In many South Asian countries, STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects are often associated with higher levels of achievement and work success, higher pay in the work field, more options, and social respect. After high school, the majority of students tend to opt for STEM majors, either out of passion or because they have been taught to do so.
In contrast, the Social Sciences and Arts are niche fields and hence, one’s options might appear limited after graduating college. One can either go into teaching, journalism, or work for a newspaper depending on their concentration, work in public relations, or pursue higher studies, particularly with a degree in English.
As an English literature major myself, I have quite often, and still do, struggle with finding a proper job that pays enough. However, there are options to get yourself started in building a resume and gradually climbing the ladder. I suggest gathering experience and building your resume from university instead of waiting till you graduate. In that way, you save time and gain more perspective on what you actually want as a career.
Here are some of your options.
Freelancing
Anyone with good English writing skills and analytical skills can opt for freelancing. Being an English major gives you an upper hand in reinforcing your skills in the eyes of your employer and being assigned more tasks. However, in some instances, the pay is not as great.
In my experience of freelancing for nearly 4 years, I have seen that most people/employers assume that content writing is easy and a thousand words can be written, edited, and proofread all in a day.
Particularly in places like Bangladesh, freelancing as a full-time job is not enough to sustain yourself and the pay is stingy.
Oftentimes, employers would assign full-time assignments with minimal pay and extra work. Freelancing might be a good option on the side along with a full-time job that pays enough or during your college years to earn pocket money. With that being said, there are many websites like Fiverr and Upwork which can help you set up your resume and get in touch with people looking to get some work done.
Journalism and media
This can range anywhere from writing articles for a newspaper and magazine, social content creator to investigative journalism and blogging.
With the advent of social media, this field has changed drastically and now we receive instant and up-to-date news instantly. It might be worth gathering some experience from the university newspaper as work experience is crucial for aspiring journalists. Taking up extra classes focusing on research, conducting interviews and writing their stories, and digital journalism techniques give you more perspective into the kind of work expected in the field and help you harness the skills you will need.
I myself have taken on a number of part-time jobs, either as an intern or as a contributing writer to get practical experience before I can attack mainstream news. While you are gathering experience, you should keep in mind that some NGOs and local organizations might not have the capacity to pay you anything. In the process, you learn how to effectively research and analyze information, write objectively about sensitive topics without stirring controversy, keep up with deadlines, and handle tricky clients.
Despite the lack of money, these experiences make you more skilled, help you familiarize yourself with the field, and overall, make you confident with what you have to offer to your employer.
Teaching
Teaching might be the most obvious field to get into for English majors. However, it does not only mean teaching a bunch of students who probably do not even want to be in the classroom in the first place.
As a language and a means of communication, English is one of the most useful languages in the world. Those who wish to pursue higher studies in any field in a foreign university or work abroad, need to prove their English proficiency through either the IELTS or the TOEFL. Hence, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL/TESOL) is a booming industry. Not only are you able to earn a decent amount along with benefits but also use your English degree to help others.
Content Manager/Social Media Manager
With everything and anything being present on social media, companies have websites that often needs to appeal to the eye and read well. English majors can use their English skills to manage content according to the company’s audience and enhance readability.
Speaking for myself, I have taken up the role of Content Manager for startups. My job was essentially to handle the blog and social media posts. Additionally, I was tasked with leading a team of writers and graphic designers, assigning them tasks within deadlines, proofreading their work and providing feedback, and lastly, publishing the posts across all platforms. Although the pay was not much, these experiences helped in my leadership skills and using apps like Canva and Airtable, which is an essential addition to my resume if I wish to pursue content management for bigger companies.
The most obvious, Higher Studies!
Social Sciences and Arts have a lot to offer in terms of being an academic scholar and research work. Universities in America, Canada, Australia, and other countries offer a wide range of concentrations for a Master’s degree or PhD. For example, philosophy, social work, fine arts, creative writing, medieval literature, linguistics, journalism etc.
Oftentimes, the university itself offers a job or has employment options so, you will not have to look far.
For anyone interested to know, my target is to never worry about employment and keep studying for the rest of my life. Not ideal, but that’s what I see myself doing. I can comfortably and confidently say that I enjoy studying literature and wish to keep studying it. Along with that, I hope to keep one foot in research and teaching for financial stability and the other foot invested in my creative work. After all, the ultimate goal is to write my own novel. With such dreams, the road is bound to be a little shaky for everyone.