On this page, I’ve put together some resources to help you in your studies as an English major.
Here are some useful study tips:
- At one of our 2011 meetings, we had a conversation about how to write literary analysis essays and what makes for a strong essay. One of our students put together these notes she titled “Interviewing our Professors” with all of the ideas we talked about that evening.
- A website that includes ways to study for your literature midterms and final exams.
- Here’s another site that has some good study skills listed on it.
Here are some resources that can learn more about your personality and valuable skills for the job market:
- The Occupational Outlook Handbook — This website is run by the U.S. Government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it allows you to look up information about various jobs. For instance, if you’re thinking about being a high school English teacher or an editor, you can search those job titles, and find out information such as what education you’ll need for that job, how much money you can expect to make, what the job itself is like on a day-to-day basis, and what the job’s future outlook will be.
- The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)’s list of the key attributes that employers seek on student resumes
- 16 Personalities website — This website has a free version of the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) personality test, which will let you know which of the sixteen MBTI personalities you have. Once you take the test, the website will list careers that will bring you fulfillment in life.
Here are some resources that can help you figure out what to do with your English degree:
- **University of Washington’s Articles and Books page and their Careers for English Majors page that lists typical jobs, work applications, and career preparation strategies for English Majors.
- **Stanford University’s “Careers after an English Major” page.
- **What Can You Do with an English Major? — This is a helpful article from Roosevelt University.
- **Career Opportunities in English and Comparative Literature — This site contains advice from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Some useful videos on the University of North Carolina website about marketable skills you have as an English major.
- Types of Jobs for English Majors — Arizona State University has some good job info on this site.
- After the English Major — This is an article from George Mason University about what you can do with your degree.
- Dear English Major Facebook page
- 35 Awesome Jobs for English Majors — An article from Sell Out Your Soul about interesting jobs.
Articles about the general skills you learn as an English major:
- “What Can You Do with a Humanities Ph.D., Anyway?” — Article from The Atlantic about the marketable skills you learn with a Humanities Ph.D.
- “Liberal Arts Grads Win Long-Term” article from Inside Higher Ed about how, “By their mid-50s, liberal arts majors with an advanced or undergraduate degree are on average making more money those who studied in professional and pre-professional fields, and are employed at similar rates.”
- A July 2015 article from Forbes magazine called “That ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket”
- A November 2015 article from Forbes magazine called “Why Critics Are Wrong about Liberal Arts Degrees” about the value of them
Here are some fun and interesting articles related to being an English major that you might enjoy:
- February 2023 article from The New Yorker called “The End of the English Major“
- Some articles about how English majors make as much money as STEM majors:
- New Yorker article called “Why Teach English?” — I love this line from this article: “We need the humanities not because they will produce shrewder entrepreneurs or kinder C.E.O.s but because, as that first professor said, they help us enjoy life more and endure it better. The reason we need the humanities is because we’re human. That’s enough.”
- Article from The Atlantic called “The Allure of Community Colleges” about teaching at two-year schools
- Article from Bradley University about why it’s beneficial to be an English major and what skills you learn from it even if you’re not planning on teaching
- Huffington Post article called “28 Signs You Were an English Major”
- Buzz Feed article called “25 Signs You’re Addicted to Books”
- New York Times article about how reading literary fiction gives you greater empathy, social perception, and emotional intelligence
- Atlantic article called “I Learned Everything I Needed to Know about Marriage from Pride and Prejudice”
- Article called “What Jane Austen Taught Me about Being a Strong Woman”
- Fun article called “How to Tell if You’re in a Jane Austen Novel”
- Comedian Tim Minchin’s wonderful speech for the graduates at the University of Western Australia
- Professor Alan Liu’s article on “The Humanities and Tomorrow’s Discoveries”
- “Why I Teach Plato to Plumbers” — Article from The Atlantic about the value of the humanities
- Not really related to English, but an interesting article from The Atlantic called “The Coddling of the American Mind”
- Funny article called “Here’s What Would Happen If Literature’s Biggest Romantics Could Text”
