It’s my first semester and I just finished finals. I just failed my descriptive linguistics class which is at a senior level. I feel that there isn’t much offered as a Linguistics major. Especially when I graduate the options for careers that cross my mind is being a speech pathologist. I feel that the Linguistic professor at CSUF are limited in professors. If I were to change to an English major I feel that there are more opportunities career wise and larger range of classes and professors to choose from. The reason I chose Linguistics as a major is simply I like the learning about different languages in the world. Even though I am not bilingual I still find the concept of language very fascinating. As of now I’m minoring in Japanese as well. What are the chances of me finding a career in either a Linguistics compared to English major? I already changed my major four times when I was at the community college…
Linguistics is not about learning about different languages in the world, not really. It’s about the scientific study of language - its construction, form, meanings, context, etc. In the course of learning linguistics you might learn about some different languages around the world, but it’s not really a primary goal of the major. Do you want to learn about the construction and science of language, or do you just want to become fluent in more than one language? They’re very different.
It’s really impossible to weigh the chances of a career in linguistics vs. English. It depends on a lot of factors and nobody can predict the future. It’s also the case that, since linguistics and English are both liberal arts majors (like math, physics, philosophy and sociology) most majors in those areas probably end up doing something only tangentially related to their undergrad major. Most English majors, for example, don’t end up as writers or English teachers. They may work in marketing…but part of their job is to write copy. Or they may work in media…but part of their job is writing directives to people on set. Or they may work in government…and part of their job is writing white papers.
So when you think about careers, don’t think narrowly - think broadly, and realize that your future career is far more predicated upon what you do in college (internships, skills, experiences) than your major, especially when we’re talking about most social science, humanities, and life and physical science majors.
Thank you so much for your advice juillet!