When most people think about English literature degrees, they imagine themselves rummaging through heaps of reading material till their brain taps out. This depiction may not be completely accurate, but reading and literary analysis are central to an English major. What comprises an English degree? Well, as a student, you’ll be reviewing and scrutinizing a wide assortment of works. You will also be learning in-depth about significant literary periods, historical movements, and critical analytical approaches that gave birth to modern literature.
Suppose you’ve chosen to study English literature at a prestigious college. You’ll learn to build a narrative, adept communication skills, argumentative skills, and interpret different kinds of literary meaning during your degree.
It’s only fair that potential English majors want to know about their future career prospects and what benefits this degree provides after graduation. However, to answer these questions, we need to dive deeper. Down below, you’ll find some fascinating benefits of pursuing an English major in college that will provide some much-needed clarity on the subject.
Unlimited Writing Topics
The majority of college classes involve exams having a general prompt, a page limit, and a specific font requirement, such as twelve-point Calibri. It’s impossible that the essential reading material, for instance, novels, won’t be equally intriguing to everyone. In this respect, an English degree has the upper hand. Students may choose to write about anything they find enjoyable. Your work can revolve around countless topics like gender, ethnicity, and other social issues. For example, if feminism excites you, you can write on it as many times as you desire, without getting bored. Plus, allowing someone to write about their interests renders writing a much more thrilling pursuit than a burdensome academic chore.
Leisure As Homework
Most people deem English to be synonymous with writing, but there’s more to it. Students enrolled in an English degree online have the exclusive privilege of doing their coursework while remaining cozy on their beds. It’s a no-brainer that English majors’ homework involves tons of reading, which is still a better deal than memorizing the periodic table. This reading lets you explore fictional tales, valuable historical insights and stretch your imagination to the maximum.
The majority deems reading a pleasurable activity, primarily due to its ability to provide us with an escape from our mundane lives. Reading allows us to live numerous different lives at once. You can experience the Jews’ tragedies during World War II or the peasants’ joy of finally gaining independence from their English colonizers in the 1960s. Through reading, you can become someone else for a moment, which allows you to examine your life and change it for the better.
Learning Effective Communication
As social media and other technologies continue to integrate into our lives, communication remains in constant flux. Several business sectors, including tech, pay close attention to English majors because of their communications expertise. These companies then hire them to consult on approaches to keep up with market trends and keep their business operations going.
Even government institutions and Silicon-Valley big shots like Google are now on the hunt for individuals majoring in English. These organizations value an English major’s written and verbal communication skills, which can help them analyze current technological shifts and make future projections.
Range Of Career Options
The typical stereotype associated with an English degree is that it only allows you to pursue the teaching occupation and no other jobs. This assumption can’t be more wrong.
In reality, this degree opens up a range of career options for you. Most companies look for decent writing capabilities in their employees. When you look closely, you can find English majors in almost all business sectors and industries, fulfilling various duties. For instance, you can become a legal advisor, author, editor, doctor, or academic, among others. Restricting the English major to one profession, aka teaching, is a gross injustice to the subject’s versatile nature. Though the myth of unemployed humanities or art majors is quite prevalent in society, it bears no truth.
Introduction To Diverse Literature
As an English major, you might commonly hear the question, ‘Have you read ALL the classic literature?’ Indeed, many students would go on-and-on about Dickens’ or Shakespeare’s brilliant work. Yet, some others would rather indulge in contemporary or modern pieces. English majors have varying pleasures, some relish in thrilling sci-fi novels, and others prefer gushing over the new Veronica Roth series. You’ll become familiar with a broad array of literature during your English degree, including but not limited to the classics. Sure, the classics are a good read, but acquiring an understanding of the why’s and how’s of the popular genre is also a crucial part of your degree.
Potential Travel Opportunities
Are you afflicted with a severe case of wanderlust but want to write/teach simultaneously? Well, your English major has got you covered! This degree enables you to earn a living while you travel and explore the world. While on your travels across the globe, you can teach English as Second Language (ESL) to students belonging to different countries. Since English is one of the most in-demand languages, you can easily locate school/college programs requiring your outstanding expertise.
To Cut It Short
Indeed, the liberal arts and humanities majors still carry many stigmas, most of which have no factual basis. This article shed light on the exceptional benefits of an English degree. These include travel opportunities, several employment options, discovering diverse literature, and practical communication skills. After your graduation, you can capitalize on the stellar skills you’ve learned during your English degree to shine in your professional and personal lives.
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