Why You Should Get an English Degree
This article breaks down how an English major can help take you to the next level in any career.
By Jessica Dickenson — January 11, 2023
The English language provides us with the lens through which we view and interact with the world. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, also known as the linguistic relativity hypothesis, states that the grammatical and verbal structure of a person's language influences how they perceive the world. An example of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is how sexist language affects how our society views men and women. Words like 'policeman' and male nurse 'others' the opposite gender through word choice. It's cool, right?
Being an English major means that you not only learn about different linguist theories but you also grapple with how words affect and shape the world around you. While you may imagine English majors casually sipping coffee in an armchair with a book (which is probably true) chances are they are also learning challenging theories that inspire them in the classroom and beyond it.
Acquire Skills That Never Lose Value
The ability to read analytically and write articulately are prized skills, as communication does and will continue to facilitate our daily engagements. As you might imagine, English majors spend a good majority of their education both reading and writing. This isn't simply a pastime.
Analyzing a piece of writing is a chance to engage with a microcosm of the world. For a little while, the reader has to put themselves into the writer's historical, psychological, sociological, and physical realm. Engaging with various literature from diverse authors allows for a more diverse and rich understanding of the world. This ability to critically place yourself in 'another world' translates well into life experiences, including in the workforce. You will have to work with a variety of different people and with different and possibly complex materials. Your ability to disseminate information in these situations can help set you apart from others.
Writing well is also a skill that is always useful. While you may not aspire to become the next great novelist, your family, teachers, and future coworkers will thank you for being a decent writer. Whether you want to or not, you will have to write a complex email, a cover letter, or describe a situation. Choosing the right word and saying things in the clearest way possible is a skill that, if it doesn't get you far, will ce rtainly earn you gratitude.
Learn How Language Shapes the World
When you turn on the news, watch a show on Netflix, or scroll through your social media pages, you can thank a writer. Somewhere down the line, someone put pen to paper and carefully curated your media world (you're welcome). Politics, religion, and philosophy live in language, in the ear, on the page, and screen Yale University states.
Although technology has made some forms of written language obsolete, the reality is that language and writing are inescapable. As an English major, you will not only learn the complex history of language and literature, but you will also learn to interpret where trends will take us. Our world is more accessible and connected than ever, so it is more fun and complex. Non-native English speakers engage with and create new content. New perspectives are finally getting the opportunity to stand in the limelight. Books are widely accessible, and social media is everywhere. Local dialects, slang, and greater sensitivity have begun to shape language. Interpreting this new world is—dare I say—pretty lit!
Research
Just as science majors have to dig through copious data, English majors are al so busy conducting research. Not only do you have to find sources, but you are also tasked with evaluating and incorporating them into your original research work.
Books have been around for a while. Whether you want to argue over which came first (the Diamond Sutra, The Epic of Gilgamesh, or the Etruscan Gold Book) is up to you. Still, according to UNESCO, over two million books are published annually. Some of these books may become new classics, but many others will only survive a generation. Part of being an English major is weeding out which and why books last (like Harry Potter. Will The Philosopher's Stone be required reading in 100 years?) Linguists' research always continues as language keeps changing. They are continually learning new things about spoken and dead languages.
Unfortunately, unlike scientists, the research and data that English majors work with are far more subjective. There is no way to 100% confirm or deny research, which makes your analytical skills all the more important and attuned. English majors must have a keen sense of identifying viable information and verifying it to the best of their ability.
Before you laugh and think that English majors have it easy, I dare you to read Of Grammatology by Jacques Derrida. (Don't worry, I'll still be here while you deconstruct).
Versatility for Life
Let's face it — you would love to spend your days quietly reading and writing. Being an English major includes staying on top of the latest books, discussing literature and media with your friends, critiquing movies, and having WAY too many documents on your computer. Once you realize that language and media are everywhere, your world opens up.
While an English major stands on its own two feet, it also pairs nicely with every other college major. A scientist who knows how to write research papers? A politician who has sympathetic worldviews? A mathematician who is on top of the latest media trends? An English major can help take you to the next level in any career.
Jessica Dickenson
Jessica Dickenson graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with degrees in English and communication. She has applied her abilities working as a young marketing professional for a local university but works as a freelance writer and photographer in her spare time. She currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband.
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