Did I say that I was an Education major? Now don’t get me wrong, majoring in education and moving on to becoming a teacher is probably one of the most rewarding jobs a person can have! Teachers consistently get to meet new people, hear new ideas, and have the opportunity to help mold the minds of upcoming generations. Teachers have a major impact on society’s future. Although, teaching is not the only career option that I will have the ability to succeed in.
Picking a major and a college to attend was probably one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. Obviously, I made the right decision in both. But before, I was struggling on the decision to go into medicine or to go into English. I chose English for two reasons. First, because I absolutely love literature. Second, is because there are so many different opportunities an English major has to take charge of. English majors can literally go into almost any field they desire if they work hard enough and fit the requirements that employers are looking for; which they almost always do!
When bosses are searching for prospective employees, they do not want someone who can only think one way. Employers need workers who are open-minded, disciplined, and whom are able to know and learn about many different subjects! When it comes to finding a job, one trick ponies are not ones that can see and learn from different people’s perspectives. The big boss that you will be trying to impress at that very important interview is not going to care about how good your grades are (although it’s still important) or how your buddy and you can split an entire extra large pizza by yourselves in one sitting. They are going to care about how hard of a worker you will be, how well rounded you are, and if you’ll be able to get along with the coworkers who will soon be surrounding you. English majors are those who display these characteristics.
In order to become this well rounded individual, an English major has to be willing to get their noses out of the bindings and take a chance on other subjects (because believe it or not, they are important as well). In the book Interdisciplinarity by Joe Moran, literary scholars are encouraged to mix their discipline with others in order to achieve academic success. His goal is, “…to introduce students working within the field of literary studies to interdisciplinary perspectives from other fields such as cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, psychoanalysis, history, geography and the sciences” (Moran 2). By doing this, Moran believes that a literary student will be able to handle any job given to them.
Of course, we still need people who are not English majors. The sciences, mathematics, politics, medicine, and more are all very important subjects that people need to learn. Our society would not be as wonderfully unique or advanced without them! But, just because these subjects are popular or “easy to get a job in” does not mean they are more important than the humanities. People need to remember that just getting a higher education in itself is good, as well as being a good person. Aristotle commented on this by saying, “there is a kind of education in which parents should have their sons trained not because it is necessary, or because it is useful, but simply because it is liberal and something good in itself” (Moran 4).
It doesn’t matter what you are majoring in or are deciding to major in. The fact that you as an individual has decided to try and better yourself is a good choice. Who cares if you decide to study arithmetic, or astrology, or dance! No matter what, you can always achieve prosperity if you are willing to work hard enough to attain your dreams.
And here is a fun video about why people love english!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKoXkE0VJ38
AQA. ” ‘You can never be overdressed or over educated’ Oscar Wilde- Why English Matters.” Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 9 September 2015.