What do you do with a B.A. in English?

Question

What is my life going to be? Four years of college, and plenty of knowledge, have earned me this useless degree. I can't pay the bills yet, because I have no skills yet. The world is a big scary place.

Answer 1

But somehow I can't shake,
The feeling I might make,
A difference,
To the human race.

Answer 2

Try for a job as an administrator in an office or maybe something in sales (which would give OJT training that will make you sound competent).

There are other not-very-well paying jobs like proofreader that an English degree would fit with. You could also become a High School English teacher which has an adequate pay scale.

That is a tough spot to be in. I know someone who has a BA in Philosophy and he is even worse off (and is teaching now).

Answer 3

Ok. Listen to me. Yes, you spent 4 years taking courses which are useless, like, who gives a damn about Pope or Johnson or Canterbury Tales these days. But your degree is not worthless.
1. You proved you can start something and finish it.
2. You proved you can work your way through rough situations. NO one rollerskates through 4 years of college.
You had some courses which were about as interesting as watching grass grow and some profs which were flaming idiots.
But you dealt with it.
3. You proved you can do quality work and do it on time.
Now, is your degree THAT useless?

Answer 4

write books, teach, maybe journalism, join one of those programs where you go overseas to teach english, get a job at a community center teaching english to immigrants, go be an editor at a newspaper...what about those tutoring places you see ads for on tv...I bet an english major could work there...or even find tutoring jobs? talk to your old high school guidance counselor...lots of parents pay good money to make sure their kids graduate.
Don't look at it as just a degree, look at all the skills you have developed. Look at all the classes you've taken and find ways to apply them to real world jobs. Good luck.

Answer 5

Teach, or you can do what my best friend did out of college, find a local weekly publication (newspaper, magazine) and edit! After about a year, you can apply to a major newspaper in your area as a copy editor!

Answer 6

many go to law school actually. if you are worried about money, that is where to be. go into corporate law, tax law, malpractice, etc. you will make big $$$ and i'd say 35% of law students are english lit majors, about 60% are political science, and 5% are from other majors, usually sociology, history, or psych.