What can you do with a degree in English?

This is the first in a series of posts looking at jobs you can do with degrees which are not directly vocational. It’s great to study a subject you love, but a lot of people end up thinking their degree hasn’t qualified them for a career. However, that isn’t the case, as every degree teaches you a lot more than subject specific knowledge.

So what can you gain from studying English, apart from use of language and knowledge of literature? Studying English will give you a great many skills which are useful in the job market.

Communication skills are amongst the most important of these, and are also the skills which employers cite most often as lacking in new employees – and, yes, that includes graduates.

So with a degree in English under your belt,you already have a head start.

In addition, you have a few more transferable skills, like problem solving, summarizing ideas, the ability to think independently and to write creatively.

Jobs in journalism and TV and radio presenting are open to articulate and creative people. Teaching atall levels from primary upwards are options. If you are academic and do postgraduate study, you could have a career teaching at university level.

If you like travel, taking a course in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) is a good way to seethe world and earn some money at the same time. It’s not very well paid and if you want to settle down at home, certainly in the UK, higher level jobs are few and far between, due to the number of TEFL teachers out there.

English can prepare you for many careers not specifically related to the subject itself. For example, many jobs in business, such as admin, advertising and marketing are suitable for English grads.

If you make a list of all the transferable skills gained whilst studying and then look at your other areas of interest, you’ll probably find a lot of jobs you are well qualified for.

Spend some time thinking about exactly what you had to do in order to gain your degree and consider the skills you needed to complete each assignment, project of pass an exam. If you want some more help with transferable skills and career choice, have a look at Design Your Ideal Career.

Are You Passionate About Your Career?