7 Tips for Aspiring English Majors: Making the Most of Your Undergraduate Degree

By: Audrey Garrett

Illustration by Audrey Garrett

1. Never say, "I'll Never Get the Job"

It's an easy thought to have or self-deprecating joke to say, but thinking of inevitable unemployment will only shrink your self-confidence and willingness to apply to internships and career-building programs. Instead, proclaim your English major with assertiveness and excitement. Remind yourself of the numerous opportunities that await you as a skilled writer, editor, and critical thinker.

Like writing any short story or novel, an English degree gives you a blank page to create your own path and storyline. Congratulate yourself on this decision and your gift of mobility. If all else fails, remember the great writers before you and their dependency on confidence and self-motivation: 
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"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit."- E. E. Cummings
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2. Change Up Your Writing Routine

Writing is tedious and often intimidating. When you sit to write your next comparative paper on character dynamics in Jane Austen and JK Rowling novels, begin writing for fun first. If all you write are analysis' and comparisons, writing will soon become a chore.

To keep writing exciting and entertaining, write about yourself in your free time. If you can, write daily, even if it is just a paragraph. You can write about your dinner, your gossip, the artist you don't like anymore, anything. As long as you are writing and putting words on paper, you are doing your job; and doing it well. The hardest part of assigned writing is starting. By routinely free-writing, you eliminate blank page anxiety and feel comfortable beginning your 12-page literary analysis or poetic anthology. 

3. Call Your Profesor, Or At Least Save Their Number

English majors get a bad reputation for getting less "secure" job prospects than a nursing or dental studies major. But English professors and advisors have extreme confidence in you, and many connections to help you succeed.

English students graduating from universities today have sharp communication and editorial skills that tech, publicity, and government executives are eager for. Your professors who have used their writing and editing skills to succeed as full-time college professors have connections from past programs and publications they have worked in.

​Make sure to meet with them to discuss your career path and advice on how to reach your writing or marketing goals. Connect with your professors on LinkedIn and during office hours throughout your four years. Relationship building is a key part of career-building and networking. Your professors will know who you should talk with to get your next internship or summer program, and they will suggest relevant courses and professors for you to take that align with your specific career path.
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4. Never Limit Yourself

Here is a list of a few of the jobs you can acquire with an English major: 

Novelist, Screenwriter*, Blogger, Playwright, Comic Book, Writer, Poet, Nonprofit Grant Writer*, Paralegal, Program Manager, Public Relations Specialist, Content Strategist, Copywriter*, Technical Writer, Web Content Manager, Editor, Journalist, Social Media Manager

Being a famous writer or New Yorker essayist is not the only path to success for English majors. Reading, writing, and grammatical expertise are valuable skills in all fields including science writing, grant promotion, and government legislature. Hone your grammatical and editorial skills while in college to ensure you are a versatile editor and creative thinker always able to apply your language skills to any project or written work.
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5. Choose Undergraduate Courses You Love

You will have the opportunity to take at least twelve English electives before you graduate. Use them to your advantage. After college the opportunity to collaborate with peers on the emotional complexities in Toni Morrison novels or dig into the poetic genius of Audre Lorde while having your housing and dinner paid for might be unlikely. Use your electives to your advantage and soak up the creative genius of writers before you and the debates instigated by your hopefully seasoned professors. Creative writing and artistic electives can help you strengthen your means of self-expression and creative writing. Take classes that will inspire you to write creative essays and verses. These classes could start your portfolio as a freelance writer, short story novelist, or poet.
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6. Get a Twitter

One of the most profitable skills for our generation and generations to come is social media writing. The quick 280 character format of Twitter is a perfect place to test your directness and creativity. Without spending too much time doom scrolling before bed, let yourself tweet some great comedic singles on living at home, writing as an undergraduate, or who you think Cardi B’s should collaborate with next.

​When you apply to jobs in marketing, publishing, or personal advertising, you should be Twitter-fluent. Don't take social media writing lying down -- start branding yourself and your style as a Twitter-literate journalist, blogger, or next political spokesperson. 
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7. Read Before Bed

You always have the option to read before bed or at any time during the day. By making reading a physical book before you bed a routine, you glean knowledge from reading other authors writing style and storyline and spark creativity for your dreams and next short story. Read a romantic title like a Nicholas Sparks novel or a serious text like Ulysses by James Joyce (you might have trouble falling asleep with that one).

​Whatever genre you enjoy, read it before bed, even if it is just a page or paragraph. This habit will also prevent you from doom scrolling on your Twitter...even if you go viral. 
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