What Jobs Are Available for English Graduates?

When you tell people your major, the very next question is usually “What do you want to do with it?.” English majors have one of the largest lists of job options available with just an undergraduate degree. Here are a few options for graduates with a degree in English.

Novelist

A novelist is one of the most obvious jobs to get with an English degree. As a novelist you write books on a fictional topic creating the characters and plot along the way. Unfortunately no one really “hires” a novelist. To be a novelist you will have to write your book, and then try to get an agent as well as a publisher. As your popularity increases as a writer you may be able to be paid advances by publishers to write your next book.

Copywriter

Do you enjoy writing short snappy slogans? Can you sell anything? Then a career in copywriting may be for you. Copywriters typically work in advertising writing press releases, ads, and web copy for different companies. Copywriters typically need to know how to work quickly and creatively.

Technical Writer

Technical writers generally write things like instruction book, and manuals for everything from computer programs to electronic gadgets.

Freelance Writer

A freelance writer writes pieces for publications of their choosing. These can be huge glossy magazines such as Elle and Cosmo, or online websites such as associatedcontent or about.com. Freelance writers will generally send out a query letter to the publisher of their desired publication and be accepted for publication as well as know the amount they will be paid for the article before they actually write their article.

Reporter

A reporter will go out and look for information about the world around them and then write a story about it to share with the public. Reporters usually focus on one topic such as the arts, sports, or news.

Editor

People with very good spelling and grammatical skills may be interested in a career as an editor. On basic level editors check articles for spelling and grammatical mistakes. On a larger level many editors make the decision on what topics are covered in the publication, and will often edit writers work down to a shorter length to fill a certain amount of space.

Teacher

English majors often become English teachers. No matter what your ultimate career goal everyone needs to have a good understanding of the English language. English majors are often passionate about the language, and make fantastic teachers.