Your Future

"What can I do with an English major?" That's a question we hear often-and one you yourself may already have asked. Although experience suggests it's a mistake to assume your choice of major will predetermine the entire course of your life, it's certainly appropriate to wonder what opportunities this choice might open up or foreclose. The quick--and not inaccurate--answer is that an ETS major opens up almost everything and forecloses almost nothing.

Your path is clearer, of course, if you plan to become a teacher or professor: you'll be heading to advanced studies in graduate school. But what if teaching is not the right choice for you? The fact is that many businesses and professions recognize the value of the conceptual, analytical, research, and communicative abilities developed by English and other humanities majors. Our majors find careers in such fields as law, journalism and other communications media, publishing, advertising, business, personnel work, industry, and government. Some of these fields require additional education or experience, but your liberal arts education provides the kind of foundation considered essential by many professions and employers. Our Undergraduate Resource Center contains several books on jobs for English majors, and the office of Career Exploration Services in the College of Arts and Sciences can offer further help in exploring career options.