English Degrees, are they worth anything ?

I graduated with a degree in English from a pretty strong liberal arts school. "Needing to go to grad school," is my answer when people ask me what I majored in. However . . .

I got into a grad school program for something entirely unrelated to English in large part on the strength of the written part of my application (in which I had to, you know, write about myself and my goals and stuff) and on letters of recommendation (two of three of which were from English professors). Also . . .

Now, in the working world, I definitely find my degree to be useful. I'm one of the people in my office who, any time anything needs a proofread or a polish, people bring their work to. I also end up writing some of our press releases, even though that is pretty much entirely outside of my job description. My bosses know and appreciate this, and see it as a substantial value-add.

An undergraduate degree in Sociology, or many other degrees in the humanities or soft sciences, will likely lead directly to a six-figure income like a degree in finance might. There really isn't a set path, unless you want to continue your education, get a PhD, and become a professor (that's not an easy path either, though). However, having an undergrad degree of this sort (and the skills that come with it) can make you a valuable asset to any number of companies in a wide variety of positions, and it can most certainly lead to a satisfying career and financial success. (Of course, it can also lead to a nice, tenure-track barista position at the local Starbucks.)

If having an undergraduate degree in English were strongly positively correlated with great writing ability (as you imply), that would be fantastic, but in my experience, that is not the case.

I majored in engineering. English majors write with too much fluff.

Write with as few words as possible and get to the point.

The above poster (who majored in English) is a great example of what not to do.

English degrees are worthless.

I majored in Mechanical Engineering and Minored in Literature, when my colleagues need something proofread they bring it to me. When they need a technical drawing checked for accuracy, they bring it to me. When they need the cycle time of a specific process reduced, they bring that to me too.

Maybe some of you should just become certified 100% ballers at your jobs like me.

In my experience as both an employee and an employer, it always depends on the person.

If you have a solid candidate that was an English major, they will likely have used their time in college to polish their communication skills.

Mr. Engineer... With regard to the fluff comment above, anyone who writes with too much fluff was likely not an English major. If there is anything that my English degree did for me, it was to beat the fluff right out of my writing. Boil it down to essentials. That being a said, there is a reason that engineers are not considered social people. Engineers are rarely good businessmen. Maybe that is why you do not like English majors.

The business world is about communication, first and foremost. A degree in English can help you improve your ability to communicate, but it is not a given.

Well, I got an English degree, and look where I am today. Here.

Not An Expert wrote:

I graduated with a degree in English from a pretty strong liberal arts school.

I'm one of the people in my office who, any time anything needs a proofread or a polish, people bring their work to.

"To whom people bring their work."

Define "worth." If all you care about is getting a high-paying job, then majoring in English is a waste of your time. If you care about exploring yourself as a person, about changing society, about expanding your mind, about pursuing a field which requires creativity, thoughtfulness, heart - then yes, it would be worth your time.

Can we quit talking about everything in terms of how much money we're going to make off of it? Might as well have a thread titled "Girlfriends, are they worth anything?" I hear souls aren't fetching as much on the black market these days, anyway...

I have a degree in English and journalism. I've been employed as a newspaper journalist, a computer instructor, a GED preparation teacher, an English teacher, a technical writer, a magazine editor, and a consultant. None of these jobs would have been possible without my degree...gotta have a degree in SOMETHING for many jobs, and a degree in English is not a bad one; you just may need to be a bit more creative about how you go about using it than someone with a degree in engineering for example. Very frequently jobs require "excellent oral and written communication skills". A degree in English helps with that.

Not sure why you pick English out as the degree that you question. What about a degree in history or fine arts or philosophy? Studying English helps hone practical skills.

commie

I enjoyed my undergrad education in English. I got to read a lot of entertaining novels, stories, dramas, poems, and essays, and I participated in some thoughtful discussions about life and humanity.

I did not enjoy my graduate education in English. I found that so much of what passes as "deep thought" seemed like noise to me. Maybe it's not, but I just didn't enjoy it. I got the M.A. anyway and did the Ph.D. coursework, but then I got a teacher's license and didn't finish the Ph.D. I've not regretted that choice, as I make more money than most assistant and even associate professors at the major university in my area, yet I have ample vacation time and enjoy my main love, coaching.

langenwanker, johnny wrote:

Define "worth." If all you care about is getting a high-paying job, then majoring in English is a waste of your time. If you care about exploring yourself as a person, about changing society, about expanding your mind, about pursuing a field which requires creativity, thoughtfulness, heart - then yes, it would be worth your time.

Can we quit talking about everything in terms of how much money we're going to make off of it? Might as well have a thread titled "Girlfriends, are they worth anything?" I hear souls aren't fetching as much on the black market these days, anyway...

You make some good points, but I have made a good deal of money in my career with an English degree. In fact, I don't think I have ever been asked what I majored in after my initial entry level job.

Life isn't about what you decided to study in college. Life is about whether you are a winner or a loser. If you are a winner, you can study basket weaving and still make it work.

The field of English Literature has been frequently reinvented, and departments today take widely varying approaches. Cultural studies is the predominant approach today, with less emphasis on art.

Any liberal arts program should provide good training in writing. I don't know that English has much of an edge over philosophy, religious studies, or history, for example. The only difference is that the subject of study is good writing, but of course literature is a very different genre than analytic writing.

What I liked about English, at least at the schools where I studied, is that it was a hybrid field. I learned about philosophy, history, religion, and culture, as well as the technical aspects of the most important of all art forms.

Like most liberal arts degrees, an English degree is a waste of time if you're not truly interested. There is also a very wide gulf between a liberal arts degree from an elite school and one from a mediocre school. Even then, it's a luxury. I was fortunate to have parents who paid for my undergrad, and a scholarship for grad school. If I'd been on my own, I probably would've gotten a practical degree and done the liberal arts reading in my spare time.

In 2006, a poster called "Spelling and grammer" was poster of the year.

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=1690590&thread=1690068

There were even threads about if he had corrected one of your posts -

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=2072795&page=0

After he left, there were a few threads about where he was -

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=2118562&thread=2118501

English is the best major. Classes are mostly girls, and not ditzes. You learn how to cut through the BS in most prose, and string a sentence yourself. Amazing how many people in business use hacked up syntax, typos, etc.

Career-wise: If you're sharp, you will rise to the top with an English degree, or any other degree. It's what you make of it after you graduate.

I actually disagree with a lot of the things being written in this thread by other people who either were English majors or who believe an English major has value. Here are some of my biggest points of disagreement:

1) There are a lot of ditzy girls who are English majors. They usually really like the Brontes.

2) For some (including myself), the process of getting a degree in English isn't enjoyable. Going into college I knew it was the degree I wanted (I could have told you I was going to be an English major when I was in 6th grade) and I'm glad that I did it as it has served me well, but the process of getting the degree was painful; it sucked the joy out of reading for me (and for almost all of my English major friends--although we might have been a self-selecting group), and I did less reading during those four years than any other period in my life since I learned to read.

3) I also disagree that English majors aren't taught to fluff up there writing. Good Lit papers aren't just incisive; they're also enjoyable to read. Sometimes, in pursuit of making a paper an enjoyable to read, a Lit student will play around with language a little bit. This could, at times and from a certain viewpoint, reasonably be construed as fluff (more on this later).

I also, perhaps more unsurprisingly, disagree with many people who don't see the value in an English degree:

1) I believe that there is a significant correlation between good writing ability and an English degree; in most cases, if we were to control for intelligence, someone who studied Literature will write better than someone who did not. There are obviously stupid people who are English majors who never get any good at writing, just as there are stupid people who are Math majors who never get any good at Differential Equations; but that stupid English major will likely be a better writer than the stupid Math major (just as the Math major will likely be a better mathematician).

2) I believe there is oftentimes a purpose, in a Lit paper, for the fluff mentioned in Part 3 above. Many times in Lit an idea, stated in its most simple form, is incomplete; if you are deeply exploring a nuanced idea (or even a specific nuance of an idea), you may need to explain things two or three degrees removed from the exploration in order to get anywhere. These aspects of a Lit paper may initially seem like fluff when they are, in reality, essential to its argument.

Or maybe I'm just disagreeing with everyone because I'm a contrarion (which, I'm told, is something many believe most English majors to be).

A journalism degree is far more practical than an English degree (unless you want to teach English literature).

Journalism teaches you to condense your writing "to just the facts" in a clear manner and without superfluous words.

Even if not working in the media it helps tremendously with your business correspondence.

I'm guessing this is a troll (because of the other "Is a ____ Degree worth anything" threads, but if not, let me tell you. No degree is worth much unless you want to work in that field.

There is also a sort of aura attached to having any sort of degree, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't major in something that you want to do just to have a degree.

Loopy Mc Dorkhead wrote:

Is an English degree worthwhile anymore ?

Whar occupation can it get you ?

Is it as bad as a Sociology degree ?

It depends. Are you planning on writing full time? Teaching? Publishing? University? If you actually have a plan, it can be as legit a major as any other. You will more than likely not come out of school and make a lot of money, but, money does not float everyone's boat. If you truly are a good writer--which your post makes me doubt--a novel or knock-dead play can get you past the money issue. But, this is like making it to the NBA...very, very few ever do this. Also, realize you can enjoy English as a school thing and get out and get a job in a completely different area. My undergrad major was religion and philosophy with a minor in English. I also dabbled in math. Now, I work in IT making decent money. Don't let people tell you that the degree is a dead end, but, unless you have a plan, it will more than likely be just that. Also, keep in mind that technical writers can make good money. Try to look at a minor in business or technology. Remember, science, business, law or technology are huge industries. Being able to write well about any of those can land you a good gig.