<p>A lot of people like to look down upon the English major , as if it were a silly or impractical choice. </p>
<p>But is it really?
Perhaps it may be more practical than most give it credit for. </p>
<p>So how truly useful is majoring in English in the real world, and especially when it comes to employment opportunities?</p>
<p>If I were interested in copywriting , would it be more sensible to major in communication VS majoring in English ?</p>
<p>It depends a lot on where you go to college. Banks and consulting firms hire English majors from Harvard and the like all the time. From a less elite school you’ll have fewer options.</p>
<p>An English major absolutely can be sensible. Though it doesn’t prepare you for a specific field, it teaches you how to think critically and write well, and it gives you information about the sorts of books and issues that the world has been dealing with for centuries. You can do lots of things with an English degree.</p>
<p>[What</a> can I do with a major in English?](<a href=“http://career.studentaffairs.duke.edu/files/majors/information/english.pdf]What”>Duke Student Affairs)</p>
<p>Penn English graduates: [Career</a> Services, University of Pennsylvania](<a href=“http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/majors/engl.html]Career”>http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/majors/engl.html)</p>
<p>Hopkins English graduates: [Johns</a> Hopkins Career Center :: Students :: Explore](<a href=“http://www.jhu.edu/~careers/students/explore/majors/english.html]Johns”>http://www.jhu.edu/~careers/students/explore/majors/english.html)
[Johns</a> Hopkins Career Center :: Students :: Explore](<a href=“http://www.jhu.edu/~careers/students/explore/majors/writingsems.html]Johns”>http://www.jhu.edu/~careers/students/explore/majors/writingsems.html)</p>
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<p>These are all things that will help you once you are in a career but probably will not help you get your foot in the door. If you use internships wisely during college and build a strong network from professors, TAs, recruiters and other students, you will be fine. If you just blindly follow the coursework requirements like so many of my friends that have majored in English, you will find yourself deep in waiting tables for several years after college (4 and counting).</p>
<p>BTW, many of the suggestions in the link provided by IBclass were very optimistic. For many of those positions listed, employers will take somebody with experience in that particular area and have them do the writing rather than train someone who is good at writing in all the things particular to that field.</p>
<p>Unless you are a died in the wool Modern Language Association type, you should stay away from the English department. Independent study topics tend to be incomprehensible and internship opportunities in real companies are non-existent. If on the other hand, you are a writer, find a good creative writing program and do that. If you have considerable strengths in a foreign language with a strong literary tradition, you can do comparative literature. That will get you a spot in an international consulting firm if you go to HYP or some such.</p>
<p>For copywriting, English may be preferable to communications if your school is a prestigious one or if you can take hands-on classes in the communications school as electives while majoring in English.</p>
<p>I’d stay away from communications if you are considering law school or graduate school. English will be far better preparation for professional school or graduate work except, maybe, graduate work specifically in communications.</p>
<p>Communications; When English is just too hard.</p>
<p>LOL wow… mmm perhaps… but there are some interesting points here.</p>
<p>so perhaps majoring in english while doing multiple internships may be a good choice, as it wont limit me as much as a specific major.</p>
<p>It’s good prep for law school.</p>
<p>Colleges offer 2 types of degrees under one roof. This leads to confusion because back in the day they used to be offered at different schools; you went to one type of institution for job training, another for the classic “college education”. Some degrees are vocational in nature – accounting, engineering, nursing, etc. People with these degrees are prepared for jobs in their field without grad school (although some switch and do something completely different). On the other hand there are liberal-arts degrees.</p>
<p>Without the distinction in mind one ends up with mixed metaphors. Asking “what do I do with a major in english” is applying a vocational-education measure to a liberal-arts pursuit, and is somewhat akin to asking “how many inches in a cup of water?” None of the liberal-arts majors lead directly to a career path (except perhaps as a professor in that subject) nor are they intended to. The reason to pick a liberal-arts major is because of a strong interest in the subject. It may also be applicable to some career fields; an undergrad degree in an area such as English can be helpful for jobs that tend to require a lot of writing. But that is not the main goal; if you want a degree that prepares you for a job, pick a vocational major.</p>
<p>History, poli-sci, archeology, you name it. People with these majors can get good jobs too, but it takes more than just the degree. Good grades and involvement in leadership activities is important, but the key that is needed for these majors are internships. They set you apart from the 1000’s of other kids with the same degree, give you experience in the field, and usually lead to offers from the companies where you had internships. Other companies are impressed by the internships and take a much closer look at you.</p>
<p>People with liberal-arts degrees are NOT doomed to flipping burgers. Most people in management positions came up from these majors. One issue when answering questions like the OP asked is that most HS students (and unfortunately many college students) are just not yet informed about all the jobs that are out there. They can name only a dozen or two jobs, so they have no idea of how people enter career fields they don’t even know exist. This narrowing of focus means kids talk about the same few jobs as if that’s all there is – lawyer, teacher, accountant, doctor, investment banker, etc. Almost any career field is open to the liberal-arts grad outside of the ones that require specific training (engineering, nursing, etc), and even for these you could go to grad school or take post-college classes (eg. becoming an RN) if you really wanted.</p>
<p>The OP needs to take the broad approach; say to yourself “I’m going to graduate with a college degree, and this is a base requirement for many employers. But in addition to that, what steps do I need to take to identify a potential career and make myself an attractive hire to prospective employers in that field?” I would suggest the OP read 2 books. The first is “Major in Success” and explains with many stories how college students can discover their interests and prepare for jobs pursuing those interests while in college. The second book (more general, but along the same lines) is the bible of the job-hunter, “What Color is Your Parachute”. This book also helps you discover what your interests are and how to determine where out in the working world you can do it. I also suggest using the resources of your career center. First explore what you like to do, then identify career areas where you can do it. At that point you continue your preparation & exploration by joining clubs, getting internships, etc.</p>
<p>Nicely done, Mikemac!</p>
<p>Agree. ^^ My son is an English major at an Ivy, but he did think it helps a little to beef it up with a minor in something like economics or math. It is a great major for law school.</p>
<p>Mikemac said it very well. English is a highly valuable tool…teaching you to be able to read and write well and think critically. Fantastic for law school. If you go right into the workforce after college, as long as you have grades, companies will be attracted to you. </p>
<p>They will say, “3.7 GPA at this great school, founded a club on campus, interned at a major corporation, and an English major? Clearly an intellegent, driven young man/woman who could likely excel at this position in the company. We’ll take care of the vocational training.”</p>