Jobs for English Majors: They Do Exist

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Posted by Bridget Quigg

The butt of every cocktail party joke – the English major. “Oh, that’s nice that you read Shakespeare. But, how does that get you a job?”

Well, it turns out that wordsmithing just might be the ticket in to today’s job market. According to a survey of HR professionals by global outplacement agency Challenger, Gray and Christmas and quoted in a New York Times article, “Young Workers: U Nd 2 Improve Ur Writing Skills,” the number one skill missing amongst entry-level job applicants is “writing skills.” Huh, sounds like that business degree may not do the trick for getting started in a new career.

In even better news for English majors, according to PayScale’s 2010 College Salary Report, English majors end up in some reasonably lucrative careers post-college. The most popular jobs for English majors and their median annual salaries 10 years out of school are:

Career                   Salary

Technical Writer       $68,900

Paralegal                 $53,100

Copywriter              $49,900

In terms of cash flow, the problems of English majors aren’t exactly solved. Their salary after 10 years doesn’t top aerospace engineering majors, who come out number one overall with $108,000 per year. But, hey, the English major probably is happier writing the next “Just do it” campaign rather than negotiating where to place the toilets on an airplane - not that ensuring comfortable bathrooms isn’t a worthy pursuit.

We’ll end with some other artsy, socially-minded, non-lucrative majors and their median yearly salaries according to PayScale’s 2010 College Salary Report:

College Major      Starting      After 10 Years

Journalism             $35,800      $66,600

History                  $38,500      $73,000

Art History             $39,400      $57,100

Public Relations      $35,700      $63,400

Anthropology         $36,200      $62,900

Social Work           $31,800      $44,900

Comments

[Isaacshi]

English major can be an author, editor, many eBook publishers need content curators! http://kbuuk.com

[Xavier Guillaume]

If English is your passion, then I say go for an English Degree! English classes were always difficult for me growing up. I would often get C's, whereas in Math I would always get A's. So one would think that I would have gone off to major in Math, but I decided on English because it was difficult and a challenge. Not to mention, I loved reading all those books in my English classes (e.g. A Room with a View, The Turn of the Screw, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice...I could go on and on).

As for a job, it is difficult to find one with an English degree, but I am not sure if it is because there are a lack of jobs requiring writing and analytical skills. I think it is because a degree in English does not really prepare you for the business world. What I mean is English classes do not give you the tools necessary to compile a good resume or to perform well in an interview. It took a great deal of time reading about succeeding in an interview and talking with someone who gave interviews. One really needs to know what a company is looking for in order to find a job. What it usually comes down to, is someone who is confident, optimistic, and good with people. These qualities almost trump qualities such as writing or researching skills because quite frankly, if one is awkward in a conversation, no amount of knowledge or expertise can help that.

As of now, I have a job where I do research, write grants and monthly newsletters, read and answer e-mails, and take phone calls. It might not be the highest paying job, but it's a job, and I was able to get it with my writing skills. I hadn't even ever written a grant before I received this job, but my company says that my grants are really strong. It's all thanks to those hours and hours of writing analytical essays that make grant writing almost easy.

So like I was saying, if English is your passion, go for it! One just has to take a class or two on business or interviewing, to properly find a job because without those skills the English degree might as well fall in the toilet. Also, if one is looking for a lot of money, an English degree might be disappointing, but it's not the money that matters in the long run. It's the sense of self-fulfillment that matters, and doing something one loves, such as writing, is more important.

[Jessyca Chapman ( future successful English major )]

I am currently an English major at the university of west Georgia and have Bren a skeptic ever sense I came in. I do agree once the trivial degree is complete you will have doors open and opportunities galour if you have the personality to sell your self. I won't quit and I will have the job desire because in this world all you need a person that communicate well and you won't find a bio or engineering major that can do that better than an English major this major seems to go hand in hand with every major or career out that. Keep at it and I'm sure it will prove to be lucrative. This was a very helpful conversation and article I was definitely having a lot of trouble figuring out my future but tuis provided some great insight.

[tom strhan]

dear sirs,

I am just writing to find out about jobs for english graduates, would like to help, have worked in some nice areas, such as ham house, hampton court, kew gardens, marble hill, am able to get on with all types of people, helpful manner,

regards,
tstrhan2002@yahoo.co.uk

[English?]

I agree with Jessie - you can't do anything with an English degree. I have a BA in English and I can't find any jobs. Now I'm going back to get another degree that is more helpful.

As for Mark, do not be fooled indeed. Underlying his comment for a 6 figure pay is personality, experience, dedication, hard work and motivation, not an English degree.

Those skills- personality, experience, dedication, hard work and motivation - can make ANY one with ANY degree successful. Ultimately, he's saying that you can go far if you have those kind of skills regardless of education.

As for the article itself concerning those jobs for English majors, most of them require other knowledge or degree in addition to the English degree. So an English degree isn't enough.

The only degree you can do with English is teach English, but that's only if you have Masters in English or a teaching credential, other than that, it's pretty useless.

[Uttam manohar]

Hello everyone! i just wanna give an advice to all the students doing B.A in english hons, that plz dont loose hope in moral of the story coz i'm myself a student of english dept in ravenshaw university & i m full on sure that doing english hons will not only leam u to lecture & proffesor like jobs it will also lead u to some other rocking way too. have faith on God !

[English Major Pain]

The hardest part about becoming an English major in the first place is having to discuss feminism in every class, even when it's not even pertinent: http://www.pointsincase.com/blogs/molly-williams/10-things-every-english-major-will-do If you can get past all that stuff, good luck!

[applying for jobs in english]

The salaries are really good, learning English can be tough but if you have the passion and skills then I guess there is no reason for you not to be a good English instructor someday. Thanks for the info.

[Michael Johnson]

I am majoring in English but it is so I can go into Law School. I am better at creative writing and such and am using English for better communication skills and sharpening my ability to write well crafted pieces. Great information here to as well I will look into the paralegal information when I graduate so I can try and get into the Law field before I graduate Law School.

[Alecia Pitt]

This article and following comments are very hopeful and helpful. :) I recently majored in English Literature and have been struggling to find a satisfying job, which has been devaluing for me. It's nice to know my skills from my education are valuable in the workplace. I'm planning on continuing my education in Biology, but it is nice to know I have options like the ones outlined by Bridget in this article.

Once again, very encouraging post. Thank you, Bridget and commenters.

[james]

Hi,

You can get a job as an english major, but it takes time. If you are looking for some advice, I run a blog called selloutyoursoul.com and will post an interview about how to become an editor in a few days with a former Amazon.com Music Editor (and English major).

[Jessie Smith]

I have my BA in English Literature and I can't even get an entry-level position answering phones at my local newspaper. I'm currently looking into going back to school to get a useful degree. Chris, think twice about an English Degree, unless you want to teach.
Mr. Triple-Major Mark, from above, is a lying fraud. Anyone with a Masters in English would never misspell "Shakespear" [sic], or say, "just as good as they did," or my personal favorite, "you're English degree." Nor do I believe he attained "a more higher paying postion" [sic] to overlook any department.
Trust me; you will never progress as WELL as he claims he has with YOUR English Degree, even if you are able to quote SHAKESPEARE.

[Chris]

I too want to thank everyone for their comments on this topic. I plan on declaring my major soon and have been frantic trying to decide on what to major in, I have been thinking about English but I was worried about not being able to score a job with it after I graduate. I still have more time to think about what I am going to major in but after reading this post and everyone's response to it I no longer worry about the job outcome of an English major anymore.

[Bridget Quigg]

Just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for sharing their stories. This string of comments provides greats insights for young graduates. Keep 'em coming. Bridget (a fellow English major)

[Mark]

OK -- Don't ever let anyone tell you that you cannot find a job and make money with a degree in English. I graduated with a Masters in English Literature; and had a triple major in undergrad of Psych, English Lit, and Education. Why -- simple, I couldn't make up my mind and wanted to cover as many bases as possible. Did all of that help me land my first job? Well, having a Masters degree gave me the edge over other candidates, but as far as the triple major -- employers couldn't care less (but it sure made me well rounded and sharp in terms of analytical skills and overall communication). Now for the job details: First job out of college was as a Tech Writer for a major engineering firm. I knew nothing about engineering at the time -- but I learned plenty from the many writing-related assignments that I was charged with during my tenure there -- including some basics on computer science (software development,hardware,etc.) Let me say -- in school I was no math wiz. After 2 years at that job, I moved on to a major financial firm that hired me to run a department of Tech Writers within their Systems department. Did I know anything about financial software development??? Nope -- nada. Took the job, created the department -- and just by dealing day-to-day with computer software engineers, I learned how to program just as good as they did -- eventually better in some cases. They offered me a more higher paying postion as a Project Manager to oversee the development of financial applications. Did I really know anything about finance??? Nope -- but, it was the same old story -- just by dealing with these financial wizards every day -- I eventually learned all about the Fixed Income markets, trading, financial analytical tools, etc. You should be getting the picture by now. I am now a senior executive within the firm making more money than I ever thought I would. So, you're English degree can be very useful -- the key is, YOU. YOU have to take what you learned and apply it where applicable. It's not the fact that you can recite Shakespear line for line -- it's a matter of, did you understand "the message and the meaning" behind the words. Take the time to understand what the writers of the past really had to say; be aggressive and confident, take on challenges and do not fear failure. Trust me, if you do that -- you will be fine and you will get that six figure job if that is what you really are after.

[charlene]

yeah, as someone who has a BA Humanities and MA Media studies I do get a lot of jokes and insults as to what I do. I've decided to dabble in Public Relations, most of which I've been an intern after almost 2 years of graduating. I'm not frustrated, its a cut throat job, which I am thrilled about in helping client's with their problems. Yet my parents don't seem to understand my passion for the whole PR thing, much more to understand what PR is all about.

but yeah, if you can take the math and science part, major in that or something IT related and minor in English, that's unique.

[Sonja]

You definitely need more than just an English degree to be a technical writer. You need to know about a technical subject. If you do not have a degree in the technical subject you are writing about, you should be involved with it some other way and still study it on your own.
Also, one thing I have notice when I job hunted in the past is that employers don't only want you to have an English degree, you also need to have skills, like software skills and typing.
So keep in mind that you need to back the degree up with additional skills and knowledge.

[Jacquie]

Encouraging and informative. My B.A. is in English and I'm an opera singer. I've learned not to talk about Beowulf and Verdi at job interviews! At least, not at first. Jacquie

[Patricia]

Technical writing is a different field to break into without any technical knowledge. My experience is that those employing technical writers actually prefer technical degrees to english degrees. I have technical writing experience. I worked for the MIS dept. of a retailer and I worked for a utility company. But any of the postings want advanced technical knowledge.

[Bridget Quigg]

Michael,
Thanks for your comment. You make a great point. Completing an English major requires far more than solid grammar. Glad you wrote.
Bridget

[Michael Medlock]

Majoring in English isn't just about writing skills. The main point of the degree is to sharpen your thinking, analysis and communication skills. I think we have forget this in over the past 20 years or so.

[TechWriterNinja]

There is still some conflicting data about technical writers, jobs are still decreasing more than increasing month to month. In a recession though, that is expected. But I remember when I chose technical writing as my major (actually an English major with a focus in technical writing) the job outlook was great! I remember the forecast was something around 33% predicted job growth over the next ten years. There aren't many other B.A. degrees that have that kind of forecast.

With that in mind, it's probably still better if you minored in technical writing/communication and majored in a science for the highest salary and job satisfaction, that is, if you really want to be a tech writer and can stomach the math/science (which, sadly, I could not).

Cheers, and happy communicating!

TechWriterNinja