What do expert parents and English students or grads say re: English major?

[Anonymous]

My niece graduated with a bachelor's degree in
English from NYU.

She is employed by a tech company. She gets recruited for jobs all of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English major here, worked out great for me. I read fiction in college and wrote essays about the stories. For that they gave me a degree, which is the minimum requirement for the job I've held for the past 30 years. If I had to do it over I wouldn't change a thing.

Yes a bachelor's to find a job. But what job is it? It employed you, but was the English major part necessary to get this particular job?

Yes and no, I'm in the IT department of a Federal agency, the degree got me the initial job and I ran with it. The English major was super easy because I could already read and write before I left high school.

[Anonymous]

As an English major, I’ve always been able to morph into what I’m interested in: journalism, PR, even academic leadership, in a way. I’ve been able to gain experience and pursue opportunities in various fields, from pop culture writing to nonprofit communications to academic communications and academic leadership. My major has served me well, but it’s the “hustle” of internships, lower-level jobs, volunteering and taking advantage of conferences and online training courses that has contributed to my career success.

It’s a good educational platform, but you need to be a hustler when it comes to gaining experience, like student newspaper writing, PR internships, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most people are thinking about their experiences studying English in college 20-30 years ago, which is when parents of current students were in college. It's not the same world. It's not the same English departments. Even if the course has innocent titles like Shakespeare, how it is taught is very different. Worth reading this substack by a recent Columbia graduate with a degree in English.

https://www.pensandpoison.org/p/i-thought-i-was-going-to-study-literature

She may only be one person but what she says is corraborated by several old friends who are professors. Not every school is quite like Columbia but this ideological approach to teaching English (and history) is pervasive in many places. This kind of shift is certainly one of the multiple factors behind the dramatic collapse in students majoring in the humanities.

So, she went to college thinking studying English was going to be one thing, and it was something else? Meaning…she learned something? The point of going to college?

This piece is so full of clichés that I can’t believe a human wrote it. She was forced to give her pronouns? She had to read Said and Butler and other theory? She was expected to engage with work outside “the Western canon”? The horror! Also…with the exception of pronouns, all of this was true when I was in English undergrad/grad in the 90s.

What a giant blubbering baby. She wanted to go to college and live in her bubble. They tried to force her out of it, but she had no interest in learning. Such a waste.

(Also…“political correctness” was “the newest buzzword on campus” in 2015? Really?)

[Anonymous]

People who question the value of this major don't undertand higher education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:s/o from 13-year-old thread
What do expert parents and English students or grads say re: English major?

For reference, here is the link to that 13 years ago thread:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/314932.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who question the value of this major don't undertand higher education.

Not factoring AI?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who question the value of this major don't undertand higher education.

+ 1,000,000

A lot of failure to understand higher education floating around DCUM, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who question the value of this major don't undertand higher education.

Not factoring AI?

AI is coming for all of us, not just writers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who question the value of this major don't undertand higher education.

Not factoring AI?

AI is coming for all of us, not just writers.

Do you recommend majoring in English while learning....I dunno....plumbing?

[Anonymous]

How many of you have earned a bachelor's and masters in English?

[Anonymous]

My BA in English taught me how to think and how to write. Came in pretty handy for law school and in my BigLaw career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many of you have earned a bachelor's and masters in English?

I have

[Anonymous]

I was one. I feel well educated and have made a professional life, but it took awhile. I probably should have majored in a social science to have more options.

It’s one thing to major in English knowing you want consulting or law school. It is harder if you want a different kind of career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most people are thinking about their experiences studying English in college 20-30 years ago, which is when parents of current students were in college. It's not the same world. It's not the same English departments. Even if the course has innocent titles like Shakespeare, how it is taught is very different. Worth reading this substack by a recent Columbia graduate with a degree in English.

https://www.pensandpoison.org/p/i-thought-i-was-going-to-study-literature

She may only be one person but what she says is corraborated by several old friends who are professors. Not every school is quite like Columbia but this ideological approach to teaching English (and history) is pervasive in many places. This kind of shift is certainly one of the multiple factors behind the dramatic collapse in students majoring in the humanities.

So, she went to college thinking studying English was going to be one thing, and it was something else? Meaning…she learned something? The point of going to college?

This piece is so full of clichés that I can’t believe a human wrote it. She was forced to give her pronouns? She had to read Said and Butler and other theory? She was expected to engage with work outside “the Western canon”? The horror! Also…with the exception of pronouns, all of this was true when I was in English undergrad/grad in the 90s.

What a giant blubbering baby. She wanted to go to college and live in her bubble. They tried to force her out of it, but she had no interest in learning. Such a waste.

(Also…“political correctness” was “the newest buzzword on campus” in 2015? Really?)

+1