What I Learnt As An English Major

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. 

1. 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. 
2. 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. 
3.  I learned how to embrace the role of a critical thinker.  Most people who choose a very targeted major are educated in a very specific way. Four years of having your brain trained into one particular thought process can make you quite knowledgeable in one area, but how much is that really worth these days? It's great to be an expert in Communications, but the rapidity in which these field evolves makes your knowledge pretty useless in the age of the Internet and rapid Google searches. English majors are taught creativity and how to think of new ways to accomplish goals, which is something a computer will never outsource us in.
4. I learned how to write well and in a succinct fashion. The value of being able to communicate well is priceless yet underrated. One of the most vivid examples I've had of this was when I took my honors Biology course in high school. Willing to spend the extra cash on the honors students, our local school bought the whole class new textbooks. The clarity and elegance with which the science was explained in the textbooks made Biology more interesting--and much more easy to learn--than it had ever been in a lower-level class. An idea is worthless if you can't communicate it well. This is exactly the problem many maths- and science-based majors have.
5. I learned how to sell my ideas. As an English major, you are frequently doing projects or writing essays that are directed towards convincing your audience. DOne of the most basic examples of this is the thesis-driven essay. This skill can also be applied to marketing, advertising, PR and law. English majors have an uncanny ability to use the English language and craft it into a convincing message for the public, one that rings true to a large audience while still maintaining a personal touch. This is the key to winning your case, whatever your point may be. English majors are also very good at convincing a reader—such as when we adopt a radical or original thesis about the work we are focusing on. English majors are also very good at going through a large amount of written information — as in, a consumer study, or legal documents — and are able to pick out the important and relevant information on the way. We also have a knack for crafting well-researched legal documents and convincing a jury toward our ideal verdict. When you combine the ability to research and sculpt a perfect argument with the ability to make that argument communicable to the audience you're delivering it to, you have a winning formula. 
6. English majors have a highly honed understanding of how the media operates. During my senior studies I was fortunate enough to enrol in a Media Studies course that was used as my capstone course (or, in other words, the course that was intended to be my creme de la creme of academic studies; the cherry-on-top of my college repertoire). This class mostly concentrated on the effect of the media in political discourse, surrounding itself particularly around the American presidential election of 2012 and the newer forms of media that election was ensconced in. I learned a lot about internet and digital dissemination of information (social media, broadcasting and narrowcasting, collective intelligence) and also the important role traditional forms of media (speeches, newspapers, literature, television, radio, press releases) have and will always have in public discourse. Strangely, I also learned to understand the eery, understated yet extremely influential importance visual and verbal cues have in a large audience. 
7. English majors have knowledge on how to use computer programs such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Youtube, social media outlets and other computer skills. They are, after all, the main modes with which we communicate our information. This knowledge is so often taken for granted by English majors as an “obvious” skill, but the appropriate use of computer programs coupled with the ability to express oneself coherently, efficiently and in good form is an invaluable skill indeed. 

This is just a tentative list of some of the things I have learned as an English major. I know there are many, many more, and I will likely be editing this list as time goes on and adding to the litany of skills English majors have.  But the moral of the story is this: don’t let anyone roll their eyes at you when you say you are an English major! They’re just jealous because the studies they’ve chosen are boring and have them on a one-track route to a very specific career.  

The beauty of the English major is that our road is open to a variety of different careers, some of them straightforward and obvious, and others hidden, less-travelled dirt roads that lead to more creative and original pursuits. As in life, the beauty of the human experience is the amount of diversity it offers, and you will never fall short of diversity or experiences as an English major.