All English majors can be teachers, but not all teachers are English majors. It’s often a misconception that all English majors are born to be teachers. People don’t know that an English or Creative Writing degree can take them much further than teaching. Don’t let the naysayers discourage you! Writing is a creative field, and because of its creative nuances, your degree will open doors for you.
Public Relations and Marketing Who says business and writing don’t go together like peanut butter and jelly? A Public Relations writer produces effective content for promotion, which uses technical writing. He or she prepares exclusive pieces for the company’s websites (email campaigns, articles, press releases, mailers, and banners) to help them boost their rankings and avoid copyright infringement or plagiarism issues.
Advertising Do you want to put your creative catchphrases to good use? Advertising is another field that employs English majors. Selling is a form of persuasion and values the skillful use of the language. This often means working as a website developer, social media manager, or corporate/content blogger. Companies are always on the lookout for people who possess exceptional verbal and communication skills.
Journalism Journalism takes multiple skills, particularly communication skills. Most positions are freelance. Scoring a full-time job may take more effort. When applying for journalism positions, internships are important. Don’t forget to build your resume. Here are some positions within this field:
Magazine Journalist: If you love interviewing people, research and creative writing, then this is the job for you. Your job will consist of generating new ideas for features and future stories, interview sources, attend relevant events, meeting and collaborating with designers, photographers, etc. Newspaper Journalist: These news professionals conduct research, gather information, and write news pieces about various topics, such as world events, crime, politics, etc. If you’re not assigned a daily project by your news editor, then you will most likely have the freedom to pitch your own stories! Move over Bridget Jones! Reporter: Broadcasting! News reporters and correspondents gather news and information to keep the public informed about important worldwide events. A large portion of a newscaster’s day is spent investigating current events before turning them into a story. Who knows, maybe the 8 o’clock news will be your big break!
Bookselling and Publishing Maybe you are the next Kelsey Peters in the publishing industry! If you love to read and write books, why not work with people who publish them? There are a variety of positions available, such as editing, proofreading, and marketing.
Writer Becoming a professional writer does not only mean producing a best-selling novel. There are many job titles you can aim for, such as becoming a poet, travel writer, blogger, a screenwriter for the next Hollywood hit movie, produce scripts for the new Holzman play, technical writing, or a speech writer, writing the our next president’s inaugural address.
Teaching But wait, isn’t teaching what we are trying to avoid here? Partly, yes. Although becoming a teacher is the stereotypical profession, that does not necessarily mean you have to become your hometown mighty mascot all over again. Becoming a scholarly instructor sometimes means teaching English as a foreign language teacher. Just think about it, English is the one of the most powerful languages in the world and people are seeking to learn it. Whether it be working with children or college students, you become a valuable asset for their educational system. Plus, you get to travel. While in your twenties, you are killing two birds with one stone.
Let me tell you a little secret, even if none of these jobs are right for you, you can still use your English degree to do almost anything you want! The world is your oyster, take your pick, but always remember to love what you do.