Thinking of Majoring in English? Here’s Why It’s a Great Choice
By Cailin Hale
Are you trying to figure out what your major should be? Here’s why you should consider majoring in English.
Southern Virginia University’s English major provides an education that can be used in a variety of different fields. The major focuses on the study of literature from various cultures, nationalities, and time periods. Students analyze the texts, discuss them in class, and write on their studies. “The primary goal of the major is to study great works and learn essential life skills through them,” says Dr. Dallin Lewis, Program Coordinator for the English major at Southern Virginia.
Through their classwork, English majors hone analytical and argumentative skills, build critical reading and writing skills, and learn how to effectively problem solve. These soft skills are very valuable to potential employers. “Hard skills are, of course, valuable, but employers often expect to train candidates in those specifics of their job area. It’s very, very difficult to train people in critical thinking skills if they don’t already have them. That’s where I think the English major is the most valuable. It makes you the kind of candidate that people want,” said Dr. Sarah Maitland, a professor of English at Southern Virginia.
Through their study of literature and writing, English majors learn how to write and communicate well. “There are no skills more in demand than writing well and communicating effectively,” said Lewis.
English majors go on to do a variety of jobs in competitive fields, including marketing, publishing, law, and content creation. Frequently, CEOs and various other business professionals hold degrees in English, not business.
Unfortunately, English has a stigma of being dead-end major, or one that won’t result in many career opportunities. “The reality is that the data just doesn’t support that. The stigma is really just people’s assumptions,” Lewis said. English majors are shown to be competitive with business majors and even STEM majors, as an English degree is quite versatile and can apply to a variety of careers.
The English Department at Southern Virginia has a couple new and exciting opportunities being offered. They’re recently started offering a publishing concentration, which attempts to help writers and potential future publishers to better get into the publishing industry after graduation.
Additionally, Orson Scott Card, bestselling author of Ender’s Game, will be at Southern Virginia this upcoming spring to teach a new program, the Center for Popular Fiction. This program is for students interested in writing popular fiction of any genre. Entrance to the program is by audition only. If you’re interested, contact Dallin Lewis.
“The study of literature historically has been one of the cornerstones of university learning, and there’s a reason for that,” said Maitland.
