TO PREFACE: Teachers are arguably the backbone of our society. The world has and will always need more teachers, and more importantly, teachers need the world’s respect.
Whenever I am asked what I study in college and I respond with “I’m an English major,” the general response always seems to be “Oh, so you want to be an English teacher then.” It was a slow realization upon starting my college career that little were educated on exactly where an English degree could take me. I have the utmost respect for teachers, but my true passion is editing, and this is always something I have to explain to people when they are unable to think of anything else I could do with a degree in my field. Of course, there was a point where I had that same limited knowledge, but upon doing further research, I discovered the plethora of careers for those who study English as their major.
Although social media management typically calls for a communications or marketing degree, the skills of those who study English are extremely valuable to employers; creating and planning campaigns requires the structuring and organization skills that come with studying English, as well as the creativity to construct and navigate these campaigns in an orderly fashion.
Without technical writers, manuals, instructional guides and other informative publications would not be communicated in simple ways for the general public to understand. Technical writers take complex methods and explanations and simplify them for instructional use and assistance so that specialized knowledge is not required of everyone. The stylistic writing, research and proofreading skills that are acquired when studying English in college are all necessary for a technical writing career.
Almost every scientific discovery that has ever progressed Earth’s society has required funding in order to do so. There is an abundance of resources, including but not limited to those of academic or scientific origin, that are only accessible with the right amount of money. Funding often comes in the form of grants, which necessitates a bridge between those with funding and those who need it. This bridge is often grant writers. Grant writers “submit proposals that help organizations or individuals” by writing to appeal to those with funding whose views and goals match that of the organization or individual seeking to achieve them. Again, the devout research and writing skills of anyone who studied collegiate English have every tool in their reservoir to be the necessary bridge and financially aid a cause.
To publish any publication is a complex process, and so much broader than just “putting a book out there.” Publishing is a team effort, requires the skills of many, and encompasses all involved in the process of the road that stretches between the author’s last word and a reader’s first. This includes editing, advertising, managing, literary knowledge and creating, all skills that an English major would typically possess.
Finally, in my opinion, editing should be a serious consideration for anyone passionate about publications, proofreading, media and quality in general. Any student of English will be relatively if not wholly familiar with the requirements and practices of an editing job. The development and improvement of content for the world to see is a necessary practice. Penguin Random House UK has a wonderful article on the roles of a book editor, as well as numerous other resources on similar occupations. If books aren’t of interest, editing for news articles and videos is another practice in this field that requires the same proofreading, decision-making, and fact-checking skills any editing job would require. There are different levels and titles to these jobs depending on the industry from which the job is offered, and a world full of companies where one might find one, from online magazines to publishing houses to marketing agencies.
Anyone can find online discourse about how “useless” an English degree is to have—naysayers exist in every world. However, if English is your passion, finding a job you love by leading with the skills you have can be the key to a thriving career.