Majoring in English—why so much disrespect?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:An example of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in Middle English. Understanding it is only the beginning.

"Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote

The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour,

Of which vertu engendred is the flour."

but, why do people need to understand this? I read Shakespeare, Flaubert, etc.. but I don't see the point in needing to understand very old English. My DH is English. He doesn't even like reading those types of books

Which then begs the question, why do I need to study so many subjects that I will never use in my career? It's not necessarily the specific subject matter that's important, its the the thought processes and skills that we develop that's important.

I can understand learning history, social science, but none of those classes are taught in ye olde English. So, again, why does one need to understand Chaucer's old English?

I think it's important to read some classics, but I don't think it's important to read every classic.

Majoring in English is not only (or primarily) about reading the classics. It's about thinking about literature and the ways that literature reflect (or doesn't reflect) society and our culture. It's about expanding our imaginations and empathy through seeing the world through others' perspectives. And it's about close reading and defending ideas with specific examples.

I agree with you, but sadly that is what is lacking in today's society and spefically here on DCUM

Dcum -- and the world -- would be a better place with more English majors and fewer business majors.

We need more doctors and nurses.

Who need to be literate and critical thinkers and be able to see/understand things from various perspectives. I think this thread has encouraged me to encourage my kid to go with their heart and do that English major.

Then get ready to spend $$ on a graduate degree.

Um....just like the doctors and many nurses also do? And all the lawyers? And a lot of business people with MBAs?
She's likely going to pursue a masters anyway; so she might as well study what she loves. It doesn't preclude her from double majoring or minoring with another "more suitable iyo" subject area.

well, lots of English majors go into law, not so much into med school.

But, the point is that, for the most part, English majors (and other liberal arts majors) need a grad degree to get a good paying job.

You don't need an MBA to get a good paying job, btw.

So, now your English major DC is going to have to double major in a more "suitable" major because they acknowledge that an English degree by itself doesn't do much.

And we've come full circle to the topic of the thread.

BTW, my kid is a dual math/CS major. They know that a math degree by itself doesn't do much for you, but they just love math. But, they like CS, too. So, it works out for DC. I do understand why people want to major in LA, but practically speaking, that's not enough. Even my kid knew that. They are now at an internship for a tech company earning $20K for 10 weeks of work .

For the vast majority of people, a practical degree is much more beneficial and desirable. And we see that playing out in the real world when you look at which degree programs are impacted and which aren't.

DP.
I’m not sure why you’re arguing against a degree you don’t have. It’s an odd hill to die on.

We see this differently. You see the English degree is the end, but I see it as part of a successful path. For many of us, a BA wasn’t our goal; an advanced degree was. My English major made grad school a breeze because I was ready for the intensive reading and writing my program required.

I’m glad your kid is doing well. Sincerely. Guess what? So is mine with her liberal arts degree. Isn’t it wonderful that we live in a world that has room for both? And isn’t it great that both children were able to pursue their passions successfully?

+1000

More people should pursue their passions! Major in what interests you, and will help you develop good writing skills and critical thinking. Just know that some majors make it easier to get a good job (good paying job) with just a Bachelor degree. For others, the jobs are out there, but you have to work a bit harder to find them and market yourself for them. You have to figure out what you want to do, possibly do a low paying or non-paying internship to get experience for future jobs. You have to forge your own path forward.

Major in what you want, but have a plan for how you use it to find your career. And also go in knowing what your typical pay might be for the first 5-10 years and choose your college accordingly. Don't spend $90K/year if you don't have it saved for a major where you will start out making $45K/year. You will not have the option to find the right career path because you will be drowning in debt. So attend your state U or a private that costs the same or less and pursue your passion. Just don't go into massive debt for it (Heck I woudlnt' do that for a STEm degree either)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My niece graduated from NYU with an undergrad English major.

She has been steadily employed by the tech companies. Amazingly to us, she gets recruited by the tech companies.

She makes good money.

She does not have an advanced degree.

Because someone who can write and has critical thinking skills and is NOT afraid of technology (ie they can learn about it to be able to write about it) will go far. But an English major who is afraid of technology and clueless about it won't go as far (with tech companies)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An example of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in Middle English. Understanding it is only the beginning.

"Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote

The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour,

Of which vertu engendred is the flour."

but, why do people need to understand this? I read Shakespeare, Flaubert, etc.. but I don't see the point in needing to understand very old English. My DH is English. He doesn't even like reading those types of books

Which then begs the question, why do I need to study so many subjects that I will never use in my career? It's not necessarily the specific subject matter that's important, its the the thought processes and skills that we develop that's important.

I can understand learning history, social science, but none of those classes are taught in ye olde English. So, again, why does one need to understand Chaucer's old English?

I think it's important to read some classics, but I don't think it's important to read every classic.

Majoring in English is not only (or primarily) about reading the classics. It's about thinking about literature and the ways that literature reflect (or doesn't reflect) society and our culture. It's about expanding our imaginations and empathy through seeing the world through others' perspectives. And it's about close reading and defending ideas with specific examples.

I agree with you, but sadly that is what is lacking in today's society and spefically here on DCUM

Dcum -- and the world -- would be a better place with more English majors and fewer business majors.

We need more doctors and nurses.

Who need to be literate and critical thinkers and be able to see/understand things from various perspectives. I think this thread has encouraged me to encourage my kid to go with their heart and do that English major.

Then get ready to spend $$ on a graduate degree.

Um....just like the doctors and many nurses also do? And all the lawyers? And a lot of business people with MBAs?
She's likely going to pursue a masters anyway; so she might as well study what she loves. It doesn't preclude her from double majoring or minoring with another "more suitable iyo" subject area.

well, lots of English majors go into law, not so much into med school.

But, the point is that, for the most part, English majors (and other liberal arts majors) need a grad degree to get a good paying job.

You don't need an MBA to get a good paying job, btw.

So, now your English major DC is going to have to double major in a more "suitable" major because they acknowledge that an English degree by itself doesn't do much.

And we've come full circle to the topic of the thread.

BTW, my kid is a dual math/CS major. They know that a math degree by itself doesn't do much for you, but they just love math. But, they like CS, too. So, it works out for DC. I do understand why people want to major in LA, but practically speaking, that's not enough. Even my kid knew that. They are now at an internship for a tech company earning $20K for 10 weeks of work .

For the vast majority of people, a practical degree is much more beneficial and desirable. And we see that playing out in the real world when you look at which degree programs are impacted and which aren't.

And doctors and lawyers need grad school to get those careers as well. So what?
And how is someone majoring in English because they love it and double majoring in something else different from your son majoring in math because he loves it but acknowledges the value of an additional course of study? Just because your son's two subject areas fall under STEM doesn't make it any more practical or useful. For a lot of people, it isn't about maximizing income and they are fine with the trade-off to pursue something they prefer. It's not like they're pursuing a bachelors in a liberal arts field expecting to land a 6-figure job upon graduation.

Yeah, a lot of people prefer a "practical" degree. For a lot of other people, they desire something that may not be as immediately lucrative. The degree programs are more impacted by society's emphasis on acquiring as much wealth as possible, less by a majority of students who truly love and desire those majors. If I were to bet, I'd bet that a great portion of those kids in those majors are there for the anticipated income and not because they are following their greatest intellectual interests.

A good portion in Engineering are there because they love it, it is their passion. Hard to major in any engineering if you don't love it, because it's hard. So sure, there are a few really smart kids who have been pushed into it, but most would do poorly/fail out because that's easy to do.

My kid is an engineering major, in it because Math and science is what they love. Thermodynamics and fluids courses are "fun" for them and way more exciting than taking a psychology or history course. It's their passion, they are good at it, and that is why they are majoring in it. If they loved something else, they would be doing that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:History and English were considered respectable majors in the past. I know many who went on to law school or medical school. They’re generally thought to have good writing and analytical skills. Now, people scoff when you saying you’re majoring in English or history. I know there’s AI to worry about, but isn’t that true for CS and accounting too?

They're just trying to get you used to the disrespect you will encounter as an ubereats driver/barista

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Read books and write about them and they give you a college diploma just the same as the other students who worked for theirs. (GMU English 92).

What is “GMU”?

[Anonymous]

One of my college classmates was an English major, has made tens of millions as a high profile financial advisor. Study what interests your in college vs chasing some career track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my college classmates was an English major, has made tens of millions as a high profile financial advisor. Study what interests your in college vs chasing some career track.

do you understand that this is not the norm for English majors who may even want to be a FA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my college classmates was an English major, has made tens of millions as a high profile financial advisor. Study what interests your in college vs chasing some career track.

do you understand that this is not the norm for English majors who may even want to be a FA?

The point is that the student had critical thinking and writing skills and it is transferable to any number of well-paying jobs.

[Anonymous]

Interesting article in the New Yorker about writing in college. My takeaway is that people still need to know how to write and to generate original content. And btw, "Alex" the NYU student has the most appalling attitude. How did that kid even get into NYU?
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/07/07/the-end-of-the-english-paper