Careers Advice
Any ideas what you can do with an English Literature degree, besides Teaching, Journalism and all the jokes about Starbucks/McDonald's/Tesco/etc?

Basically, LittleSisterCrow is now in her final year at uni (still can't believe she's grown up that quickly...) and is apparently off to see the Careers Advisor next week. Do any QotWers have any more interesting suggestions than she's likely to get from the Careers Office?
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 16:28, 23 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

Well
I have a degree in Eng Lit and truth be told it's a bastard because it's really vague. The "what to do with your degree" book mentions things like being manager of Hertz Rent-a-Car. Still, I just took a job as an Examinations Assistant. It pays 20k a year and I'm a manager, which ain't bad for only my second job out of uni. And, if you can find one that isn't out of money and not in kent, Libraries usually pay top dorra.
(GONEism, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 16:32, Reply)

Hmm.
I think all of the English Literature graduates I know are teachers, which you have excluded. Has she considered further study? A bachelor's degree doesn't get you much these days. What made her pick English Literature?

Other than that, I'd think twice about taking careers advice from someone whose career is giving people career advice. I doubt it's what the wanted to be when they grew up (though it appears that the money is alright). Flippancy aside, they do tend to gloss over the more interesting areas of employment.

A great many of the most successful (and happiest) people I know are working in areas in which they have an interest rather than the one they studied, which tends to be more of an indication to an employer that you're capable of doing some work. Anyway, you probably know all of this, being an old(er) person and ale drinker.

Any Avenue Q fans in?
(ThomsonsPier consumes, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 16:49, Reply)

A guy that used to work for my dad when he was at uni
did an English dregree and now he works high up for Sony record label.

Anything is possible Im guessing
(i should have joined myspace, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 16:51, Reply)

I'm ruling out teaching, because she doesn't feel up to teaching
And she is already considering journalism - she particularly likes the idea of getting into music journalism (though quite emphatically not with the nme)

@Thompson: I'm an Avenue Q fan. Don't know if my sister's up to operating a puppet and singing in public though...
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 16:54, Reply)

Only thing is
Journalism jobs get fought over pretty viciously by people, and preference always goes to people with journalism degrees (been there myself).

It sucks because in my mind there's not a huge difference, especially if you study creative writing as part of your English degree.
(GONEism, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 16:56, Reply)

@Crow
I was thinking more of one of the opening numbers for inspiration.

I should clarify that I'm thinking more of 'What Do You Do with a B.A. in English' than 'It Sucks to Be Me'.
(ThomsonsPier consumes, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 16:58, Reply)

@Thomson
Haha! I hadn't thought of that - probably not a bad source of ideas though. (Admittedly I normally think of "Everyone's a little bit racist" and "The internet is for pr0n" when ever someone mentions Q.)

Probably a more optimistic source of inspiration than "I wish I could go back to college," at any rate.
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 17:00, Reply)

All I can think of
is Garrison Keillor's Adventures of an English Major on Prairie Home Companion.

I mean, seriously, there's not a lot one can do with a degree in literature. I had a girlfriend who had graduated from a prestigious private school here after getting a free ride because her mother worked in the library. And what did she choose for her major? British History.

I think she may still be mad at me for looking at her as though she were insane when she told me this. She's now a travel agent, making less than half of what I make and complaining of being poor.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Wed 29 Oct 2008, 17:36, Reply)

Techie?
a job as a technical author might be the way to go - money is good, some knowledge of/interest in IT would be required. It might help if she did a follow up course.
(LittleRock is planning her next meal, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 18:43, Reply)

You can do pretty much anything.
Something humanities-based looks useless, until you remember three things.
1) You ought to have learned to spot a problem, and to think your way around it. And this'll be in the abstract, so ought to be completely transferable. People who've done vocational degrees might think (pace point 2), below) that they're trained to do a particular job - but that isn't a good thing. The ability to see what needs doing in any situation is much more important.

2) Let's face it - even people with vocational degrees still have to go through training, just like everyone else.


Has she thought about law? Academia? Christ - there's no end of things. Good luck to her.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 20:05, Reply)

*waves BA in Eng Lit*
I work in the theatre. IT took me a while to get in to it, but once you're in, you're in.

If she wanted to do the same I suggest she get some work experience first, even if it is just handing out flyers at the Edinburgh Fringe, and join an amateur theatre group too.

Hope this helps.
(happylittletulip helpless and delicious, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 21:07, Reply)

I would suggest
That if she has any vague idea about what area she's keen on, and you mentioned journalism, that she uses this year to get as much experience as possible.

One of the main problems I've come up against as a graduate is lack of experience. If she can line up some holiday work experience then she'd be giving herself a big advantage.

Good luck to her!
(Lucy Van Pelt embracing ginlovers, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 21:35, Reply)

I have a similar degree.
Not sure about a career, but cannot recommend this enough:
www.jetprogramme.org/
( thealternativefact, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 22:44, Reply)

i did english lit
It's a useful foundation for selling your soul into the law!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 22:57, Reply)

I'll pay her £5 to do my laundry
there's some LOVELY things in there...
(The Oscillating Gibbon is eating curried squid, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 11:21, Reply)

Gibbon,
Well, I'll pass the suggestion on, but I'm not sure it's quite the line of work she wants to go into.
(LongJohnBaldry, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 12:02, Reply)

I'm sure it is,
Name 3 things that aren't lovely about my laundry
(The Oscillating Gibbon is eating curried squid, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 12:36, Reply)

3 things?
1. It contains cotton garments which have been trapped between your feet and your shoes
2. It contains garments which have been in contact with your wang
3. You have almost certainly perspired into a lot of the garments within

The first two are, of course, made on the assumption that you actually wash your socks and lacy underwear.
(LongJohnBaldry, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 13:00, Reply)

I said 3 things that AREN'T lovely
those things are purely GORGEOUS especially my pants
(The Oscillating Gibbon is eating curried squid, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 16:47, Reply)

I can assure you your pants are not lovely
At least, judging by the foetid colour you turned the air when I stayed with you down in Bristol, whatever noxious gases were being released from your undercrackers must have rendered the inside of your pants inhospitable to all forms of life except the most foul and sexually depraved bacteria.
(LongJohnBaldry, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 17:16, Reply)

Blimey Gibbon!
^Is that true?
( thealternativefact, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 17:20, Reply)

Depends very strongly on your definition of 'true'
;-)
(The Oscillating Gibbon is eating curried squid, Sat 1 Nov 2008, 8:40, Reply)

Yes, it is true.
He does live in Bristol.
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 3 Nov 2008, 10:09, Reply)