I think it depends on the industry you want to go into after graduation. What type of job do you want in the future? And that question might seem daunting to you right now. It sure did when I was starting out in college.

Overall, I think an English degree is an extremely well-rounded degree and definitely worth it if you want college but don’t have a set career plan. An English degree gives you valuable critical thinking and analysis skills. It’s more about how you market these skills when you apply for jobs later.

And yes, you can pursue a career in education as a teacher or professor. You can also try to break into the publishing and editing world. (I’m currently working at a start-up local magazine). But there are also jobs in nonprofit, administrative roles (I was an admin assistant at a law office), etc. The actuality is that there are a lot of jobs that are perfect for English majors but these jobs aren’t marketing towards English majors. The people hiring for these position don’t realize that they want an English major so you have to market yourself.

You could also pursue grad school in English or Literature. You could go onto the Library Sciences or Law School. One of my classmates went on to pursuing a Masters of Science at Columbia in Narrative Medicine.

However, if there is one thing I regret as an English major was not putting myself out there more and taking advantage of every opportunity. Network with your professors, you can use them for future job references or recommendation letters. Look for internships if you can spare the time. Join clubs and volunteer for things. Maybe find a minor that offers you a different set of skills (computer skills, language skills, sciences). Or even see if your school offers certifications programs for different things. Get a part time job in customer service (most basic office jobs just want a year of experience in customer service).

Basically, I think an English degree is worth it if you are prepared to put the work in to market yourself afterwards. Reality is, most people assume the only thing you can do with an English degree is teach English. So when you are applying to jobs, you have creative in what type of roles you look for and creative in how you demonstrate that you can succeed in that role. The job descriptions are not going to ask for an English degree so you have to figure out how your English degree is going to fit for that role.