English Major with no career

[Anonymous]

I am an English major 7 years out of college. I have gone from admin job to admin job, stuck at a salary of 40k in thankless stressful positions.

I don't even know how to get out of this loop. My pears AND people younger than me keep advancing.

Do I just quit the workforce? I am so humiliated.

[Anonymous]

Teaching. Become a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Peers, not pears.

This belongs in the Jobs and Careers forum.

Add to your skills in some way that gives you an edge. Realtor's license, montessori training, notary public, HR block tax school. Something.

Do you expect life to be handed to you on a silver platter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Peers, not pears.

This belongs in the Jobs and Careers forum.

Add to your skills in some way that gives you an edge. Realtor's license, montessori training, notary public, HR block tax school. Something.

Do you expect life to be handed to you on a silver platter?

I want further credentials. I first want to get a better job so I can earn more money to afford school.

[Anonymous]

Get into Project Management. Go get your CAPM (just need a 35 hour course and a test). Then in your admin jobs, volunteer to help out on projects (in addition to your normal job duties). Eventually, you can work your way up.

[Anonymous]

I second the suggestion to go into teaching. You can easily make double of what you're making now. You can supplement that income with private tutoring. In Montgomery County, people pay $50/hour for tutoring.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the suggestions everyone.

My biggest problem is I don't know what I want to really DO still. I have been taking whatever jobs people throw at me because i need to pay bills and I hope i will get promoted or do something else but nope. Nothing works out. I also have social anxiety which gives me amor anxiety so I end up underperforming everywhere I go.

[Anonymous]

Career counseling: http://thewomenscenter.org/counseling/career-counseling/

They have different locations and you can pay on a sliding scale. GL.

[Anonymous]

See if you can get into technical writing or proposal writing. You might be able to move up into proposal management. My degrees are in English and I am a proposal manager making 6 figures in my mid-30s.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry -- this won't add to the discussion -- but how in the world did PP come up with that pear image so quickly?!?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:See if you can get into technical writing or proposal writing. You might be able to move up into proposal management. My degrees are in English and I am a proposal manager making 6 figures in my mid-30s.

This. Figure out either what you want to do or who you want to work for and go do that. A career doesn't have to be life defining. It can be something you do for money to pursue other things. Our executive assistant was an English Major. Lovely lady, did a lot of things outside work and worked well but only for the money. Or you could go get some classes in govt contracting and be a contracts administrator in govt. we need those.

[Anonymous]

What is your personal life like at the moment? I majored in a specialized field and after working in it for less than I year, I realized that I could not go on like that for the rest of my life. I pursued a few others things, but just didn't know what I wanted to do. Because I was single with no kids and had the freedom to do so, I looked into different service programs, and ended up joining the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. I served in a field that I would have never considered on my own and LOVED it. I extended my service for a second year and when I left JVC, I started working in the new field.

If you're able, maybe taking a look at a similar program, especially if you're not interested in the religious aspect, might help you with perspective. There are tons out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:thanks for the suggestions everyone.

My biggest problem is I don't know what I want to really DO still. I have been taking whatever jobs people throw at me because i need to pay bills and I hope i will get promoted or do something else but nope. Nothing works out. I also have social anxiety which gives me amor anxiety so I end up underperforming everywhere I go.

What kind of stuff did you for fun in college (meaning clubs, etc.)? What do you like about the jobs you do have?

I was an English major too. I've been working for associations most of my career -- which requires a lot of organizational and communications skills, but also the ability to see problems from a lot of different angles. I think that a lot of the work I did in my English courses -- especially looking at literature from a variety of viewpoints -- help me in my work today.

Also, there's a great FB page called Dear English Major that provides people like yourself inspiration and tips on what to do with that degree.

[Anonymous]

Are you the PP from Jobs/Careers that is a temp who won't get the full-time placement? If so, you've gotten lots of advice in your multiple threads over there.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, I have had several careers (web development, nonprofit development, consulting) in the last 20 years and all have demanded good writing skills. I am sure you can find a way to use those. I actually wish I had been an English major so my writing could be better!