any english majors?

[wing]

I'm still undecided... and was thinking of making the decision between a BA in communications or a BA in English... or maybe a dual major.

just wanted to hear any thoughts and experiences on these types of degrees... basically i want something versatile that i can apply to all areas of life: all of my artistic and creative pursuits, as well as having something to fall back on. for instance, communications or english might enhance my creative pursuits in just overall learning and understanding how to write and communicate better, and therefore improve the quality of my art in the process. does that make any sense?

thoughts? thanks.

[jamoo]

Find the better professors. Then find the better students. (by better I mean the people you like more, for whatever reason)

That's your major.

[inverseroom]

I was English all the way! Never did get a real job, though, and it was about five years before I actually got my writing career underway... but if you do it, do it because you like talking about literature, not because of its practical value.

[A.L.]

but if you do it, do it because you like talking about literature, not because of its practical value.

My mom was an English major back when. So consider the above corroborated by my mom, then, Wing.

'Cause, like, her eventual career had futz-all to do with her professionally useless degree.

Yeah, do you read a lot, and quickly? Do you like writing and talking about what you read? These are the questions to ask yourself.

edit: also there's a girl at work who was an English major. Job has pretty much nothing to do with degree, natch.

edit edit: maybe you're not concerned about this job stuff, which is ok too.

[wing]

i'm not terribly worried about job stuff... but as a thing to fall back on, it was my understanding that english shows a lot of people that you are able to 1) think and analyze critically and 2) write well... which a lot of companies like and need. not that i'm interested in the job world or anything, but whatever.

i do like reading, and i do like writing, but i'm not really all into discussing socrates and shakespeare all day long... i just like good fiction, and poetry, and stuff. not that there's anything wrong with those guys, they were great, for what they were... i'm just not terribly interested in most literature older than the 18th century-- am i not made out for it then?

i could get a BA in creative writing, which i would love, but my current english professor suggested against that, saying it's seen as a "wishy-washy" type of degree, as all it shows is that you know how to write fiction...

i dunno. i never really worried about the job market, i'm not terribly interested. i have confidence in a lot of my artistic skills (not just music... but areas i've developed such as design, photography, recording, etc), and i figured i could always get a major in those things, but again, i kind of wanted a major that could apply to all my creative interests.

what about communications? i think it usually has a lot to do with journalism, but you can take an "interpersonal communications" degree, which is basically learning how to communicate with speech better... which in turn would help in a lot of areas in life, including my art, i would think. i just don't want to limit myself to one creative type of degree or anything.

if i was really worried about the job thing, i'd probably go to law or med school. pssshaw.

but yes, i really do like writing... which i think in turn helps in writing better songs and making better art, to a degree, no?

[wing]

oh, and it might be worth noting that just about the only classes I've CONSISTENTLY gotten A's in are English classes... I'm actually an A quality student in every area (I'm not trying to brag, but honestly school is not that difficult) but the only reason I don't get A's in classes other than english is because they don't interest me as much, nor do they come as naturally to me. I've done really well in all my English classes because it's easy for me to write, discuss, analyze, read, and enjoy literature a lot more than it is for me to study math or something.

(note: the following is not a bragging story, so bear with me!) For instance, for my English Comp II class, we had the biggest paper of the class, worth 40% of the grade, and basically if you don't do well on this paper, the professor can and probably will fail you from the course. Well anyway, being the lazy procrastinating bastard that I always am, I didn't actually start writing the paper until the night before. Yeah. This paper was a big deal, other kids were writing it 2-3 weeks in advance, and really stressing over it. Anyway, I wrote and BS'ed a lot of junk and analyzed a lot of quotes and all that. It wasn't that hard, just a bit time consuming-- I was a bit late to class! Anyway, the point is, when we all got our papers back, I got a solid A... and a lot of the kids that were really working hard and stressing out and working on it 3 weeks in advance were bitching about their B's and C's... I felt bad for them though, like my lazy self didn't deserve an A for as much work as I put in it... but at the same time, I took that to mean that English and writing is just something that comes pretty naturally to me. It seems to be something that has always been easy and comfortable with me.

And I am a grammar nerd at times (though I surely musn't have the best grammar around anyway). And I read word of the days, and the etymology of words actually interests me (gasp! nerd alert!).

All these things made me think that English must be something that I really enjoy, and at the same time applicable to all of my creative pursuits (from music to art). ya?

[YOUR KONG]

English major here - I actually majored in music for two years, but when I realized that it just wasn't a good fit, I switched to English for the same reasons you're thinking about it - I liked it and I got A's without much effort!

Now it's my career. I'm an editor at a financial research and publishing company and I really like my job. There's a lot of financial types in here, but there's also lots of liberal arts people - my former boss had an MA in art history. She liked to hire other liberal arts majors because she felt they were better at analyzing and explaining things. People might give you a hard time in school for majoring in something "useless" and your job prospects out of school will be a little rough, but long-term it's a good move, I feel. (one tip for job prospects - extra-curricular activities, independant projects will give you something to show other than your "unemployable" major - in school, make a "portfolio of how smart you are" to show people when you go interviewing, like web sites, CD covers, etc.)

Regarding your Shakespeare/Socrates qualms, don't worry - unless you go to a very old-fashioned university, most English departments have classes above and beyond the "canon." Some of my favorite classes were on stuff like Frankenstein, Toni Morrison and Flannery O'Connor. I even took a class where we read modern, "trash" fiction (spy novels, sci-fi, romance novels) and examined them structurally for repeating themes.

As for English vs. Communications - I'm biased, but Communications was considered "English Lite" at my school (then again, my school was kind of "College Lite" for most students ). It's like when the football kicker on the Simpsons hurt his knee, and the doctor said, "Your football career is over. Surely you have an education you can fall back on?" And the guy says with alarm, "I take communications! Is fake major!"

But, hey, I'm biased.

You seem like a bright guy, Wing, from what I remember of your resume. I think people put too much emphasis on "what's your major" rather than what you've accomplished OUTSIDE of school. In my experience, that was what really impressed interviewers. It seems like you've got a lot of projects - I'd think about what you want to show interviewers when you get out.

[greenmeansjoe]

oh, and it might be worth noting that just about the only classes I've CONSISTENTLY gotten A's in are English classes... I'm actually an A quality student in every area (I'm not trying to brag, but honestly school is not that difficult) but the only reason I don't get A's in classes other than english is because they don't interest me as much, nor do they come as naturally to me. I've done really well in all my English classes because it's easy for me to write, discuss, analyze, read, and enjoy literature a lot more than it is for me to study math or something.

(note: the following is not a bragging story, so bear with me!) For instance, for my English Comp II class, we had the biggest paper of the class, worth 40% of the grade, and basically if you don't do well on this paper, the professor can and probably will fail you from the course. Well anyway, being the lazy procrastinating bastard that I always am, I didn't actually start writing the paper until the night before. Yeah. This paper was a big deal, other kids were writing it 2-3 weeks in advance, and really stressing over it. Anyway, I wrote and BS'ed a lot of junk and analyzed a lot of quotes and all that. It wasn't that hard, just a bit time consuming-- I was a bit late to class! Anyway, the point is, when we all got our papers back, I got a solid A... and a lot of the kids that were really working hard and stressing out and working on it 3 weeks in advance were bitching about their B's and C's... I felt bad for them though, like my lazy self didn't deserve an A for as much work as I put in it... but at the same time, I took that to mean that English and writing is just something that comes pretty naturally to me. It seems to be something that has always been easy and comfortable with me.

And I am a grammar nerd at times (though I surely musn't have the best grammar around anyway). And I read word of the days, and the etymology of words actually interests me (gasp! nerd alert!).

All these things made me think that English must be something that I really enjoy, and at the same time applicable to all of my creative pursuits (from music to art). ya?

Dude. If you enjoy the language and if you enjoy literature and if you enjoy having a critical mind, go for it. An English degree isn't exactly gonna make it easy for you to get a job, though. On the practical side, you'll be able to write ad copy, get into journalism or public relations, or teach. I got into journalism. I'm also poor. I have a tough time affording my $350-a-month rent.

Just remember that an English degree is rarely a lucrative degree. I'm glad I got mine. I'll probably be scraping-by, living check-to-check for a long time, though.

[Fieryjack]

I was an English major.....wouldn't change it. LOTS of reading (literature, criticism, etc.). I had fun with it and was exposed to the best writers in the world. If there is a certain style you like, you can hone in on it....there are so many great writers. Plus your writing skills will be great. Remember, the pen is mightier than the sword!

There is a very strong human interest element with this major, which you may not find in others such as business, communications, etc.

[mjau]

I was an equally unemployable undergrad major...history. Now I work at a history museum, and we get lots of interns through that are history/english/liberal arts majors. When we talk about school, I always tell them that while there may be no equivalent for an english major like an engineer graduating and becoming an engineer right off the bat, there are a number of arenas where the ability to effectively communicate and think criticially are highly valued.
That said, even somewhat famous writers don't make all that much, so you may never be rolling in the money like our pals in the business schools.

I've heard that the CIA, of all places, is always looking for english majors.

[BigCats]

You know, it's funny. I just finished my yearly job review and one of my strengths was the ability to write and communicate. As someone with a tech job, having a strong background in english, literature, etc. has really given me a leg up. It wasn't my major but I think the courses I took in college, etc. have been invaluable throughout my life.

Knowing how to coherently express yourself on paper (or on-line) is a skill that will serve anyone well wherever you end up working. As far as an english major, well, for most people our major in college is only peripherally related to our actual jobs - I studied art/design but today I help design large industrial inkjet printers for the graphics industry as well as consult with customers. The point is, the ability to communicate well and present your ideas is useful whatever you do (even engineering - our own Larry being a good example).

I agree with everyone about the joys of literature, writing, etc. but I'll also tell ya - it's a good practical skill.

K

[awolski]

I have a BA in English, and I decided there are pluses and minuses. You're correct that it's very helpful in that it teaches you to think and write precisely and analytically. Plus you strengthen the skills needed to read beyond a text, to evaluate what the writer is trying to say or trying to manipulate you to feel/think/do. Plus if you want to write, there is no better way to strengthen your skills than to learn from those who came before.

But this part might be a cause for concern, where you say "i do like reading, and i do like writing, but i'm not really all into discussing socrates and shakespeare all day long... " Once you get to the graduate school level in English, it is my opinion that that is all they ever do. I took some grad level English classes and seminars, and it became exceedingly clear to me that grad level is the point where students are expected to become specialists and begin the navel-gazing. I mean, seriously, people devote years and years of their lives to one specific work, such as Ulysses or The Canturbury Tales, and that's their whole life for a while. I became disgusted with it all, thinking "why should I be the 10,000th person to study the symbolism in Heart of Darkness or discuss sexism in 17th-century literature"? The whole English grad student project seems completely at odds with any form of groundbreaking original thought and seems obsessed with pulling new insights from works that have been discussed to death umpteen times. Often, works which really have no relation to most modern readers. To me this seems anathema to any sort of creative or artistic perspective. This is not to diss any English grad students, perhaps this was unique to the people I came across or the school I was at (University of Illinois), and maybe doesn't apply to all English grad level study. But it was, and is, my strongly-felt opinion.

[wing]

awolski.... i totally see where you're coming from, and i haven't even gotten there yet! but i know the types. i think it's uninteresting, and it almost at times feels like new thought and creation of philosophies aren't encouraged.

but lucky for me, i'm not considering English at the grad level, just undergrad. how's english there, at least from your perspective?

"The point is, the ability to communicate well and present your ideas is useful whatever you do"... totally, that's my point: I want something that I can apply to bettering my ability to communicate my ideas, be it through writing, stories, music, and even ART, etc. Am I mistaken in thinking English (or communications) somehow can tie into all of this and help improve my approach to my creative abilities and pursuits?

Like said before, I am not interested in majoring in one specific art, I figure why not major in something a bit more neutral that can apply to all. Am I crazy?

[TomS]

Might I suggest a degree in interdisciplinary studies? Instead of figuring out how to fit into what the world tells you you have to "be," you can just figure out what you want to do, and design the program that will get you there. How about an ID music and literature program? Or literature and communications? Or literature, rhetoric, music, and communications?

Although I can't imagine not enjoying Plato and Shakespeare (having just finished teaching a philosophy-literature course...y'know, where we read and discussed Soc's trial and death, and Hamlet, and old things like that).

Also - don't think that "critical thinking" and the ability to express oneself well are owned solely by the good people in English faculties. All degrees worth their salt teach that stuff. If a given program does not do that, it's not worth your money.

Do what you want to do, and good things will follow. (I almost quoted Joesph Campbell there...)

[TomS]

... for instance, communications or english might enhance my creative pursuits in just overall learning and understanding how to write and communicate better, and therefore improve the quality of my art in the process. does that make any sense?

thoughts? thanks.

I have to add: my life of navel-gazing has only contributed to my deep appreciation of good art, and I think has made me a better artist, although that's sort of an untestable claim...