English as a major

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was an English major, and it served me very well. Strong writing and textual analysis is part of the reason I did well in law school, got a coveted clerkship, and got offers from top law firms. Incidentally, being a strong writer also requires being a strong thinker. While it's a fairly generalized skill, it's one that many employers covet. Also, I enjoyed being an English major. It was a lot of work--so much reading--but it was usually a labor of love. I'm still an avid reader to this day.

Anyhow, I don't know where the world is going with AI. Nobody does. But I certainly wouldn't assume that CS, engineering, and other STEM fields are somehow safe from our future AI overlords.

Did u take out loans tho

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

Assuming OP's DC graduates in 2026 to 2028, what job would they be able to get with just an undergrad degree in English? Most people who majored in English in undergrad do end up getting a graduate degree to get a good paying job. So, OP is shelling out $$$ for undergrad, and then even more for graduate because of the degree choice.

I’m an editor for an international consulting firm with only an undergrad degree - and most of my writer/editor colleagues also only have undergrad degrees (not all in English, although most in communications-related fields. We also have a geology major, though.)

Did you have connections getting this job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it undersubscribed at private T25?

For a kid who likes creative writing, has awards, published book. But also literary mag at school and newspaper. Also interested in publishing, media, and journalism.

Uncertain about major choice.

Thoughts?

My niece graduated from NYU as an English major. She has had great jobs since graduation. She has been mostly recruited by tech companies. There seems to be a pretty big demand for English majors.

The family has all been surprised at how well she has done and we were particularly surprised at the good pay. She received from her first job after graduation.

What year did she graduate and did she pick up certs along the way or is she in comms/PR?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I started out as an English major and I didn’t enjoy it. It’s not practical.

Go for Communications instead.

Don't do this - communications is pretty much a joke major. At least with an English major, you read challenging texts and do rigorous analysis. Communcations majors don't get that type of training. And what they do learn, they can easily pick up on the job.

[Anonymous]

Outside a tiny handful of colleges, of which I don't think any are in the T25, the liberal arts are pretty much dead. English majors, like everyone else, aren't reading much, and few of the books being discussed in class, should they happen to find themselves there, will have any lasting value. Save yourselves $300,000 and get her a library card. Alternatively, save $120,000 and send her to St John's, or any of the few other schools available for liberal arts students that aren't highly prestigious degree mills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

Assuming OP's DC graduates in 2026 to 2028, what job would they be able to get with just an undergrad degree in English? Most people who majored in English in undergrad do end up getting a graduate degree to get a good paying job. So, OP is shelling out $$$ for undergrad, and then even more for graduate because of the degree choice.

I’m an editor for an international consulting firm with only an undergrad degree - and most of my writer/editor colleagues also only have undergrad degrees (not all in English, although most in communications-related fields. We also have a geology major, though.)

Did you have connections getting this job?

No, I didn’t. I hadn’t even heard of the company before I found the job posting and applied.

[Anonymous]

It’s like a lot of majors, if you are creative, a hard worker and can network you will be fine. Work experience and connections are going to get jobs, not the degree.

There is someone in my family who was an English major who really has struggled with jobs their entire career. They are forever searching for the dream writing job. Do not go into this major if the true love is English and the hope of being a writer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

Assuming OP's DC graduates in 2026 to 2028, what job would they be able to get with just an undergrad degree in English? Most people who majored in English in undergrad do end up getting a graduate degree to get a good paying job. So, OP is shelling out $$$ for undergrad, and then even more for graduate because of the degree choice.

I’m an editor for an international consulting firm with only an undergrad degree - and most of my writer/editor colleagues also only have undergrad degrees (not all in English, although most in communications-related fields. We also have a geology major, though.)

Did you have connections getting this job?

No, I didn’t. I hadn’t even heard of the company before I found the job posting and applied.

1990s or early 2000s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

Assuming OP's DC graduates in 2026 to 2028, what job would they be able to get with just an undergrad degree in English? Most people who majored in English in undergrad do end up getting a graduate degree to get a good paying job. So, OP is shelling out $$$ for undergrad, and then even more for graduate because of the degree choice.

I’m an editor for an international consulting firm with only an undergrad degree - and most of my writer/editor colleagues also only have undergrad degrees (not all in English, although most in communications-related fields. We also have a geology major, though.)

Did you have connections getting this job?

No, I didn’t. I hadn’t even heard of the company before I found the job posting and applied.

1990s or early 2000s?

I started there in 2011.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew English major from a top 3 liberal arts college. Worked for 2 years at a strategy consulting firm, went to top mba program and starts next year at tier 1 investment bank. So there are lot of great opportunities as long as your driven.

This. An intelligent, motivated english major will blow a lazy business major out of the water.

lol. They needed a graduate degree to "blow them out of the water". So, get an undergrad degree in English, then shell out more for a graduate degree.

A neighbor of ours was an English major. Went into the military. Officer in charge saw they were an English major. Told them "nothing leaves my desk without you seeing it first."

We NEED English majors. Even journalists can't write anymore.

Journalism will be taken over by AI.

So, an English major has to either go into the military or get a grad degree.

Neither sound like a negative to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English majors will be fine. Consider a data science/analytics minor too. Anything that helps with visual storytelling.

So, you have to either double major, get a minor, or go to grad school with an undergrad English major.

We get it... you don't see any point in majoring in English.
You can give it a rest now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

Assuming OP's DC graduates in 2026 to 2028, what job would they be able to get with just an undergrad degree in English? Most people who majored in English in undergrad do end up getting a graduate degree to get a good paying job. So, OP is shelling out $$$ for undergrad, and then even more for graduate because of the degree choice.

The exact same jobs that everyone graduating with a bachelors in business administration would be eligible for.

Really? When I look at "business" related jobs in linkedin (and I have looked at a lot), they all seems to want a business degree, not an English degree.

Those rules don't apply if you are at private T20.....plus get the minor/double major in econ etc and you are good (or HOD at Vanderbilt or LOC at Northwestern).

Yes they do. All the consulting jobs at my Ivy went to Econ majors.

Hmm. Not true at my kids school. Maybe you just weren’t as connected to know what everyone was doing?

Weird take from someone who doesn’t have firsthand experience.

[Anonymous]

Major in something you like and something you are good at. At the end of 4 years, you will have done well and earned a BA. And you can do a ton with that. I don't understand why people think everyone's major is a perfect correlate to their career, why English will be outsourced to AI but computer science won't, and all the hate for the liberal arts. Doesn't anyone want to read a book or see a movie in the future?

[Anonymous]

Don’t go to an LAC if they’re interested in non British English lit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outside a tiny handful of colleges, of which I don't think any are in the T25, the liberal arts are pretty much dead. English majors, like everyone else, aren't reading much, and few of the books being discussed in class, should they happen to find themselves there, will have any lasting value. Save yourselves $300,000 and get her a library card. Alternatively, save $120,000 and send her to St John's, or any of the few other schools available for liberal arts students that aren't highly prestigious degree mills.

What on earth are you talking about