What I Learnt As An English Major Well, truth be told, there are innumerable things I learned as an English major, so maybe this title is a bit misleading (one of the less interesting little tidbits I've come to know is that in the UK it is "learnt" while in the USA it is "learned": for clarity's sake I will evoke the British standards henceforth). However, this list will focus on the things I have learnt as an English major that are actually relevant to the workforce (in no particular order). This entry will be designed to refute the notion that liberal arts majors have "no skills" and "should be pelted with rotten tomatoes." I was inspired to write this by hearing from many people that being an liberal Arts major is “useless” and simply “majoring in your hobby.” Truthfully, I would be reading literature and writing and analysing the world around me even if it didn’t contribute to my GPA (which is 3.9, thankyouverymuch), but choosing an English major was right for me because it capitalised on my already existing talents and challenged me to hone them and make them better.
- As an English major, I learnt to speak in front of a large group of people concisely and articulately. I learned how to present and communicate material to an audience in an efficient and clear way, and, more invaluably, I was taught how to express my thoughts and opinions in an impromptu delivery. For many people, public speaking is a phobia and speaking candidly and extemporaneously in an unplanned, off-the-cuff fashion in a professional group setting is intimidating. While I admit that I have always suffered from "a shyness that is criminally vulgar", I have definitely learned to express myself well in an academic or professional situation.
- I learned how to process written information and summarise accurately the important parts, drawing correlations between them and other information I’ve read. I’ve learned how to research information appropriately, evaluating said information on its own and in comparison to other sources, and sometimes in the process coming up with my own information based on a comparison of the two (the good old-fashioned thesis). This skill is applicable to other majors as well, but is specifically valid for English majors, who do not read information that is as straight-forward and factual as, say, a science major does. This ability is, supposedly, one of the main reasons many English majors decide to pursue a career in law after graduating. However, I think that this skill is universally applicable in many fields. Finding connections and patterns takes time and training, and no one is better at coming up with new ideas and forging new connections than the good ol' English major.
