by Cody Hodge

Created on: October 08, 2009

If you are an English major, the job market might seem like a cruel place to try and crack. There is a major stereotype out there that English majors are good for either teaching, or writing. While those might be the two logical job choices, there are other options out there for those of us who are English majors, and are looking for jobs that might not entail either of the two job choices.

If you are a good writer, you might also be a good communicator. This means that you might be able to get a good job as a manger somewhere. You might have to start out at the bottom of the management chain, or you might even have to work your way up to that, but you should be able to rise pretty quickly. Think about the retail industry, or any job that requires being able to take direction, or come up with new initiatives.

If you were thinking about teaching, but didn't quite get that far, what about possibly being a motivational speaker? You obviously have good leadership skills, and enjoy working with people. It might take some time to get your foot in the door, but if you have good people skills, and you enjoy helping others, you are probably going to be able to influence people.

Politics might be a calling for those of us who were English majors. Some of the most influential pieces of political discourse were in the form of writing. If you have a way with words, you might want to use that influence as a good communicator to become a politician. Politics is all about good slogans, and influential rhetoric, so maybe you could come up with a good slogan and go tour the nation?

You could combine you degree with a minor. Think about it, you could become a sports commentator with a minor in sport studies or communication. You could become a therapist with some classes in psychology. There are many paths you can take as an English major with some other type of schooling.

For the majority of English majors, there is going to be a need for a second job. Work is sporadic at first, and it takes time to build up that base of people who want to read your work. However, you don't have to just settle. We don't all become writers, and we can use our skills in a variety of ways, and there are many callings to which we can answer.

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