Possible majors and careers?

snfluhar
Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:32:29 +0000

There is a reason students are asked to read and study literature, and it’s not to prove that they know what the author was trying to say. It’s pretty obvious that analysis of literature is going to be objective, that people will see the same piece differently.

The point is to teach students how to think critically and to express those thoughts through discussion and/or writing. The ability to write and express oneself is important in any career, as it the ability to think objectively. You would be surprised by the number of students that struggle to do so.

Many English classes have discussions, peer review groups, etc, because it fosters thinking and creativity. It may seem pointless to those who are good at it, but many students have difficulty with this sort of thing. None of my English professors wanted us to imply what the authors meant-- they were more interested in hearing what we thought about the readings and why we thought it. Hearing others’ ideas and thoughts can generate new ideas and new ways of thinking for students.

As far as PTW is concerned… It wouldn’t be my first choice as a writing career, either. But all writing is mechanized in a way, which you will discover if you continue taking writing classes. Even creative writing has structure.

I guess I wonder which part of English/writing you are interested in, if you don’t want it to be too creative or too mechanized. You will have to take grammar classes. Writing is a lot technical. If you work as a writer, you will have to work with others, meet deadlines, and be able to express your ideas effectively. This is what English classes teach you, among other things.

There are many jobs related to English majors. Editors, literary agents, journalists, screenwriters, etc.

I think you may want to wait until you’ve taken some college courses before you dismiss English as pointless discussion. College will be a different experience than high school.