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So what DO you do with a BA in English?

Ingenue

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Me: go to grad school, then more grad school

Anyone else?

I like English majors. Please come out of the woodwork and share your literary know-how!
 
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Phantonym

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Put it to good use. Any way you can. :laugh:

But my first reaction was to respond "Nothing, absolutely nothing". Well, I still do have use for it since English isn't my native language, so yeah, grad school and translation is the direction I'm taking. And after that, I'll go and learn something useful. Prrrractical. :laugh:
 

Amethyst

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Teach.
Go back to college for another major. XD.

I'm an animation major, so I'm probably worse off anyway. It's more competitive than business.
 

mochajava

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I think that English majors probably have more perspective about life and literature than the rest of us do... I definitely regret not doing more writing / literature / philosophy / social sciences! I did microbiology, economics, and now my primary skills are statistics / scientific writing.

Also, I know people who have done an English BA, something like teach English in Japan or via ETA (Fulbright), go to graduate school in a "trade" like statistics or public health. I feel like those folks have lots of perspective / context for who they are and the work they're doing.
 

Totenkindly

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I focused on writing courses in my BA, and also had a Mathematics minor and lots of computer experience (troubleshooting, coding, and helpdesk)... so I ended up going first ...

...into computer textbook publishing (editorial positions)...

...then into technical writing...

...then into software development...

...then into systems analyst work.



So I ended up in tech despite having a BA in English.
 

SilkRoad

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It is kind of the degree that you can do everything and nothing with.

But, it seems to have worked out fairly well for me. I did freelance writing for several years (not much any more) alongside totally non-relevant work - I was in customer service and customer relations for a couple of major airlines for about five years. Then (amazingly) I managed to work for a major publishing house for three years, on the strength of my passion for books, some relevant experience and the fact that they needed temps at the time. I got a couple of good contracts too but nothing stable. Now I'm publishing coordinator for the examinations division of a famous drama school.

It's partly where I live - London, UK, where there are more opportunities in terms of publishing/the arts than many other cities. And it was partly determination and good timing, though it didn't feel that way for a long time. Since the economic crash getting any of these types of jobs is even more difficult.

I think there's lots you can do with an English BA but you do have to be flexible.
 

Blank

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Still trying to figure that one out. I'll get back at you later.
 

SecondBest

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You learn to communicate in the English language so well that you can pretty much scam anybody out of their hard-earned money by convincing them that they really really need an exotic elephant in their backyard. :D

happy-elephant-01.jpg


D'Awww. Look at him! He's so happy! And trust me folks, he's worth every penny.
 
O

Oberon

Guest
I graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.A. in English, which is kind of like graduating med school with a degree in landscaping.

Still, that degree along with two years of engineering courses got me my first real job, which was as a copy editor for a technical book publisher.

I went from there into contract technical writing and page layout in the IT industry.

I went from there to writing SOPs and filing documents for the pharmaceutical industry.

I went from there to becoming an investigator at a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant.

I went from there to training personnel on exception tracking software, and administering that software.

So yeah, the bachelor's in English can get you in the door. It's up to you what you do after that.
 

Randomnity

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My friend is starting his small business (unrelated to writing or English). Everyone else I know with similar degrees is either in teachers college/looking for teaching work/teaching or a few of them are in grad school.
 

Ingenue

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You learn to communicate in the English language so well that you can pretty much scam anybody out of their hard-earned money by convincing them that they really really need an exotic elephant in their backyard. :D

happy-elephant-01.jpg


D'Awww. Look at him! He's so happy! And trust me folks, he's worth every penny.

DEAR SIR,

HAVING CONSULTED WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND BASED ON THE INFORMATION GATHERED FROM THE NIGERIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO REQUEST FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE TO TRANSFER THE SUM OF $47,500,000.00 (FORTY SEVEN MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) INTO YOUR ACCOUNTS. THE ABOVE SUM IS AS SECURITY FOR AN EXOTIC ELEPHANT, OF WHICH WILL BE KEPT IN YOUR TRUST AS A RESULT OF AN OVER-INVOICED CONTRACT FROM OUR NATIONAL NIGERIAN ZOO. WE ARE NOW READY TO TRANSFER THE FUNDS OVERSEAS, AND ASK THAT YOU HOLD THE SUM AND THE ELEPHANT FOR A PERIOD OF THIRTY (30) DAYS, AFTER WHICH WE WILL SHARE 25% FOR EXPENSES INCIDENT TO THE TRANSFER AND THE ELEPHANT.

I REQUIRE YOUR FINANCIAL INFORMATION IN ORDER TO WIPE YOU OUT CLEAN.
 

Ingenue

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I'm seeing a correlation between English majors and writing jobs. It is interesting because I don't think the two necessarily have much in common. Not to say that English majors can't write, but being able to appreciate and interpret literature can still make for a poor writer. A lot of cultural critics are terribly painful to read. On the other hand, my boyfriend (an INFP) studied Creative Writing and Economics in college and is a decent writer, but I would not say he is well read. In any regard, I guess it's just stretching your education and applying it in ways that you can.

It is sad, though, that many of us feel pressured to major in something that can be useful in acquiring a job rather than expanding perspectives and increasing critical thought. It just speaks to the narrow criteria that defines what is successful today, privileging fiscal capital over cultural capital.

But then again, maybe I can discuss themes of mourning and melancholia in Nabokov works while sipping my soy vanilla fair-trade latte like a wannabe granola-hipster-intellectual, but will have no retirement savings in forty years. Oh well, maybe I can just marry rich. :p
 

strawberries

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i have a BA in english/politics. i'm a lawyer.

i agree - studying literature tends to make you a pretty good critical reader, but not necessarily a good writer. i took creative writing units as part of my BA and did a law elective in professional legal writing too. i've since done a bunch of short courses on legal writing through my job. these have had a greater impact on my professional writing style than lazing about on the university lawns talking about poetry. the latter was fun though and as you allude to - also valuable in terms of critical and creative thinking.

i don't know anyone in their 20s/30s who has managed to snag a job in the writing/publishing/editing field with just undergraduate quals in english.
 

Blank

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I'm seeing a correlation between English majors and writing jobs. It is interesting because I don't think the two necessarily have much in common. Not to say that English majors can't write, but being able to appreciate and interpret literature can still make for a poor writer. A lot of cultural critics are terribly painful to read. On the other hand, my boyfriend (an INFP) studied Creative Writing and Economics in college and is a decent writer, but I would not say he is well read. In any regard, I guess it's just stretching your education and applying it in ways that you can.

It is sad, though, that many of us feel pressured to major in something that can be useful in acquiring a job rather than expanding perspectives and increasing critical thought. It just speaks to the narrow criteria that defines what is successful today, privileging fiscal capital over cultural capital.

But then again, maybe I can discuss themes of mourning and melancholia in Nabokov works while sipping my soy vanilla fair-trade latte like a wannabe granola-hipster-intellectual, but will have no retirement savings in forty years. Oh well, maybe I can just marry rich. :p

Well, here's the thing, you don't have to be well-read to be well educated, especially on the topic of drama (or tension, rather, since tension is what creates drama.) By the age of seven, most American children have been exposed to more dramas than any Greek or Roman noble, all thanks to T.V.

Another thing about English and its relationship to writing, at least on the college level, is that it is the only field which actively incorporates rhetoric. If you have a critical thought, for example, you need to be able to express it to someone else. Thus, in a very classic sense, what would be the use of a fancy-schmancy education or having complex thoughts if you were unable to express them? It ties in with the sophistic idea that one's thoughts and one's words were inseparable. If you're able to think critically, you should be able to convey those thoughts. English majors, if anything, try to teach students to be more critical. That's why English majors can fall into such diverse fields, since the ability to think critically and then convey those critical thoughts is in such high demand.
 

Blown Ghost

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Go teach english in a foreign country. So it's one of those "sounds exciting but I don't know if it's for me" things, but ask yourself why not? Why not you? Someone's gotta do it.
 
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