What Can You Do With an English Degree
People with an English degree sometimes get a bad rap. Though English degrees are often accused of only being useful in academic settings, there are in fact many employment options for English majors. You may wonder, “What can I do with an English degree?” With a focus on English, students learn how to analyze, interpret, and improve many different types of text. Good writing skills can be applied to almost any job.
Graduates with English degrees tend to be more open-minded and can offer a fresh approach in a stale work environment. Having an English major on your staff will allow you to review documents quickly and the necessary changes to improve. So what can you do with an English degree? The answer is anything that requires clear writing and critical thinking skills.
What skills will I learn with an English degree?
When finding out what can you do with an English degree, you need to have an accurate knowledge of the skill set you will acquire. Many jobs are more interested in the skill set of applicants than they are in their degree. Here are some of the skills you can gain with an English degree:
- The ability to organize thoughts and ideas
- The ability to quickly analyze documents
- The ability to research and explain results
- The ability to write clearly and concisely
- The ability to communicate effectively
- Familiarity with proper grammar and spelling
What types of jobs can I get with an English major?
Now that we are familiar the skill set learned in an English program, we can move on to the more pressing question: What can you do with an English degree? What types of employment are available? Here are just a few examples of careers you can get with a degree in English:
- Administration
- Advertising writer
- Attorney
- Author
- Bank officer
- Book publisher
- Columnist
- Communications assistant
- Copywriter
- Editor (book, copy, dictionary, textbook etc.)
- Government service
- Information officer
- Journalist
- Manuscript reader
- News reporter
- Newspaper/magazine editor
- Press secretary
- Proofreader
- Publications manager
- Publishing assistant
- Reporter
- Senior editor
- Senior staff writer
- Teaching (all levels)
- Writer: technical, speech, freelance
As you can see, what can you do with an English degree is limited only by your drive, passion, and the direction that you want to take your career. There are many businesses today that are looking for an applicant with an English degree for the writing and communication skills that an English major can provide. One of the main reasons given by many businesses for not hiring prospective applicants is poor writing skills.
When you are looking at obtaining a college degree you may want to consider an online education. An online university can offer you the education that you need without having to relocate or give up your current employment. Many online universities have English degrees that will help you meet your career goals. Online college courses can help you complete your college degree and start you on your path to a new career. An online education will help you get the most out of your education and help you decide where you English degree can take you.
