What do you do with a BA in English?
What is my life going to be?
Four years of college, and plenty of knowledge
Have earned me this useless degree.
I can't pay the bills yet
'Cause I' have no skills yet.
The world is a big scary place.
Yet somehow I can't shake
The feeling I might make
A difference to the human race.

Anonymous wrote:I have a BA in English and make $17 per hour, I'm 40. What kind of jobs could I get that pay better? I'm working in the social services field (I have an MSW).

You have a MSW and make $17/hr? You need to look around. I have a MSW and even 15 years ago just out of grad school I was making $23/hr.

All the people I know with English degrees from good schools (not even Ivies) are doing fine. (And I know a lot because I have an English degree.) If you were any good, you have strong critical reading and writing skills, and those are valuable in most fields. I don't know what you define as a "mediocre" salary, or what kind of work you do, but I doubt it's your English degree that's holding you back.

I have a BA in English and make $17 per hour, I'm 40. What kind of jobs could I get that pay better? I'm working in the social services field (I have an MSW).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously? I make 200+ a year with an English degree. Granted, I’m 45 but, yes, you can be successful!

Same boat and my English degree isn't even from an Ivy! *gasp*

Me too, also got a grad degree in HR, make over 200k.

I have an English degree from a well-regarded university and make 225k doing communications and marketing for a large company. I also have a master's, but it's in an unrelated field. 225 isn't a fortune in this area, obviously, but it's comfortable and I enjoy my job for the most part.

...if you get a masters in something employable afterwards, then yes.