What to Do With an English Degree

In a nutshell, yes and no. There are many things you can do with an English degree, though there is little job security with any of them. They also may pay little until you are in the upper eschelons of those professions. Of course, whether getting an English degree is worthwhile to you depends entirely on what you want to do and what kind of lifestyle you want.

Many people end up getting into an English major because they want to write novels or short stories, and they assume that an English degree will help them to do that. And, it will help to some degree. It can help you with writing skills and understanding your own writing in the context of what has already been written. Studying vast amounts of literature can add depth to writing and make it a more mature work than it would be from someone who has not had the benefit of that study. It can not, however, hand you ideas or make your writing interesting. Those factors are up to you alone.

Here's a quick look at the possible futures ofthose with an English degree.

The publishing world is something that greatly interests a lot of English majors. Many believe that a job in publishing will get them closer to getting their own works published. In general, it will not. The work requires long hours and has a high rate of burnout. It is also low paying for the first several years. But, working in publishing is a prestigious job that can get you a lot of contacts for future ventures.

One of the problems with working in publishing is that you pretty much have to live in New York or Toronto to have a real chance of breaking into the industry. the only real exceptions to this are the smaller, university presses that are located in every state.

Many literary agents are people who have left the publishing industry to start their own literary agency or to join someone else's. Agents who have worked in publishing are highly sought after by writers because of the many connections they develop in their former industry. As a literary agent, there is little income security. Any security is dependent on how many of your clients' books you sell. This is risky, but there is also the potential to make millions a year.

Man freelance writers are people with English degrees who developed some writing skills but don't want to get into the publishing world. Freelance writers may focus on magazine articles, short stories for magazines and anthologies, Web articles, commercial copywriting, or anything else that pays the bills. The internet has made it easier than ever to find paying markets and clients. In fact, an entire industry has sprung around freelancers who write web content articles for a living.

Having an English degree will matter greatly to some clients and not at all to others. But, no matter how they feel about the degree, what will really win them over is your skill as a writer.

Editing is the perfect task for anyone with an English degree. It doesn't require writing clips, you don't have to move anywhere and often it can be done at home. Businesses often need someone to edit or proofread their business documents, and they may either hire someone to do that in house, or they may outsource it to a freelance editor.

Outsourcing is more common now that the internet makes it easier to find a freelance editor. Some websites hire editors to fix either their own copy or copy that they sell to others. Some people hire editors to fix their business letters or even their personal letters.

In-house editing usually pays a moderate amount, but the field is far from steady. Companies tend to vacillate between keeping in-house editors and freelancers, which can result in layoffs.

Some companies, and executives, who hire personal assistants or administrative assistants are responsive to someone with an English degree. Understanding grammar, formatting and style means that you will be able to handle documents, letter writing, sending emails and other grammar-oriented tasks better than someone without a degree.