunities present themselves and presto! 30 years pass and there you are at a destination that you could never have imagined when you were in college. </p>

<p>I can remember as a child being asked what I wanted to “be” when I grew up. Not being able to name a profession can lead to anxiety, but many business jobs defies easy definition. The path I followed from college to today is more like chutes and ladders than a corporate ladder. You go up and down and all over the board. You work hard because it’s so goshdarn interesting and stimulating. You crash and burn and take a sabbatical. You recoup and come back stronger.</p>

<p>PLENTY of Asian females succeed in business. (Ever been to China?) What it takes is drive, intellect and a certain amount of being in the right place at the right time. If you’re interested in pursuing business I’d suggest that you pick a general field – e.g. finance, retail, consumer goods, technology, not-for-profit, publishing – whatever interests you and try to get a summer job or unpaid internship at a Fortune 500 company. Once you’re inside you’ll see how things fit together and what the career paths really are. Getting an MBA or a law degree makes good sense, but the real key is conceptualizing what your job description could be within an organization which is difficult to do if you’ve never worked for one.</p>

<p>PS, I read a little Shakespeare everyday and I’m working my way through Henry James. Even after decades of corporate life, once an English major, always an English major.</p>

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<p>Speech therapy is another grad school program to consider. Or ESOL.</p>

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<p>Paying3--I believe I did say "top out at." I think the OP is intelligent enough not to think that means starting or even midrange salary. Starting salaries in NJ are in the high 30s to mid 40's, money most non-technical B.A.s can't touch (more than i make, with a grad degree.) Average in NJ is probably around high 50s to mid 60s. Plenty of tenured phone-it-in teachers in our district (not a high paying one) make 80s, 90s, just like plenty tenured, committed hard working teachers do. (I'd assume the OP will be one of the latter :)). Not a bad gig for an English major, and like I said, plenty of time in the summers for writing and reading.</p>

<p>(and, the OP doesn't have to get a teaching certificate in college. Many of the best teachers I know are either alternative route, or did post-bac programs.)</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Are there any career paths for an English major that don't cap out at a salary of 40k?

[/quote]
I'm trying to think of a career path for an English major that DOES! My first degree was in English. I'd not dissuade anyone from going that route at all. </p>

<p>I live right in garland's stomping ground. Agree that there are loads of teachers in my district that make over $100,000. (Ours pays higer than state average.) Same pay scale for any teacher K-12 here, so h.s teachers get no advantage in pay.</p>

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<p>As an undergrad, I was also an English major. I got my share of, "What are you going to do with THAT major?" as well.</p>

<p>I was a private school English teacher in my first career, but went on to grad school in an entirely different area, and now have a career that demands superb (and prolific) writing skills, as I need to produce extensive reports. I credit my good skills in this area to my undergrad, not my graduate, education. Most professionals in my field do not have an English background, and I have been known to "tsktsk" under my breath at the grammar and structural errors I sometimes see in their reports.</p>

<p>Oh, and I am also paid very well for what I do (much better than $40K!).</p>

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<p>I was an English major. Don't worry. Bright, hardworking people will always be able to find work. Relax, do what you love, keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. If your uncle bothers you again, tell him you've got your career plan all laid out: #1 Join the Peace Corps. #2 Marry a rich man. #3. Stay home with kids. That'll get him.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
mathmom and garland, with all due respect, I checked the figures, which come from the wealthiest suburbs of New York.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>And with all due respect that's why I included a link to the chart. It has the salary levels broken down by percentage and towns all over NY. It's a mistake to think teachers can never make more than $40,000, but yes, $100,000+ is a top salary. One should probably also remember where teacher salaries are high so are housing costs.</p>

<p>That said, many have found that the hours for teaching make it a good fit for family time and you are likely to have the same vacations as your kids.</p>

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<p>Let's not lose sight of the reason that many people (my daughter included) go into teaching. They think they can make a difference, that they are good at it and it's their passion. I doubt that making big bucks is at the top of the list. From employmentspot.com,</p>

<p>" The American Federation of Teachers issues a Teacher Salary Trends report each year to survey the pay levels of U.S. educators. In 2002 (the latest data available), the average teacher salary was $44,367. </p>

<p>The study ranks the states according to teacher salary, with California
($54,348), Michigan ($52,497) and Connecticut ($52,376) at the top of the list. South Dakota had the lowest average teacher salary at $31,383. "</p>

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<p>Well, absolutely. My H didn't quit medicine to go into teaching for the money! But it's still good to know he can make a decent living in it.</p>

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<p>"Around here they do (after many years of experience, of course), and JHS and I are from the same area."</p>

<p>Around here they do, too. And many do test prep/coaching for more money, as well.</p>

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<p>"Also, graduates of good law schools peak at a significantly higher income than $40k, and law is a career path that is more than accessible to former english majors."</p>

<p>True, but competition for those jobs is tough, particularly for Asian females, and the debt load can be life-altering. But if it's what you love, then . . .</p>

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<p>H was an English major and got a grad degree in it as well. He's in sports now and complains that the people he works with don't express themselves in written work well because of their pre-professional training. Go Liberal Arts!</p>

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<p>D's coach (at the club level) has a PhD in English and is a professor who does a broad array of other wonderful things at the same time. What a joyful man he is.</p>

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<p>Ooof, I forgot about test prep/coaching. One fabulous teacher I know quit her teaching job and was making close to $200,000 per year as an SAT coach. She was working like a dog, though, and ultimately she took a position as in in-house coach at a private school in order to rationalize her life some. I also know an English-major indie rock musician who for a number of year paid her rent by doing SAT coaching. But I'm not sure that meets the OP's stated criteria for satisfaction.</p>

<p>Re teaching salaries: Of course, the $100,000+ teachers around here have at least 20 years of seniority, and work for one of the four or five suburban districts who have been most aggressive in improving their schools over the past decade. Often, they were excellent teachers in city public schools who were recruited to suburban districts. It's not like every teacher eventually makes $100,000+ here now, but that's not rare, either. </p>

<p>Top salaries in the city system are around $75,000, and in most suburban districts somewhere between that and $100,000. Private school salaries tend to be significantly less than that (although they go up much faster earlier in a teacher's career, so private school salaries may exceed public school salaries for a 25-30 year-old). They often include free tuition for children, too, which is a big deal.</p>

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<p>RE: teachers' salaries. I do think the OP needs to truly understand that though you can attain a $100,000 salary in the field- it will be fewer and further between than most teachers who toil in the school system. That high salary will only come to you after 20-30+ yrs of hard work teaching, & this will vary widely depending on location and school contracts.</p>

<p>And sometimes if you came to teaching later than a 22yr old college grad, or had years of teaching exp. in a private or parochial system, you will have significantly less yrs. listed in your contract. This happened with my spouse and some of his co-workers. Total teaching exp. is much higher, but that experience was not granted to them when they started working in the public school district. Their salaries are not really close to $100,000 at all.</p>

<p>All that said, be an English teacher if you think you will love working with young people, teaching them writing and grammer and literature, etc. With years of hard work, you can create a nice life for yourself.</p>

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<p>Another English major (and from Cal, too!) piping in: do you have interests besides literature? If so, see how you can combine them with your strong writing/analytical skills to forge your own career path. For example, my other passion at school was equally impractical - film. I first volunteered, then had a paying position at, Cal's Pacific Film Archive. That led to writing about film for a museum film department, which led me to journalism (writing/producing TV news) which led me to being a marketing writer at a Fortune 300 company. I put into words, and readable/grammatical English, ideas forged by some 60-odd number crunchers.</p>

<p>So yes, there are jobs for English majors. It's not as clear-cut (or as secure) a career path as for, say, engineering or business majors. But it can be done. If I could go back in time, I'd still do the English major thing all over again. That education gave me the background for a lifetime of passionate reading. But I'd take (or audit at least) a lot more science. Not because it's practical, but because I don't like sounding like an idiot when a 3 year old asks how a battery works :)</p>

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<p>Comparative Literature major here. Went on eventually, after wandering through India and working fund-raising for Off Broadway theater and various other young 20's type stuff, to get an MBA. Work in marketing. It can be quite lucrative, especially if you get to director/vp level, and or you work for a fast-growing company and make a bundle on their stock. </p>

<p>Wasn't my major per se that got me my job, but I can write a damn good press release when I have to, if I say so myself:).</p>

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<p>I majored in English at UCLA, wanting to become a journalist (rock music critic, to be more precise!) or a professor. I ended up becoming a lawyer, and my writing and reading skills made law school (and now in practice for 20 years) easy. You don't have to argue to be a good lawyer. There are many high powered and/or well-paid transactional lawyers. Back then, it was mostly political science majors that went into law. Times have changed.</p>

<p>You can also become a doctor or anything else you want to do. My friend majored in history, then went into acting, and finally went back to med school. He claims that it is often better (and more well-rounded) to go to med school after majoring in something not science related. He's doing really well, and also advises in medical t.v. shows.</p>

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<p>while this isn't regarding an English major,
when I was talking to the vet yesterday- we discovered that both our daughters graduated from Reed.
His daughter has a philosophy degree, another degree that you would think would demand automatic grad school, but she is actually working for a bioethics company- that moved to Italy ( he says he has visited her 6 times ;) )</p>

<p>I would also agree that most teachers aren't making $100,000 ( although some do supplement their jobs with summer work) , but most families aren't making $100,000 either .
Teaching- if you are in a decent district/private school does have the advantage of flexibilty, you can go anywhere & often the people that I know that are able to travel the most are teachers.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Think about the things you enjoy.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Being a lawyer may meet your stated criteria, but you'll risk being dreadfully unhappy if you don't actually like what lawyers work on and do. The same can be said for any professional position.</p>

<p>My advice is to make a list of things you enjoy working on or doing or might reasonably expect to enjoy working on or doing.</p>

<p>(If you truly aren't sure what you might like, then I suggest getting a book like "What Color is Your Parachute?" to begin to figure yourself out.)</p>

<p>(You can also "try on" various ideas right now, by volunteering or through part-time or summer experiences.)</p>

<p>Once you've noticed what you like to do, you can look for jobs that allow you to do those things!</p>