Categories: Academics

10 Things You’ll Only Understand If You’re An English Major

As an English major people do not understand some of the ups and downs of your choosen education path. The career opportunities are never-ending with an English degree and far wider than just becoming a teacher.

If you are not an English major, you may not understand these 10 key things. If you are, then you will be able to relate to these things.

1. Everyone expects anything you say or write to be perfect all the time

Whether you are at home, school, work, or anywhere else, everyone expects you to speak properly and anything you write has to be perfect. You will come across people who know you and expect you to be perfect in any type of written or verbal communication. Just because it’s your major doesn’t mean that you are perfect at it.

2. Everyone asks why you chose to be an English major

You understand your personal and professional choices for becoming an English major but others do not. English is certainly a difficult subject and so is writing. As an English major, you must put out a lot of effort to accomplish this particular degree with a certain skill set and it is not only demanding but burdensome as well, which many individuals just don’t understand.

3. You always have your nose in books and love to read

Yes, there are a lot of people that enjoy reading but none like us. The English major immerses their time and energy into reading a lot and often not only because they enjoy reading but they take note of specific elements of writing and grammar while they read.

4. Having writer’s block is an English major’s worst enemy

Reading, writing, and reading some more can give us writer’s block and most people do not understand if they have never experienced it. An English major experiences this at least once in a while during their academic and professional career. Overcoming writer’s block is an act of Congress for those struggling with it.

5. Getting a lot of criticism for literally reading and writing all the time

An English major has probably the most reading to do for academic purposes because you can learn a lot about grammar and use of key elements through reading different author’s work. We have to read a lot in order to provide literary criticism and gain knowledge for their own use in writing.

6. There are numerous career paths available to an English major

Being an English major provides you with a variety of career paths to follow. The options are limitless. You can go into publishing, editing, copywriting, freelance writing, teaching, and many more career choices are open to you with an English degree.

7. Writing hundreds of academic papers

If you didn’t know, now you do. As an English major, your days consist of hours of reading, research, and writing but in the end, the results of writing numerous research papers can lead to a successful career path of your choosing.

8. Burn out

With all the reading, researching, and writing, it is easy to succumb to burn out. After enduring the endless hours of reading and writing a hefty load of papers, it is easy to become frail without even realizing it.

9. Struggling to connect with other English majors

There is a growing community of English professionals and writers but it is something that each individual must research on their own to find out what works best for them. There are some online communities and local organizations that you can find to provide the support you need.

10. The perks of knowing a little bit about everything

Having to read and write constantly gives you an advantage over others because you learn a little bit about every subject imaginable. The workload that goes into being an English major is beneficial in the end.