When introducing myself to people, the topic of my major at UCLA often comes into conversation. As soon as the word “English” comes out of my mouth, people tend to follow up with the question, “So, you want to be a teacher?”
Without fail, this has been the question I have been asked by people outside the major every time I tell them I am studying English. I have only met one person outside of the English major who asked me what I wanted to do rather than assuming that I wanted to be a teacher. I was surprised, but it made me so happy that she acknowledged and knew that an English degree is not just good for being a teacher.
That being said, I would also like to point out that there is nothing wrong with being an English major who is pursuing a career as a teacher. There is so much beauty to English as a discipline that needs to be showed off and taught. Plus, English educators have the ability to showcase many different disciplines because literature is so broad and covers so many different areas.
Personally, I aspire to be a writer, but I know a fellow English major who is currently applying to law school. I met someone in another class who was a pre-med student. I know another English major who wants to go into entertainment and film production.
Being an English major means I was able to enter college with the ability to create my own ideas about what literature meant. I have had the opportunity to bring in my views about different topics, which just makes me love English so much more. I do not want to be a teacher, nor do I ever want to be a teacher, but I have still learned so much from the English degree. Studying English can lead to so many more opportunities than being a teacher.