Careers for English Majors and Minors

Careers that stem directly from an English major are divided into three basic areas: teaching, writing, and editing. A student whose first interest is English should consider all of them with great thoroughness.
I. TEACHING

A. Primary level

B. Secondary level

C. College level

D. Librarian

E. Training and development–teaching writing to business executives and staff members
II. WRITING

A. Advertising copyright

B. Television broadcasting

C. Writing user manuals for programs and computer companies, systems analyst

D. Commercial writing for:

1.  newspapers,

2.  women’s magazines,

3.  travelogues,

4.  campaigns,

5.  sports magazines,

6.  book and dramatic reviews,

7.  radio and television scripts,

8.  religious and juvenile magazines,

9.  government bulletins,

10.  insurance companies,

11.  labor journals,

12.  farm journals,

13.  science bulletins,

14.  management and research and development (writing reports and speeches and doing audiovisual
ads for executives),

15.  food product and chemical and drug companies public information specialist

E. Public relations

F. Novelist

G. Poet

H. Technical writer

 

III. EDITING

A. Proofreading

B. Editors of:

encyclopedias,

dictionaries,

trade publications,

publishing houses

C. Manuscript readers

 

IV. Other jobs not directly related to English but which are dependent upon an ability to handle the
language effectively include:

A. Secretaries

B. Business Executives

Curators, Archivists

Consulting

Sales and marketing

Advertising

Personnel – wording of job descriptions, writing and interpreting personnel evaluations, writing manual
and programmed learning guides, questionnaires, employment interviewer

C. Corporate and governmental employees

D. Local civil service employees

 

For English majors who have fortified their literary background with subjects in the social sciences and foreign languages, there are positions in government, voluntary, educational, and philanthropic foundations and organizations, and private industry.

I. GOVERNMENT: RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATION

A. Jobs which involve collecting statistics and other information on various phases of education

B. Jobs with the Foreign Service

 

II. VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS (As assistant executive secretary, director of educational programs,
and field workers)

A. American Red Cross

B. Boy Scouts

C. Girl Scouts

D. Cancer Society

E. League of Women Voters

F. National Education Association

G. YMCA

H. Salvation Army

 

III. PRIVATE INDUSTRY

A. Travel bureaus

B. Artists’ bureau or a lecture bureau

C. Book departments in large department stores

D. Owning a bookstore

E. Small museums and private libraries

 

IV. GRADUATE SCHOOL

A. Graduate school in English (M.A., M.F.A., Ph.D.)

B. Graduate School in Business (M.B.A.)

C. Graduate school in other majors

D. Law school

E. Medical school

Careers for English Majors _ BestColleges.com

This list only suggests that if students plan their college work with one of these possibilities in mind, they can build their courses around their English major as to make themselves eligible for one of a great many careers.

For more help, please visit  UCA-Career Services.