[AndrewG]

I am an English / Writing major at college, I will be graduating in 1.5 years.

I am currently delivering pizzas part time and run on the side a freelance transcribing business (really isn't a business, but I have some clients)... I want to know if I will be able to land the 30K job once I graduate... I am a hard worker, professional etc... but will an English degree be enough to get me in the door for an interview?

I just want enough $$ mainly to 'get by' for now, to have a bad apartment, that whole 'starting out' skirting by lifestyle is appealing to me. I know I have the skills to move up the chain over the years but what is most important to me is getting independence and a low white collar salary.

I am open to graduate school if the degree won't do a thing, but is the English major enough? I have no interest in being a teacher, but I can see myself teaching overseas one day... or working in 'some' writing field be it newspapers, magazines, technical writing, fiction, whatever... thanks for any help / advice!

 

[aaroncort]

Every english and creative writer graduate I know now does some form of grant writing for some non-profit company. They don't quite make 30k a year it seems. I've never asked, but I'd guess they make around 24k a year.

On a side note, when are colleges going to start thinking of themselves as the trade schools that they are? They need to start at least trying to teach somebody the trade that is associated with their degree. Or at least that's my opinion.

 

[gates_2]

go to grad school, no matter what. It can't hurt you, and will only increase your earning potential.

 

[Illah]

The Chief Interactive Strategist at our agency has nothing but a BA in English, and he's in his late 30's (C-level position, i.e. very senior). Hell, I have a BFA in Motion Pictures and I've worked in online marketing for the past five years. First started out as an intern at a tech startup

Just learn how to sell yourself and you'll be alright.

--Illah

 

[chesebert]

law? 120k a year starting sound good to you? What can you do as an English major besides writing paper, which exactly what law is...lol...writing paper (we call them briefs and memos

good luck!

 

[Welly Wu]

Regardless of your level of education or degree, your career opportunities are what you make of them just like life. I have an Associate's degree and Bachelor of Arts degree in English Creative Writing and Liberal Arts and I still don't work anywhere near the writing industries like publishing or editing, etc. Of course, I really made the decision to do so either. Also, I plan on attending Columbia for their MFA in English Creative Writing so that I can focus on my craft, but I was thinking about it three years ago too. Hope still springs eternal.

 

[Laptopia]

HAVE FUN. You're young. The POINT is to have fun. I wish I had extended my "young period", but I just KNEW the Marine Corps was for me, and things got really serious really quick. You can't go back to youth, either chronologically, or in stage of and station in life.

NOW, for work: Do something you enjoy, so long as it pays the rent. Work to live. If it doesn't pay the rent, find something fun and lucrative to do in addition, on the side.

Pursue fun in your work, but don't expect fulfillment or self actualization in it. If you get that, that is fantastic. Just don't expect it, and you will not feel cheated. See "work to live", above.

TRAVEL. You will find this more difficult to do (at least with the same abandon) as you age. You may find that a very enjoyable way to travel is on the extreme cheap. It's possible to do, and enriches the experience. There are entire books on hobo travel.

Good luck in your job hunt. Just stay flex, don't sweat it, and for God's sake, *do not* become a lawyer, unless you are doing it to make the world a better place, and not just for yourself.

 

[Zuerst]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesebert /img/forum/go_quote.gif law? 120k a year starting sound good to you? What can you do as an English major besides writing paper, which exactly what law is...lol...writing paper (we call them briefs and memos good luck!

Not every law grad starts out with 120k...

 

[Loganberry]

If you are bright, apply to a law school and go. Those extra three years will mean a huge difference in your income over your lifetime.

If you can get into a top law school, you will earn more than 120K a year the first year if you graduate in the top 1/2 to 1/3 of your class.

If you are really smart and graduate in the top 10% of your class, and make the law review, it does not matter which school you go to.

 

[splaz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zuerst /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not every law grad starts out with 120k...

Very true.

My uncle has a law degree. He could of got a low paying job at a firm in a junior position, which does pay quite low for what it is. However the pay increases fairly rapidly after the junior period.

However he didn't want to be on low pay for a few years, even if it lead to much bigger pay. So he's working at an accounting firm for quite a bit more than a junior, however far less than what he could be getting if he sucked it up and waited out that junior period.

 

[dwchin]

I know several English majors who now work at top financial/banking companies. Think Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, etc. They make plenty of money with great bonus/benefits right out of college, even without a graduate degree. That's not to say that sort of industry will interest all English majors, but at least you know that an English major can indeed attain great jobs money-wise even without grad school. I think it is what you make of it. Just as another example, your major can get you a job with an advertising agency. You could be an account executive, or you could be a creative writer, putting those writing/creative skills to good use.

 

[vagarach]

Also a big part of getting a bachelor's degree is just that: getting one. It takes some dedication to sit in one place for 4 whole years and do academic things, so by seeing that you have a bachelor's degree, the employer knows that regardless of your specialisation, you have already shown that you can set a goal and see it through.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I got a B.A. English (literature) to begin with, but went off to law school after graduation. It's a good path and the education will serve you well. While there, however, I discovered an aptitude for tax so I went and got another degree in accounting.

Not at all what I expected when I got out of high school, but it worked out and I'm happy where I am.

As for the law, the $120k+ jobs aren't quite the gravy train you might think. You are expected to bill 2,000+ hours for that and you'll get sucked in for 60-80 hours a week. When you consider your earnings per hour, you're better off with a lower paying job with more free time. And you'll want some free time since the pressure at a big firm can be intense.

 

[Zuerst]

Hey, maybe go back to grad school for a couple years and go to med school!!!

 

[headphonejunkie]

A computer systems analyst can make some big bucks. You could be over the 100 grand figure in this job. Given time and experience. Of course that would mean a complete change of your major and lost credits.