Career Readiness

Dear English Major lists nine misconceptions about English majors. Chances are you've probably heard the first four: 

• Misconception #1: You want to be a teacher.
• Misconception #2: You won’t make any money if you major in English.
• Misconception #3: The skills you learn in English class don’t translate to the “real world.”
• Misconception #4: There are no jobs for English majors. 

English majors can be teachers, yes. But they can also be successful business leaders, writers, legal specialists, marketing professionals—the list goes on. There are endless career options and salary possibilities, all an English degree away. 

Your English degree is defined by the skills you learn in our program and how you market these skills to potential employers. According to Inside Higher Ed, "what we hear from industry is that they want workers with the soft skills that do not go out of date, as well as a basic understanding of the current hard facts and skills that will be useful for just a few years before they must be upskilled for a new generation of technology." This means that if you're worried that the English degree won't hold up as well as other degrees, that you should reconsider your thinking. Throughout our program, you will learn skills and ways of thought that will make you an asset to employers.

Using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we compiled a list of potential career paths for English majors and their corresponding 2018 median salary.