Ever since I’ve added English to my double major I’ve been really passionate about it. Reading has always been a love of mine and it’s always been nice to be genuinely interested in the work that I’m doing. However, there are a few downsides when it comes to an English major that only English majors know about. Here are a few that I’ve noticed.
- You are constantly asked if you want to teach
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A lot of people don’t know that there are plenty of career opportunities for English majors. So everyone thinks that the only job that an English major of capable of is teaching. Unfortunately, that means that everyone actively thinks that you’ll be at the head of the classroom one day.
- STEM majors will (not so subtly) look down on you
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A lot of people mistakenly believe that English is an “easy” major that anyone can do. This, unfortunately, leads to a lot of people thinking that they are better than you because of the rigor of their major. But, not just anyone is able to write a seven-page paper based on literally a paragraph.
- You can’t read because you are too busy reading
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I have so many books that I want to read for fun but I can’t because I’m too busy reading books for class. *Sigh*
- You always have an essay due
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I feel like every single week I find myself writing yet another essay. It’s crazy but there’s always some big paper that I’m working on.
- You have been told that your major is useless
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I hate the feeling when someone hears about my major and asks me what I’m going to do with it and if I ever thought about majoring in something else. Not only is it humiliating but, it’s insulting to hear.
- You have to buy your textbooks
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Brb, my wallet is crying.
- You know a little too much about certain authors
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Are you really an English major if you aren’t slightly obsessed with a certain author or authors? Personally, I know a little too much about Shakespeare, Austen, and Wilde.
Despite all of these English major problems I still can’t help but love to be an English major. Reading has always been my passion and I find myself always excited to talk about a new topic. And honestly? Not every major can say that.