I’m a junior at a public university majoring in English Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Spanish. One day I would like to publish a book but I know that writers don’t make a lot so I want to find a career that can sustain me while I write as a hobby. I have no idea what career though. My sister and brother both work for the government so I kind of been thinking about joining them because of the benefits you get but I don’t really know. I’m going to do an editing internship next semester to see if I like it and maybe do an internship in Washington D.C. later during my senior year. I tried talking to a career advisor at my university but they didn’t really help. Any suggestions?
What university? What GPA?
How good are you at Spanish?
Have you taken any class in digital media, professional writing…?
Are you a tutor at your college’s writing center?
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There are thousands of careers - lots and lots of things you can do with an English major. Many jobs don’t care about your major. What kinds of things are you interested in doing?
Working for the government could mean anything. The government hires people to do all kinds of jobs.
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Hi! Because you’re interested in internships, here are some possible resources for you beyond DC (though working there would also be great.)
Student Conservation Association – https://www.thesca.org/
Internships of all sorts. Some may include writing and language arts, too.
https://www.thesca.org/serve/young-adult-programs
Americorps NCCC or FEMA
https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorps-programs/americorps-nccc
All organizations and industries need people who can write. Tech writing is probably the most lucrative. It’s a skill set and you might want to take a class on this to get your feet grounded and to get started. Also look into grants writing. Grants writing for non-profit orgs is lucrative and a specialized skill. Take a course in grants writing and grants management and then perhaps you can gain entry into an not-for-profit or educational setting (universities and colleges rely on grants for many programs).
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My GPA is 3.69 and I would say that my Spanish is pretty good considering both of my parents are fluent in Spanish. I have taken a professional writing class and got an A and no I am not a tutor at my school’s writing center. I am hoping to take the class that allows me to become a writing tutor next semester along with an editing internship to see if that interests me.
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My GPA is 3.69 and I would say that my Spanish is pretty good considering both of my parents are fluent in Spanish. I have taken a professional writing class and got an A and no I am not a tutor at my school’s writing center. I am hoping to take the class that allows me to become a writing tutor next semester along with an editing internship to see if that interests me.
My office currently employs a law student who was an English lit major. I was chatting with him the other day and he said that he really feels that his background has been a help in law school. He said that many of his college friends are going into academia but he wasn’t interested in that. I will say that I can clearly see the difference between the quality of his writing and the work provided for me by other clerks who were not English majors or in a field that requires a great deal of writing.
The ONLY regret I have about my career in law is that I didn’t take the government job I was offered. I could be retired by now with a pension and medical benefits.
Being bilingual as an attorney would be useful if you went into international transactions, personal injury or criminal law or immigration, amongst other fields.
Another option because you are bilingual might be to look into the State Department or other government agencies like that.
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A common major specific profession for an English literature graduate is teaching high school English, though you may need additional teacher credential course work etc… Fluency in Spanish may make you more hireable in schools that have ESL students who speak Spanish.
English faculty at a college is an obvious one, but it is very hard to get a tenure track (as opposed to adjunct) job.
More peripherally related professions involve any kind of writing, though you would probably be writing about things other than literature and have to adapt accordingly.
There are other non major specific directions as well. Law after law school (law school ranking matters a lot these days) is an example, as are many general business jobs. But graduates from other majors like biology and history will also be competing here.
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