When I Grow Up

When I was in pre-school if anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I said a police woman. When I was in elementary school if anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I said a doctor. When I was in high school if anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I said a lawyer. I'm growing up and I'm still not exactly sure what I want to be but one thing I can say is that I'm an English major. I've had fantasies and desires about those professions but I've always had a desire to write. I enjoyed playing around with sentences and discovering all the ways to use them creatively. One of my favorite things to do when I was younger was to pretend I could actually write stories well. But to me it didn't matter if the grammar was correct or if it even made sense. I was writing from my heart and imagination. One of the purest forms of writing that came from a child. Creative writing is still one of my favorite forms of writing but now I enjoy learning about the English language and feel passionately toward educating myself about my native language.

I've researched the subject "English major" and found some pretty interesting facts but most of the information wasn't knew to me. This isn't surprising considering I am an English major and probably should know what I'm going to be spending lots of time, energy, and money on. But I have to admit I didn't know all the career choices there are. I always knew a degree in English offered a broad range of career opportunities but I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot more. For those of you who may not see anything special about English why not take a second look? Earning a degree(s) in English can be a valuable thing to have. The professions for English majors are limitless. And the skills and abilities one can attain are awesome yet more importantly last a lifetime.

The websites I visited provided large lists of careers which named almost everything under the sun. The information booklets and pamphlets I received from Keene State College itself named quite a bit also. Here's a few job opportunities to give everyone a general idea of how broad the field is:
Actor/Actress, Advertising, Director, Artist, Attorney, College Professor, Columnist, Editor, Journalist, Lawyer, Linguist, Publisher, Reporter, TV/Radio Announcer, and Writer/Author. For the complete list of occupations, skills, and other links please feel free to visit What Can I do With a Major in English?

Every major has requirements that must be met. And a certain curriculum that has to be followed. According to the Keene State College Course Catalog (2004-2005) my major requires at least one semester of a modern language at the intermediate level or higher. English 209 Literary Analysis. One additional course at the 200 level. Four at the 300 level. And three at the 400 level including a course in theory. Two courses from British Literature (one from pre-1789 literature). Two courses in American Literature. Two courses in Multicultural, World, or Continental Literature.

I didn't get the chance to interview someone in the English field but I have, in the past, had many discussions about the major with one of my favorite professors. In general I didn't come across anything negative about the subject. One of the things that I do realize is that eventually I need to decide how I'm going to apply my degree to a profession once I receive it. I did give Journalism a thought but even more so Law. I do enjoy writing a persuasive paper now and then and trying to convince someone that my side of the debate is the right way. But I still have time to decide so for now I'm content with the title "English Major".