What can I do with an English degree

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Your spoken and written communication skills are enhanced when you choose to study English at University. This makes you better at arguing points, framing narratives, and analyzing scenarios and situations to find meaning.

The main question for most students, however, are not the skills gained but the careers or jobs to join with an English degree. There are thousands of opportunities for English graduates seeing that the skills acquired can be applied in almost all industries.

Common Careers for English Major Graduates

No industry is better than the other for an English graduate, but most graduates tend to join careers that require strong written and spoken English skills such as media and publishing industries. There is a high demand for excellent communication skills, which means that English graduates have a lot of opportunities. However, due to the non-vocational nature of this subject, most graduates will need to gain work experience during their study. For instance, students intending to join media and journalism careers can get exposure through student journalism clubs or undertaking an internship in a media house.

Careers in Media and Journalism

The media sector is very broad touching on film, television, news blogs, newspapers, advertising, PR and product reviews. The niche you join will depend on your interests. You can join production, writing, editing, promotion, management, reviewing and scheduling among others.

While a career in media and journalism will come with gross pay, the field is very competitive. The area needs graduates who are dedicated to it and who have industry experience to show. To boost your chances of landing a career in this field, you need an active social media presence, a media blog, join internship programs and create an impressive personal portfolio.

Publishing Careers

A career in publishing is closely linked to the media world. The digital revolution has disrupted the publishing industry making it more competitive with more companies closing down and others adopting digital publishing to stay afloat. Digital publishing involves publishing eBooks, online journals and news sites, blogging and online magazines among others.

Graduates in English can join different niches in this field including production, editorial, and administration, PR, marketing and sales. To boost your chances of landing a job in this field, you need to have active social media accounts, a creative portfolio, a blog and undertake an internship at a publishing house.

A Career in Education

A degree or masters in English gives the necessary academic knowledge and communication skills to pursue a career in teaching. However, to teach at lower levels up to high school, you will need a professional teaching qualification and to teach at University, you will need a master's degree. You might also need a PhD in the field of English you'll be teaching at the university, as most institutions will require you to research as you teach.

As a university tutor, you will often submit research papers and journals and sometimes contribute to books.

Careers in Advertising, Marketing and PR

English degree graduates take roles in advertising, public relations and marketing. These roles require graduates to have high levels of creativity and direct their focus towards generating profit for the brand that employees them. Careers in these fields will see graduates earning high starting salaries. To boost your employability, you need to know how to market yourself.

Other Typical Careers for English Graduates

There are many more careers for graduates in English. Other fields include librarianship, bookselling, youth work, archiving, human resources, social work and retail management among others.

Less Common Careers for English Graduates

The public sector absorbs millions of graduates each year. Depending on your country of residence, a career in the public industry gives you a chance to travel, enhance your personal growth and career development. Jobs in the public sector are more in English-speaking countries. To land a career in this field, you need to show interest in government-related projects, be abreast with current affairs and have excellent organizational skills.

A Career in Law

Graduates in English develop skills that can land them a career in law. Though one needs a graduate-level degree to become a barrister or a solicitor, graduates can join organizational, administrative, and research-based careers in local and federal courts.

Business, Accounting and Finance

If you can work with words and numbers with the same passion, then you can easily join the business world. Here, you only need to prove your mathematical skills. If your high school mathematics grades were right, you are hardworking, and you show initiative and collaboration, a career in business will suit you.

Creative Freelancers

Not all graduates will land a job in the field of their choice. Armed with great communication, research and writing skills, a graduate in English can become a freelancer in creative writing novels, creating screenplays, writing for online magazines and blogging and selling eBooks online.

If you are a student of English, you can get English homework help online as you prepare yourself for a career of your choice.