# English degrees...



## TomJMiller (Feb 3, 2015)

I love literature and writing - always have and always will. But I am hesitant to major in English due to the lack of demand for the acquired skills in general. I'd prefer not to spend four plus years of my life in college and end up being a janitor (no offense to janitors or any other similar job, just not something I'd like to do). Education and journalism are two of the main careers that I'm interested in. Now, I know that an English degree isn't necessary for either, but nothing that colleges offer quite interests me like literature and writing. I wouldn't have that drive or determination to hone my skills and become better. 

Have any of you majored in English? If so, can you please share your experience so that I have a good picture of what the future would entail if I did choose to go down this path? Is the future of the English major as hopeless as people make it out to be? Real world advice would help me out a ton. Thanks in advance.


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## am_hammy (Feb 3, 2015)

Just about ready to get my English degree conferred. Honestly, if you're going to be doing that I would have a concentration in something within English, or try to major in something else and minor in English. If it's more for writing, I would try finding a fine arts school to attend as it would have more specific categories catered to your interests. If you already have a BA in something and are looking to expand upon your education, I would consider getting your MFA.

The biggest struggle I have right now is trying to find a job to sustain me during my writing-process journey. It's tough to find something that would hire me when it comes to writing when I have no specific experience in anything. It's literally a broad spectrum of different categories in the realm of English. Every college is different, but unless this is something to really base your next career moves, I would consider tweaking it a bit. For me, we had required upper level English classes like Literary Criticism, Modern Grammar, etc. Then there would be specific categories like Genre, Diversity, etc. and within those you could chose from several different classes but then those classes were broad in what was covered. You really weren't digging too deep. Then again, if the college you're going to has a fine-tuned and detailed program where you can really create what you want, then it might actually be worth it.

Now, not to say that having an English degree doesn't work period. I'm sure there are people out there that have flourished with their BAs and have been able to pursue the things they want, but I'm not going to lie, it's difficult. I wish I had looked it over more.

So, if you're looking into writing or journalism more so, I would make journalism your major, and english your minor. Depending on what your college offers you, you can have a concentration rather than a minor. It just depends on what they have available. Hope that kinda makes sense, heh.


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## Carly Berg (Feb 3, 2015)

I have an English degree. I was a teacher for a while, raised kids, got another degree. It worked out okay for me, mostly because I wasn't the main breadwinner, but I don't think what you study necessarily has much to do with what job you'll be doing so no reason to overemphasize liking what you study. Instead, I would research the careers that are in demand and pay well and choose from among those when choosing a major. Money's nice and I am not sure I even had more than a couple of creative writing classes in college anyway.


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## LeeC (Feb 3, 2015)

I'm so far over the hill that I don't know what a good route would be for someone today. Long ago I majored in engineering and computer sciences, but by the age of fifty had risen up the ranks and was fed up. I walked away from it all and put food on the table with my woodworking and visual arts (hobbies till then). If I had it to do over again, I would major in natural sciences. Always did hate taking showers in the morning  

I know back in the '70s and '80s, a lot of English majors were getting into computer programming. To me that's what happened to MS (I was always a UNIX devotee) ;-)

My daughter wanted to be an artist like I was, and majored in Literature and Arts at Bard. After spending ten years waiting tables, trying to become acknowledged as an artist, she went back to school for a masters in Education and a teachers certificate. Seems she found what she really liked, which is all any of us can ask for. On the other hand, I've known English major teachers (HS and college level) that really hate where they've ended up, despite it being their planned path. 

Planning is good and helps us stay focused, but life throws us curves, so stay loose and follow your dreams as best you can along the way 

Best wishes,
LeeC


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## Plasticweld (Feb 4, 2015)

Any degree is a tool.  I would make sure there is a task for the tool before purchasing it, rather than hoping that you will buy the tool and hopefully find a place to use it.  

I don't have a college degree but have paid for 4 of them.  So far only one of the degrees has resulted in work that was related to the field and that was my daughters second degree in nursing, her first in administration and business went un-used.  My son never used any part of is law enforcement degree and my wife's degree in education has also gone un-used.  

As a dad I would hope that you get a degree in anything you like and can make a living at.


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## Ariel (Feb 4, 2015)

I have an English degree--specifically focused on creative writing.  I work as an administrative assistant and I'm probably going to become an HR Professional.  I regret not minoring in business like I planned but that's all.  English degrees are flexible and a strong grasp on the most widely used language in the world can't steer you wrong.  Pair your degree with strong business and computer skills and it's fairly unstoppable.


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## Jeko (Feb 4, 2015)

> I am hesitant to major in English due to the lack of demand for the acquired skills in general.



This is a common misunderstanding. The transferable skills that English provides are applicable to an incredibly diverse array of jobs. Some graduates, for instance, have gone straight into managerial positions. If you can work with hundreds of characters across a number of different stories, why can't you also work with hundreds of people across multiple departments in a company? Sure,t here are definite differences, but the similarities make English graduates very attractive in this sense, and likewise in many others.


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## Ariel (Feb 4, 2015)

_Especially_ if they're capable (and they should be) of communicating to others how diverse their degree can be.  I have worked in minor administrative roles since I graduated (my last position was a dead-end) in 2008.


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## squidtender (Feb 5, 2015)

I have a bachelors in English from U of O. I'm an operations manager for UPS. Enough said. 

Like Hammy said, English is a good minor. Wish I had figured that out before I spent all that money. 

Until the day I die, I'll always believe that you don't need school to become a writer. You either are or aren't. School can help, but it won't make you one.


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## popsprocket (Feb 5, 2015)

squidtender said:


> Until the day I die, I'll always believe that you don't need school to become a writer. You either are or aren't. School can help, but it won't make you one.



I believe this, and I believe it about pretty much all forms of art. There are those with the raw talent or necessary drive to become good at an art form and no amount of formal schooling will alter the outcome.


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## Bloggsworth (Feb 5, 2015)

Ted Hughes went to Cambridge to study English, after the first year he realised it was not good for his poetry, so he changed his degree to Anthropology; this tells us nothing about degrees in English, but a lot about Ted Hughes. English degrees are about studying English, not about writing, so will be helpful to some aspiring writers, irrelevant to others and bad for a few. Degrees teach you how to organise your mind while teaching you the subject, so are useful in many fields. When I was young, and for all I know still, a prerequisite for getting a job as a copywriter was the possession of a degree; they cared not a jot for what degree you possessed, they just wanted to know that you had the ability to see, understand, interpret and redefine. If the _subject_ of English intrigues you, then do it, but don't if you think it will improve your writing; the ability to translate Chaucer and/or Beowulf into modern English has limited appeal unless, of course, it is your bag. Study a subject which really interests you, one you find endlessly fascinating, as writing about it will do more to improve your writing than studying a subject which, superficially, may seem useful, but which you find unutterably dull...


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## Sam (Feb 5, 2015)

You don't do an English degree because you enjoy writing and want to learn how to do it better. When you sign up for any degree, you're expected to have a modicum of knowledge about it. That doesn't change with English. You do an English degree because you _have _learned to write and you're trying to make a career out of it. 

A degree in English will not make you a better writer. In fact, it will in many ways challenge your love of the language. It consists of long days of reading, writing, studying for exams, and trying to master academic prose. Many people who love creative writing will not love an English degree, simply because the 'rules' that we take with a pinch of salt in this medium are taken very literally in English lit.. It's not enough to be great at writing. You have to be great at reading, analysing, theorising, and summarising. 

If you want to become a better writer, read and write more. That's all there is to it.


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## LeeC (Feb 5, 2015)

popsprocket said:


> I believe this, and I believe it about pretty much all forms of art. There are those with the raw talent or necessary drive to become good at an art form and no amount of formal schooling will alter the outcome.


This, and what Sam and others said, brings up a very important point to me. When I was pursuing visual arts as a livelihood, I was asked to demonstrate wood sculpture and marquetry at numerous public events. I didn't have time for all of them but I consented for the big events (like the New England States Fair, the Big E they call it) because frankly it was good for business, and the more widely known one is the more their work can fetch. 

One of the things at such events that really aggravated me was people saying "I wish I had your talent." The reason is that I don't believe in the word "talent." Of course one needs some idea of what they're trying to do, and whatever physical abilities are necessary for the task at hand, but it's the degree of mental drive, the desire, that makes all the difference. 

It took me around thirty years of bungling and practice before I sold a piece for more than the effort and materials I had put into it, but when that day came I gave notice at my day job. 

Of course, in the art world, as in most any endeavor, there are shortcuts. Like the average artist that gets "discovered" and promoted by all the sticky fingers in the "business," but such is to me just blind luck and is certainly not talent. 

Anywhos, by the time I got into writing I didn't have the life span left to pursue it as I had visual arts, nor was there any chance I would be "discovered" because what I wanted to write wasn't what the "business" interests considered immediate turnaround. So after figuring out that my feeble attempts at writing needed help, I started joining local and virtual writer's groups. A lifetime of reading, and the mutual give and take I've found here, have gotten me to the point where there's "some" serious outside interest. Something I won't comment on till I see some concrete steps. 

Anyway, more to the point here, I avoided English as a child as much as I could, and just barely scraped by in further education required courses. One starts from where they are on life's winding path, and what they accomplish depends on mindset, not some vague attribute called talent.

So ends today's sermon from the book of Lee


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## Bishop (Feb 5, 2015)

Getting an English degree served me well in some respects, but of all of my life decisions, it's the only one I regret. I work as an IT Engineer, and got the necessary skills for that job in my parent's basement with a computer that I had in bits every other night while I tried to learn its ins and outs like a kid playing with legos. If I had a degree to back up that skill on paper, it'd be much easier to get jobs/interviews, higher payscales... all in all, I learned a lot from my English program, but my life would be in a much better place if I had more marketable certification on my resume. I get it--writing is your passion, and you want to become published... but that's not the life that will likely happen for anyone, just as moving to Hollywood and taking acting lessons does not mean you're going to be starring in movies.

I'd honestly recommend finding something else you love that has a better bottom line, and teaching yourself writing and literary comprehension in your own time.


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## Loveabull (Feb 5, 2015)

I went back to school in my 40's after raising a bunch of kids. I was undecided on a major...American and World history being another passion. But I went with the advice of the prof who told me " You can write, major in English you'll love it!". And yes I did love virtually every course and graduated with honors. The problem was I didn't look into the future employment forecast. The state we live in has had massive cutbacks in education. Even those who manage to keep their jobs are on shaky ground. Problem two is that I can write and create amazing term papers...but the teacher certification test has math above and beyond anything I ever had back in high school. So no if you're middle aged the degree doesn't do a lot for you...marketable skills is what they're looking for. So you're paying student loans back until you die and still need to cobble two or three jobs together to get by. As far as what they can teach you about writing...the only class that made a big difference was journalism 101. That prof kicked butt. You could hand your paper in twenty times and he would reject it nineteen times, but you learned what a real live editor is looking for. Otherwise it's like everyone says, either you can write or you can't. Any kind of creativity can't really be taught it has to come from within.


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## bazz cargo (Feb 6, 2015)

I cannot remember who said this: 'You wanna be a writer, arse on chair pen on paper.'

There is a way out of this lack of experience circle, start your own publication. Sure it will cost a bit, if it is web based not a lot and maybe you can pick up some ad revenue. If you are good enough you will be noticed and that gets a track record that can be pointed at.

I fancy starting one myself. 'The Pitchfork!' Politics and economics, exposing lies and propaganda.


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## A_Jones (Feb 7, 2015)

Sam said:


> A degree in English will not make you a better writer. In fact, it will in many ways challenge your love of the language. It consists of long days of reading, writing, studying for exams, and trying to master academic prose. Many people who love creative writing will not love an English degree, simply because the 'rules' that we take with a pinch of salt in this medium are taken very literally in English lit.. It's not enough to be great at writing. You have to be great at reading, analysing, theorising, and summarising.
> 
> If you want to become a better writer, read and write more. That's all there is to it.




I disagree wholeheartedly!  

An English degree, like an art degree (I went for both) teaches you to respect where the art came from.  I learned literary analysis, old English, Anglosaxon-French, and priceless history of writing.  Things I think any writer worth their salt should one day learn, if not respect.  You dont need to go to college for that stuff of course but it should be of interest to you.  And I never once had to try and master academic prose. 

AS FOR YOUR QUESTION
In college you choose your major based on what career you want in your life.  If you want to be a successful writer and you have the stamina, passion, respect, and discipline for it, you most likely should pursue it as a major.  If you are afraid you will never get a good job with it then perhaps it isnt the right path for you at all. I chose English.  Not literature, not writing, English because I got the best of both worlds.  I chose it because I told myself that one day I would be successful in my art.  The classes I took and the things I learned bettered me as a person and as a writer and though many people would think them unneeded or uninteresting I use each and every one of them whenever I think of writing out a sentence for my novels.  

Dude if writing calls out to you!  Follow that passion.  You will do whatever it takes to make it possible.  Remember, a paycheck keeps you alive, but your passion allows you to live!


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## Sam (Feb 7, 2015)

Try to do a PhD (nay, even a master's degree) without having a grounded understanding of academic prose, to say nothing of literary theory, and see how far you get. 

I already respect where the art came from, but if you're doing an English degree to become a better writer, you're wasting your time. There are far better, and far less expensive, ways of mastering English.


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## A_Jones (Feb 7, 2015)

TomJMiller everyone perceives college differently than others.  Everyone views its uses differently.  Everyone also has a different view on what makes a good writer.  Just remember that the opinions that have been stated here are simply that, opinions.  You have asked for them but do not hold them to tightly.  Ultimately you need to decide for yourself what is important for you.  

Sam thinks an English degree is a waist of time. 

I think it was insightful and enjoyable and whatever anyone says definitely bettered me as a writer.  

It is your decision.   Remember you can always double major or even minor in it if you decide to go a different route.


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## Sam (Feb 7, 2015)

A_Jones said:


> TomJMiller everyone perceives college differently than others.  Everyone views its uses differently.  Everyone also has a different view on what makes a good writer.  Just remember that the opinions that have been stated here are simply that, opinions.  You have asked for them but do not hold them to tightly.  Ultimately you need to decide for yourself what is important for you.
> 
> Sam thinks an English degree is a waist of time.
> 
> ...



It's good to see that the straw man hasn't lost its appeal. 

If I thought an English degree was a *waste *of time, why would I have done one? Why would I have undertaken an MA? Why would I be on course for a PhD? 

Had you read my post correctly, you would know that I said doing an English degree to become better at English is a waste of time and money. It is the equivalent of undertaking a degree in electronic engineering to learn how to change a light bulb. 

Unless you have money to burn and time to dwindle away, you take an English degree to get a job doing something with English. Teaching, journalism, technical writing, etcetera. 

An English degree will not teach you how to write a novel, nor how to make a career writing novels, so it is most assertedly a waste of time and money for the purpose of learning to do either of those things.


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## A_Jones (Feb 7, 2015)

I am really not trying to argue with you here Sam.  I am not sure why you are addressing me as though I am.  I am simply taking the opposing view in the discussion.  I went to college and did become a better writer. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I am simply saying I disagree with yours, I had a very different college experience.

If talking to me about it is important to you, by all means pm me.  I just dont think we need to muddle up TomJMillers thread anymore, we have both said our opinions.


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## Sam (Feb 7, 2015)

I'm not arguing with you. 

I simply find it exasperating when people put words in my mouth. I have never said, nor never will say, that doing anything related to English will result in someone failing to become a better writer. 

But, I have always said that doing a demanding and exorbitant English degree to become better at creative writing is, for the most part, an exercise in futility. You have completed one. You know the schedule, you know the reading required, and you know the amount of dedication and effort it takes to make it through. It seems counter-productive, to me at least, to do all that just to hang a frame above your keyboard and never do anything with it. 

_Ipso facto_, you don't need an English degree to become a better writer.


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## gohn67 (Feb 8, 2015)

I have BA in Creative Writing. At my first job, I did data entry at a company that sold books on Amazon's seller marketplace. I also interned as a journalist at a local paper. I didn't like journalism because it required talking to people and I kept wanting to turn my articles into fiction.

I later went back to community college and got an AS in Internet Technology. Then I did a BS in Computer Science. Right now I'm working as a programmer for a small start up, making far less than what a typical Software Engineer can earn. The only reason I have that job is because my friend is one of the founders.

I'm currently in the process of applying for an MFA in Creative Writing. It's pretty hard to get accepted. What I'm looking for is time to write and support for finishing a novel.

My point is that the type of degree doesn't matter that much. A business degree may help you get certain interviews, but after that it's about what you've done and how well you present/sell yourself. It also helps to know the right people. For me the challenge has always been selling myself. I'm not very articulate to say the least.

I'm at the point where I just want to make enough to have my own quiet little room and maximize the the time where I can write in peace.


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## TomJMiller (Feb 13, 2015)

Sorry for the delayed response. I have read each and every one of your replies and I greatly appreciate the advice. It will certainly be in my mind when I have to make big decisions in the near future. 

When it comes to writing, I wasn't necessarily thinking of becoming a novelist initially. Journalism, non-fiction writing, as well as education are also fields that interest me. I haven't narrowed it down to one as of yet. From what I've heard, the job outlook isn't that great for any of those either. That's why I'm hesitant to go to college to study English, Journalism, or Education as of yet. One piece of advice that I've heard from many successful writers is that in order for one to be successful as a writer, he/she must live life and obtain experience. Meaning you can study the craft of writing all you want, but if you don't have anything interesting to write about, forget about it. 

I'd like to mention that I was interested in studying Chemistry/Biochemistry. Of course, those fields don't integrate with writing in any way whatsoever so it's not like studying it will build upon my writing skill set. However, it is the only subjects in college that I have some sort of interest in that are also practical in the professional realm. Therein lies my dilemma: mind vs. heart.


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## Cran (Feb 13, 2015)

TomJMiller said:


> I'd like to mention that I was interested in studying Chemistry/Biochemistry. Of course, those fields don't integrate with writing in any way whatsoever so it's not like studying it will build upon my writing skill set. However, it is the only subjects in college that I have some sort of interest in that are also practical in the professional realm. Therein lies my dilemma: mind vs. heart.


How about I bet you half of your first year's post-grad salary that you're wrong? 

Ignoring the most obvious - that a great deal of your success in science will come down to your ability to write coherently and present your own ideas and understanding of the science in words that everyone can appreciate - you still have science teaching and science journalism as standard careers for those with good English skills. 

And, as my old mate Isaac showed with his PhD in biochemistry, you can do all that and knock out some cracking science fiction on the side!

"don't integrate with writing" indeed! Who filled your head with such rot?


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## Morkonan (Feb 14, 2015)

TomJMiller said:


> ...Real world advice would help me out a ton. Thanks in advance.



Real world advice would be: You have to eat. How much work do you want to put into making it possible to do that?

Sure, you can earn a living with an English degree. But, it might be difficult to earn a living _with_ an English degree. That's not to say that there aren't plenty of jobs that use that skill-set. It's just that there are plenty of jobs that use that skill-set that don't require an English degree in order to get them.

I did not major in English. I though about it, though. But, I decided that I didn't want to be a teacher, since there had been plenty of teachers in my family that grumbled about it quite often.  Instead, I majored in something even more frustrating to use in the "real world" - Psychology! I majored in that in hopes of going further. Most psych undergrads are people who enjoyed it, but didn't have the aptitude to study something else... That wasn't the case for me, since I'm special an' all, but it was the case for many of my cohorts. My dreams were much larger, ranging into experimental, behavioral, evolutionary, developmental, etc.. But, circumstances changed and my intentions were interrupted by "real life." I eventually became an entrepreneur in an unrelated industry - I had to eat.

The point is that some degrees are more difficult to find gainful employment in than others. For some, especially the "soft sciences", if you don't have a graduate-level degree, you may as well not have even bothered with it. For others, like hard sciences, those graduates get snapped up pretty quick and can find employment using their degree fairly easily, even if it's not something they'd want to do long-term.

You have to eat. Plan for that. You can write your magnum opus no matter what sort of degree you have. There isn't one thing that's intrinsic to having an English degree that will make one hill of bean's worth of making a difference in whether or not you're a successful writer. Want to learn English? Go pick up an English book. Want to work in a certified laboratory that works with dangerous pathogens? Better have a sheepskin that say's you're qualified to do that.

Oh, and as far as chemistry or biochem not "interfacing" with writing, that's sort of an ungood bit of reasoning. Writing is about "communication." Anything that requires some form of communication uses writing of some form. And, with your penchant for writing, you would probably be a pretty good author of submitted scholarly works. Today, there's a movement to make more scientific publications accessible, even to the scientists that are reading them! The point is that you can use your writing in any profession that requires communication. Plus, if you have a good background of practical knowledge to draw on, you can invigorate your fictional stories with fabulous facts!

PS - It's going to be a heck of a lot easier for you to find gainful employment if you have a degree that makes that easier. Get that degree. While you're busy earning a comfortable living, you can work on your writing.


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## TomJMiller (Feb 14, 2015)

I do know that those jobs exist for those with a strong Chemistry background along with exceptional writing skills. However, chances are that I'd be working in a lab right out of college. I didn't mean to imply that the two were completely unrelated.


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## Pea (Feb 14, 2015)

I've recently graduated with a degree in Philosophy, something arguably more useless than a degree in English. That said, I wouldn't argue that my degree was at all useless. It taught me plenty, especially about writing. If writing is something you're passionate about then go for the degree. I know it seems like a silly idea to go for it with no guarantee that it will help you later on, but I can guarantee that it certainly won't hinder you.

If anything attending University to do any degree is worth the time and money invested, simply for the life experience. A degree is a plus, and in addition you'll have plenty of free time to write on the side. 

I'm not advocating that you throw caution to the wind and jump into an English degree without consideration. Obviously if you are interested in a career in science, and would be satisfied with a life in that industry then maybe that's the better option. But when you say it's brain vs. heart, I truly believe that life is too short to worry about the 'logical' option, and do what really makes you happy.


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## InstituteMan (Feb 14, 2015)

TomJMiller said:


> I do know that those jobs exist for those with a strong Chemistry background along with exceptional writing skills. However, chances are that I'd be working in a lab right out of college. I didn't mean to imply that the two were completely unrelated.



Virtually every job you can imagine will benefit from writing skills. If you're working in a lab, you're going to be emailing with co-workers and supervisors and others--that's writing. I've got to tell you, the person who can write a clear, succinct, and helpful email will advance faster than his/her colleagues if other things are even close to equal. I bet you that most jobs in a chemistry lab involve far more writing than just emailing, though. I was a physicist in a prior life, and I had to write plenty even as a junior lab rat. I can't imagine why chemists would write less.

The other thing is, pretty much everyone who aspires to write for money (especially fiction) has to have a day job at the start, and likely forever. My day jobs over the years have provided me a vast amount of material to write about. There's ample opportunity for fiction set in a chemistry lab . . . sounds like a golden science fiction opportunity to me, but there's absolutely no limit to the genres you could pursue that would draw on that kind of work experience.


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## TomJMiller (Feb 16, 2015)

What are your thoughts on journalism degrees? A waste?


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## am_hammy (Feb 16, 2015)

TomJMiller said:


> What are your thoughts on journalism degrees? A waste?



It depends on if you want to go down that line of work. You'd be writing for newspapers, magazines, etc. It's a path that requires dedication and diligence. You gotta work at it if you want to be a part of it. It can be a cut-throat world. I'm not very familiar with journalism and how exactly you need to write in order to accomplish the goals it presents, but I've seen from my friends who have majored in journalism that it can be difficult. You got to love gaining information and giving it back to the people in that fashion.


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## Mondestrunken (Feb 17, 2015)

TomJMiller said:


> What are your thoughts on journalism degrees? A waste?



I'll be real with you, but take this only as my personal experience. Someone else might have had a totally different experience.

I started out majoring in Journalism because I loved to write and I cared about telling stories and the world. I didn't go straight into English because I felt that was something only people who were going to become teachers did.

I hated journalism. I hated everything about it. All my professors were hard-weathered, seasoned journalists, and I respected their tenacity, but not always their methods. If you like having the heart and soul sucked out of your writing, be a journalist. If you don't mind having to go against some of your morals and are okay with manipulating people's emotions for "the scoop", be a journalist. If not, I would steer clear of that area.

The idea that a journalism degree is more marketable is a lie. Journalism overall is in a weird place right now, with the convergence from print to digital media. American Journalism as a whole is a total clusterfuck, no one old or new to the field knows what they're doing, and nothing they tell you in college is going to be relevant or up-to-date enough to matter. Just like an English degree doesn't make you a best selling author, a journalism degree doesn't make you a great reporter, news writer, etc.  

At this point, simply having a degree is all that really matters. Go to college with the intention to make connections in a field you're interested in in pursuing. Say what you want about what you're NOT gaining from going to college for English, but I can say I've had my work read by successful authors, playwrights, and and even a famous musician. These people have mentored me and introduced me to things I never would have been able to stumble across on my own. Take from it what you can and forget all the other crap thrown in. I switched my major to English/creative writing because I thought I might as well be poor and enjoying the work I was doing than poor and miserable with the work I was doing.

Plus, there's nothing in a rule book that says what you major in has to become your life. I'm a creative writing major, but I have a digital media minor, meaning that if I want to I can still use BOTH sets of skills to get into media writing whenever I wish. English as a discipline, if taught to you correctly, helps you hone all sorts of great communication, research, and language skills that can be used in various areas of work. Looking at the climate of things, we are always going to need more people with those skill sets.


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## JamesR (Feb 17, 2015)

I am majoring in English. I already know right off the bat that my degree is virtually worthless. But I've come to accept it. I'm acquiring it to truly learn something I love; not to make money. My plan is to join the Navy after graduation and make the long haul of a full 20 years of service so that I can retire early with full benefits. I won't be a wealthy or successful man, but I'll survive, be able to pay back my loans, and lead an interesting life. The Navy is my light at the end of the tunnel.


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