Choosing Majors and Careers

What Can I do With a Degree in English?

Career Center Library Resources

The Career Center Library has a variety of resources to help students explore potential career fields. These resources include information about typical responsibilities, qualifications, career paths, job outlook, salary, and related careers.

Books Specifically Related to English Majors

100 Jobs in Words
Career Opportunities for Writers
Career Opportunities in the Publishing Industry
Careers for Bookworms & other Literary Types
Careers for Writers and Others who have a Way with Words
Careers in Advertising
Making Money in Technical Writing
Opportunities in Fund-Raising Careers
Opportunities in Publishing Careers
Real People Working in Communications
Top Careers for Communications Graduates
What Can you do with a Major in English? Real People. Real Jobs. Real Rewards
Writer's Market
A Guide to Professional Development for Graduate Students in English
Careers in Focus: Public Relations

Vocational Biographies

Vocational Biographies (http://www.vocbiosonline.com/login.php) describes the career success stories of 1001 real people. Search by career title, keyword, topic, and career cluster. Username: portland su and pass code: 3w9n

Action Line Columnist
Actor
Abstractor/Editor
Archivist
Art Critic
Assistant City Editor
Book Editor
Career Services Consultant
Communications Director
Copy Editor
Editorial Assistant
Fashion Columnist
Freelance Writer
Jury Consultant

Magazine Publisher
Newspaper Columnist
Newspaper Photographer
Press Secretary
Public Access Cable TV Station Manager
Public Information Officer
Public Relations Account Executive
Talk Show Host
Technical Writer
Travel and Outdoor Writer
Travel Writer
University Media Relations Director
Web Site Designer

Professional Associations

Internet Sites with Career-Related Information for English Majors

What Can I do with a Major in...English — Lists potential job titles. From the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina.
English — Lists potential job titles and related skills. From the University Career and Employment Services at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
College Majors and Career Opportunities — English — Lists related occupations and types of employers. From Career Services, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
What Can I do with a Major in...English — Lists and describes job titles related to English majors. From the Career Exploration Center at the University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
Famous English Majors — From the Mississippi State University English Department.
Some Answers to the Eternal Question: What can I do with an English Major? — From the Department of English, Albion College, Albion, Michigan.
Writers and Editors, Including Technical Writers — From the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations Managers — From the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Public Relations Specialists — From the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
News Analysts, Reporters, and Correspondents — From the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Careers in Technical Writing: Advising English Majors — From the Association of Departments of English.
English: What Can I Do With This Major? — Outlines common career areas, identifies typical employers, and suggests general strategies to enhance employability. From Career Services at the University of Tennessee.
Broadcasting: What Can I Do With this Major? — Outlines common career areas, identifies typical employers, and suggests general strategies to enhance employability. From Career Services at the University of Tennessee.
Journalism: What Can I Do With This Major? — Outlines common career areas, identifies typical employers, and suggests general strategies to enhance employability. From Career Services at the University of Tennessee.

Internet Sites with Job Search Information for English Majors

Authorlink! Writing Jobs & Market Tips
Journalism Job Listings — "J-Jobs is a service to the journalism community provided by the University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism."
Job Announcements — From Investigative Reporters and Editors, "a grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting within the field of journalism."
NewsLink — Searchable database of jobs from the American Journalism Review.
Advertising & Media Job Openings
TVJOBS — Broadcast Employment Services maintains list of broadcasting-related jobs.

Places of Employment

English majors may find employment in a variety of areas depending on their skills and experience. Some English graduates choose to work in writing-related fields including journalism, technical writing, publishing, public relations, and advertising as well as nonwriting-related careers. Career-related internships or part-time jobs are often a prerequisite to finding professional-level employment after graduation in these and other fields.

The following list of employers and job titles was derived primarily from the Career Center's jobs database where the employer specifically requested English majors. This list does not reflect all potential places of employment or kinds of jobs for English majors. This list does not reflect current openings.