# English majors, what are you doing now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 26, 2002, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875 "2002-07-26T03:40:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/21 "2002-07-26T15:12:14Z")
I received a BA in English Lit, then went on to a MA/PHD program in Performance Studies. I’m still at work on the disssertation, and am trying to stave off my parents talking me into going to law school. When does the insanity stop? ---
**Author:** ![p\_cific\_812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@p\_cific\_812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/p_cific_812)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/22 "2002-07-26T15:24:36Z")
I’m getting a certain “OK, we don’t really _do_ that much-- but we like what we do.” vibe here. I tip my pocket-protector to you English majors. Any major that sets you up for a fufilling (if not necessarily financially profitable) professional life is not “worthless” at all. ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/23 "2002-07-26T15:54:33Z")
**PublicBlast** , I go to Ave Maria in Ann Arbor, MI. One more year to go. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/24 "2002-07-26T16:09:07Z")
A.B. English, M.A. Education. Working as lead software engineer. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/25 "2002-07-26T16:24:56Z")
I was an even more worthless major–Liberal Arts (with a double minor in English and Sociology). My first job out of college was a cust svc rep for a credit card company. Then I went to work for a toll road as a cust svc rep and was promoted thru the ranks to Quality Control Manager, where I oversaw all the programs to ensure we gave good customer service, in addition to writing most of the customer correspondence. I just left that job for my current one, where I’m a Marketing Communications Project Manager for a health insurance company. So, I am writing a lot (granted, most of it’s very boring and dry) but I do feel I am putting some of my education to good use. Everyone always asked me what I was going to do and I never had an answer. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up! Btw, my best friend has an even more useless major–History. She is now a store manager for Pottery Barn. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/26 "2002-07-26T16:25:39Z")
I’ve got a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Humanities. In a few weeks I start on the Ph.D. (in English, natch – my specialty is Renaissance literature) > [@](#): > > This is mostly rhetoric on the part of math/science-oriented undergrads (like me) who often perceive a lack of math as a lack of work. Indeed. My brother (a computer engineering major) is convinced he’s smarter than I am for precisely this reason… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/27 "2002-07-26T17:19:16Z")
I have a B.A. in English, as well. I am a Marketing Analyst for a print placement advertising agency. Most of the time I just work with numbers (weird for me), but I do a fair amount of summarizing analysis results, so I have to call upon the English language pretty vigorously at times. I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/28 "2002-07-26T17:22:57Z")
B.A. in English Lit. It took me a whole year to find a job after college, and the job I did get (secretary), I could have gotten had I not just gone through 4 years of college. I was, in fact, the most educated secretary they had. Now, I’m a Marketing Coordinator, and I actually do use my skills to edit and proof proposals, resumes, qualification statements, and other written materials our company puts out. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/29 "2002-07-26T17:41:53Z")
I have a B.A. and M.A. in English (specialties in Jonathan Swift and Creative Writing–no thesis option at the time). I worked as an English tutor, proofreader, editor, research assistant, fact checker, grant proposal writer, etc. while going through the university years, then started teaching in 1990 while finishing up the M.A. Taught for another year at the Univ., budget cuts ensued, took off to a college in '92, am still teaching there and also at another one. I still edit, proofread, and tutor on the side; and I write stories for publication, though I tend to have better luck with contests than with magazines, most of the time. I also help people write letters to HMOs, companies, and other entities they’ve had problems with so they can get things resolved, refunded, etc. So I’d say it’s been a pretty useful major. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/30 "2002-07-26T17:55:09Z")
My husband has a BA in English, and is currently an optician. However, because he is the expert in the family, he handles all the writing and speaking of English for the household. I just sit in the corner and quietly play with my calculator. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/31 "2002-07-26T18:04:47Z")
IANAEM, but a friend of mine is/was ( a degree in English with a minor in journalism I believe ). She’s now an advertizing exec :). - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![odd-socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@odd-socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/odd-socks)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/32 "2002-07-26T19:07:38Z")
B. A. (Hons) Eng Lit & Linguistics. Qualified as a lecturer but decided to undertake an MSc in Computer Science for a variety of reasons. Had to withdraw due to divorce and house move. Currently looking for [any] work, here or abroad. ---
**Author:** ![Regina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d78d45/32.png) [@Regina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regina)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/33 "2002-07-26T19:45:22Z")
BA English with Theatre minor (hey, they paid my first two years!). Worked in a bookstore during college and for about a year after, then landed my first legal secretary job. Been a legal secretary ever since, now in a cushy quasi-state job, making not great money but plenty enough for me, and great retirement plan and benefits, like hanging out at the SDMB while I’m at work! I also use my skills outside of my job: menu layout and design, resumes, resume letters, working on a small business loan application, newsletter for a little local club I belong to, stuff like that, no pay involved. I really wanted to be an anthropologist . . . ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/34 "2002-07-26T20:01:54Z")
Jever notice that a lot of us English majors wind up “helping” people do stuff, like write their resumes, check out their Web sites, proofread their letters to the editor, and so forth? Guess we’re not all that worthless, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/35 "2002-07-26T21:52:08Z")
It’s good to hear that a bunch of you are working “in the field.” I was starting to worry that I’d have to be an underqualified web geek for the rest of my life… I should probably note that I was one of the “lame” creative writing majors (thanks bunches, **slortar** 😉 ), and I’m looking for a non-draining “pay the bills” job right now so I can get down to doing some serious writing. Now that **Tamerlane** mentioned his friend who went into advertising, I may take a look at that too. It’s hard to beat a short story (which a lot of commercials are these days, which is cool) that’s 30 seconds long. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/36 "2002-07-27T00:30:17Z")
B.A. English Lit.; J.D. I practice law. [sub]and practice and practice and practice . . .[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/37 "2002-07-27T00:37:18Z")
Some day, you’ll get it right! [If I didn’t say it, no one would have. No need to thank me. It’s what I do.] ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/38 "2002-07-27T00:57:19Z")
B.A. in English, M.A. in Linguistics I worked as an English teacher, then as an editor. Both related to my field. Now I’m a stay at home mommy to 3 tiny ones. ---
**Author:** ![waits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@waits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waits)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/39 "2002-07-27T01:08:21Z")
Editorial director with a publishing company. Honest. ---
**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875/40 "2002-07-27T01:57:03Z")
Stopped a couple courses short of an English degree, took degrees in history and computer science. Regularly use my English skills, since so many computer professionals can’t write and hate to write. I’ve written all kinds of manuals, papers, etc. When not working, starting the third novel. So the English classes were worthwhile. But not by themselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-majors-what-are-you-doing-now/120875.md?page=3)