What can you do with a BA in English?

A real response to the question every English Major dreads.

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

“So you plan on teaching, then?”

It was the response nearly every person gave when I told them I was majoring in English. I took it as an insult. Today, I understand the underlying bias that caused me to feel offended and embarrassed when people assumed I was pursuing an English degree in order to teach. I saw teaching as too feminine, too domestic, too traditional. I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to conduct research and study “serious” books — true, valid literature.

A decade later and I’m living that broke writer life, just as I’d romanticized as a naive college student. I can’t say I regret it; I enjoy working from home and still believe teaching, at least in a public school setting, isn’t for me.

But the reality is that when I pursued a degree in English, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I had aspirations of writing for film, of creating the next Avatar the Last Airbender series, of publishing novels and illustrating covers.

I have some short stories, an upcoming script for a horror comics anthology, and a soon-to-be-published young adult novel under my belt now, but I also have a broader awareness and respect for the many paths an English major can take. Your options aren’t only teaching, writing, or running a library — there are plenty of varied careers available to literature lovers. Contrary to the Avenue Q song and popular belief that the humanities are a no-future option, a degree in English offers invaluable skills that are sorely lacking and thus desperately needed for numerous fields, including:

1. Library Science — requires additional schooling but offers a steady career in numerous settings, from public to private
2. Publishing —editors are in high demand and you can start on the entry-level, sometimes without any formal degree
3. Marketing — businesses desperately need good writers and communicators who understand how language can persuade people
4. Business — executive assistants and even managers benefit from good writing, organization, and communication + research skills
5. Technical Writing — very niche and can be extremely lucrative
6. Comics — hard to get into with the big guys, but the indie circuit is growing fast, with countless anthologies and Kickstarters available
7. Online Teaching — whether tutoring ESL students or creating courses on grammar, writing, literary analysis, etc., there are many other kinds of teaching aside from classroom
8. Curriculum Design — Usually requires a teaching background, but you can focus more on the developmental aspect rather than direct teaching
9. Diversity Consultant — many English majors also intersect with sociology, anthropology, or gender studies. this can be helpful to businesses who want to put their best foot forward and create an inclusive environment
10. Copywriting — if you’re good at persuasive writing and know how to talk to people, this can be extremely rewarding and very profitable
11. Self-Publishing Books — more and more control over creative property. do it right and you can make a steady income
12. Blogging — Consistency and keeping up with trends and popular topics can bring in a lot of followers and a strong community
13. Scriptwriting — Film is hard to break into, but companies and even YouTubers need scripts for their videos
14. Coding & Web Design — Hear me out. Pair these two together and you have a deeper understanding of how language works, whether it’s programming or technical guides or creative writing
15. Translation — Sure, you’ll need to know more than one language, but if you’re bilingual+, this is an extremely vital service

This is by no means an all inclusive list. I’ve even left some options off, such as medical transcription or court reporting, as they are shrinking fields and often offer minimal pay. None of these are easy, get-rich quick careers, unlike what some “how to make $2000 this week writing” articles may boast. But that’s no different than any other career. It takes work and practice, and knowing how to connect with people in the field. But the important thing is that if you love reading, love writing, and have a talent for analysis, there are many many enriching jobs that are in high demand.

My current niche is resume writing. Some writers — usually ones who also provide career coaching — make a lot of money in the field. I make enough to support myself, but I also am not inclined to manage my own business. I contract out with other businesses and the work, while sometimes scarce during certain seasons or events like the recent pandemic, has been rewarding, consistent, and given me the ability to learn about many other career paths and industries. In other words, without my English degree and without my passion for writing, I would not have had the opportunity to help CEOs, scientists, or new graduates find jobs they love.