Why Major in English?

Hello, lovelies!

So I graduate from college in 22 days! Ahhhhhhh! As some of you may know, I am graduating with a B.A. in English with a concentration in creative writing. A lot of people have asked me what I want to do with my degree, but even more people ask why I believe an English degree is useful for the real world. Here are some of my reasons:

1.) An English (or any other humanities/liberal arts) degree teaches you how to think. I am able to read large chunks of info, summarize and synthesize it, and then present it to others in a way they can understand quickly and easily. We are professional researchers and excel at analyzing data. So many business need people who can do high quality, in-depth research and not just Google and wikipedia! It teaches you how to read critically and to formulate ideas on how to solve problems and challenges.

2.) English majors have a very wide worldview. In literature, we are exposed to topics such as politics, feminism, Marxism/capitalism/socialism, business and economy, philosophy, racism, religion, morality/ethics, gender and sexuality, and so much more. It's not to say we are experts at all of these, but we have a very diverse pool of information to incorporate into any career field. A wide worldview teaches you how to have empathy and understanding towards people or ideas that are different than you. If you can relate well to others and find ways to work together, it leads to amazing interpersonal skills with your boss and coworkers/colleagues.

3.) An English degree teaches you how to be a strong communicator in writing and orally. It's not to say all of us love public speaking and presenting, but we are naturally very good at it since it's required in almost all English classes. We know how to organize and plan an effective visual and oral presentation. This is a crucial skill to have whether you are working in law, business, communication/media, and many other disciplines

In short, studying liberal arts makes you able to adapt quickly and easily to any situation. It teaches you to use your brain and formulate new ideas, and transforms you into an excellent communicator and employee. The liberal arts will give you an extremely well-rounded education that can be applied to just about any career field. I promise, it is NOT useless.

XOXO
Chloe