The Poor English Major

No one majors in English because they want to make a lot of money, right? If you want job security and a hefty paycheck, you head for computer science, business, maybe even chemistry or biology, but certainly not English. With a BA in English you’ll end up as a teacher’s aide or office assistant and read a lot on the weekends. That seems to be what people generally think. Twenty-some years ago, when I told my mother I wanted to change my major from biology to comparative literature, she took the news as a sure sign of impending doom. Surely I would end up tapping on a computer in some dingy office for very little pay. In the end, I did not go with the comp lit major (instead I dropped out entirely), and here I am tapping on a computer in a dingy office for little pay. Hmm …

I bring this up because of a comic strip. Take a look at today’s Speed Bump. I read this and laughed. An English major in business class—Ha! Never happens, probably not even allowed. Then I thought about it. What does happen to all those Jane Austen- and Shakespeare-loving English majors when they graduate?

Actually, many of them do quite well, thank you very much. Some go on to earn advanced degrees, and not just in English or writing. Some become well-paid writers or editors. I have a friend who was an English major and went on to a successful career in public relations. When she travels to the west coast later this month, I have no doubt she’ll be flying comfortably in business class.

Once upon a time (when I had my sights set on becoming an MD/PhD in as little time as possible), I thought the degree you earned was vitally important. I wanted to be able to put all those letters after my name to show everyone how successful I was; I wanted to be somebody. Now I know that just having a particular degree doesn’t guarantee success—or obscurity. Your major or degree doesn’t make you into a somebody—that’s up to you and what you do with the education and other resources you have.

So, are there English majors flying business class? You bet!