Finding the major right for me?

lkf725
Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:27:33 +0000

Hey whycal, my kids also love writing and are very good at it - yet hate reading. I think it may have something to do with the way literature is taught - b.o.r.i.n.g.! Also, (don’t anybody be offended) reading literature just doesn’t seem to be as applicable to the job market as writing skills. Nobody is ever going to pay you for your opinion on ancient novels and plays that have been analyzed to death. I do think, however, that being widely read makes you a more intersting person.

Are you even sure you are a humanities person? If you “lack any real interest” in humanities, I think you probably are not a humanities person.

Maybe you should consider print or broadcast journalism. Maybe you would like to be on the production end of television or radio. Perhaps consumer marketing is a field in which you could utilize your writing skills.

Or, maybe you are really a math or science person (or engineer or health professional) who just happens to be a good writer. There are lots of job options there and technical reading is entirely different from english literature reading. It is important these days for technical people to have excellent writing and verbal skills. I once thought I was a humanities person too, but I was wrong. I was not the best mathematician or scientist, but I liked those areas and worked at them because they interested me. Too bad I started out behind the eight ball by taking all humanities classes! Eventually, I became a pharmacist.

You have many, many options. English is not the only option for a good writer. Think about it.