English Majors

Garrison Keillor, the host of NPR's "A Prairie Home Companion" and humorist and writer of numerous essays and novels, offered a skit on his radio show in 2005 that satirically celebrated the English major:

Garrison Keillor: ...here's a word from the Professional Organization of English Majors to this spring's high school graduates. Congratulations. And good luck in your college career. When you're choosing a career for yourself, here's a word of advice. Beware of jobs that might easily be outsourced to other countries — math, for example (voiceover in Chinese), the math jobs are probably going to wind up elsewhere — engineering (voiceover in German), that's not our line of work — composing music (voiceover in Russian), other people do it much better — computer technology (voiceover in Indian accent: Jes, it is my very very great pleasure to help you with your computer), those jobs are all going elsewhere — but when you major in English, you know you're in a field that's going to stay right here in the good old U.S. of A. —

Sue Scott: (CLEARLY, BRIGHTLY) How would you like your hamburger to be cooked today?

GK: Yes, English is something that we Americans are very very good at. And the job of speaking English is ours, no doubt about it.

SS: We have ranch, thousand island, creamy garlic, vinaigrette, French, or blue cheese.

GK: English...you're going to be speaking it for the rest of your life so why not get good at it. Major in English. A message from the Professional Organization of English Majors.

(Listen to the scene by clicking on the following weblink: A Prairie Home Companion)

Of course, it's not all that bad; becoming an English major doesn't mean a lifetime of waiting tables or performing other low-wage jobs. While "English" doesn't define an obvious career objective, like psychology, engineering, nursing, or automotive technology, it does open a variety of doors in the obvious career fields--teaching, writing ad copy, editing for publishers. But it also provides the foundation for other high-skilled professions, often serving as the first step to law school, medical school, business degrees, and diverse fields such as architecture, social services, and communications.

photo of girl against green background
Photo Credit: Sonny Semansco

How do you ensure that you'll have the skills for a variety of career options?

First, sharpen your writing and analysis skills. English 103, Critical Thinking/Argumentative Writing, will help you to become an analytical thinker and a persuasive writer.

Second, broaden your knowledge. Take literature survey courses to gain a sense of scope of human thought and literature. Cerritos College's survey courses include

English 221A and English 221B: Literature in the Bible

English 230A and 230B: American Literature Survey

English 246A and 246B: English Literature Survey

English 248A and 248B: Masterpieces of World Literature

Third, sharpen your creative thinking and writing skills in one of the department's advanced writing courses:

English 240: Creative Writing

English 241: Screenwriting

Fourth, focus your knowledge in 200-level literature courses. While these courses aren't always required for transfer, they meet humanities requirements while they provide essential knowledge and analytical practice that will serve you well at a four-year university and in your career goals. Take as many 200-level electives as possible to diversify your skills:

English 222: Children's Literature

English 223: Chicano/a Literature

English 224: Native American Literature

English 226: African American Literature

English 227: Current Literature

English 228: Shakespeare's Plays

English 232: Readings in Poetry

English 233: Readings in the Novel

English 234: Readings in Short Fiction

English 235: Readings in the Drama

English 236: Studies in Women's Literature

English 245: World Mythology as Literature

As they say in the financial sector, diversify your portfolio--or in this case, your transcripts. The more you know about specific literary genres and the more awareness you have about the issues and experiences of people of a variety of cultural backgrounds, the better your ability to draw on inspiration for your own creative and professional endeavors.

Thinking About Career Options?

Check out the web links below for information on careers after the English major.

Articles on English majors and the workplace:

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 5, 2006

CNN Money: Shelley K. Schwartz, "Working Your Degree"

Online Resource for Careers in English:

Heidelberg College's Jobs for English Majors

This is a great guide for career options at all levels and in a variety of disciplines.

Arizona State University's "Types of Jobs for English Majors"

A strong run-down of the variety of careers available.

The Catholic University of America's Career Information

Provides many web links to job search sites, professional organizations, and grad schools.

Bank of America Career Education Center @ University of Delaware

This site has a great list of web links to professional and career-oriented websites that value English majors.

Wichita State University's "Jobs and the English Major"

Breaks down nicely the skills English majors possess and their value in the business world.

Creighton University's Career Guides for English Majors

A great list of books on careers for English majors.

Professional Organizations for English Majors:

Modern Language Association (MLA)

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

American Association of Advertising Agencies

Association for Women in Communications

Public Relations Society of America

American Society of Journalists and Authors

Society for Technical Communication

Society of Professional Journalists