One of the biggest misconceptions is that many people automatically assume English majors are going to be teachers. While it is a common and noble path, and it is the one I ended up taking, teaching is not for everyone. If your passion lies elsewhere, that is okay. Somewhere out there is a job that fits you.
Dual Credit English Teacher
Personally, it is so rewarding to help our students. If I am able to help just one student on any given day, I go home feeling like I accomplished something important that day.
Library Director
Ever since my first experience of traveling abroad, I have always wanted a career that puts me in contact with people from a variety of backgrounds. This mindset led me to Peace Corps and ultimately to the position that I’m in now.
International Student Advisor
One of the biggest misconceptions I run into (seemingly constantly), is the assumption that in order to become a mental health professional one needs an undergraduate degree in the field of psychology or something comparable.
Licensed Professional Counselor
Sharing historical, one-of-a-kind materials with others is one of my greatest joys. To see the excitement in a student or researcher’s eyes when they find materials related to their research interests never gets old!
Assistant Professor and Curator of Material Culture
I’ve always wanted to write for a living, and now, I get exposure to a professional writing setting with a built-in career path. Instead of just being a writer, I can learn more about multiple aspects of communication and public affairs. I can learn about publication and project management. The possibilities are vast now.
Communications Specialist
The feelings when Finding Jackie: A Life Reinvented—which is my first book and came out of my doctoral work at King’s—was published in early 2023 aren’t possible to explain, but I can say truthfully that being in the English department at Mississippi State was a significant part of the long journey towards that moment.
Lecturer, First Year Writing Program
Writers have power over people even if they don't want it. It is a lot of responsibility to make sure you do publish honest and interesting news and information.
Office Manager and Writer
The skill I gained as an English major that I have used most consistently is critical thinking. As an English major, I was trained to read carefully and to formulate my own ideas and responses both in writing and orally in class. Through class discussion and writing papers, I learned not just how to remember what I had read but to build upon it in a meaningful way, and it is this ability that I credit most when I have had opportunities for promotion and career advancement.
Proposal Writer/Production Specialist
I currently write fiction full-time, so my workday consists of writing, reading, and editing. House Gone Quiet, my debut short story collection, will publish in October 2023 and I am currently at work on a novel.
Author
"I am currently a Content Production Manager at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, where I manage the production of scholarly articles for its 5 journals. My work begins when articles are accepted for publication, when the copyediting and proofreading processes start. I work with a vendor that provides composition services and I conduct quality control of their work. One of my favorite aspects of the job, however, is working with the authors."
Content Production Manager
My favorite classes were my Creative Writing classes--I learned a lot about myself during these. However, truly the best part of being an English major was building friendships that have continued beyond college!
Law Student
