College? English?

[prideanddreams]

Hello everyone! I've been a stalker of these forums for about a year now, and I've finally decided that it would be a good time to create an account and start posting here.

I'm going to be a freshman in college this upcoming fall, and I've been on the fence as to which major is right for me. I've been thinking about pursuing an English major since I love to read and thought, "Hey, what better place to find out more about a major/career in English than a literature forum?!"

So my question is, did you pursue a degree in English? And if so, do you remember what courses you took? Are there a lot of career opportunities for English majors?

Thank you in advance for your help! :]

[andave_ya]

:eek2: best of wishes to you!!! I'll be a college frosh too - in fact I'm leaving for college on Monday - and I'm doing my major in literature. As to career opportunities, well, there are a lot but you have to look for them, and depending on your style it might be harder or easier to find a job as editor, proofreader, even teacher. I'm intending to work up to my Ph.D and become a literature prof.

[kasie]

Good Luck, prideanddreams - and to you too, andave ya. I'm sure you'll enjoy a course of studies in English Lang/Lit - be ready for some intensive reading, lay in stocks of Midnight Oil. :)

As for employment prospects with a degree in English, don't think just in terms of jobs concerned directly with your subject, teaching, librarianship, journalism, etc - many employers value the skills associated with linguistic studies and consider applicants with the ability to transfer such skills. I was headhunted by the head of a computer department once because he was looking specifically for a programmer with advanced linguistic skills and wanted someone with a degree in English or History because he knew such people had the ability to analyse and express themselves succinctly. I didn't take him up on his (tempting) offer but I did end up running the office side of an engineering company because, the boss said, I knew where full stops went....

[Niamh]

I'm starting a course hopefully with the Open University in october and hope to do lit. :) its an interesting subject.

[blazeofglory]

Why not to choose a journalistic career.