English major and where to go

Metal Gear Solid 2 Demo

Alright, so I'm just coming out of my first year of university. My plan at the start was to run with an English major and minor in Computer Science. But, having just finished the year, and having computer science kick my ass through and through, that's apparently not going to happen. I should have dropped out in the first semester when I just skimmed by with a 51, but I told myself I would work at it, backtrack and really get the hang of it. Which I didn't. I've always been interested in computers and computer science, but just never got the hang of programming and the type of thought process it needed. I am absolutely horrible at math, and have avoided all those type of science courses completely, so that should have been an early warning sign for me.

Anyway, English is going great for me, but at the moment my plans are shred up and I'm unsure of what to do. To all you English majors out there, what do you think complements that major the best? What would you have done in my position.

I love writing, I write excessively. I'm planning on wrapping up a novel sometime this year, and have a bunch of short stories under my belt. I'm hoping to complete a few more short stories and publish an anthology as a kind of portfolio builder for when I want to shop my novel around.

But off that, I've thought a lot about journalism or histories. Journalism moreso, because I don't see a whole lot of practical use for a history degree (feel free to correct me on this). I've also been looking into game design. There are a couple of start-ups/established game companies in my area, and I've been considering approaching them for a position as a writer or designer. Think this is viable?

So, any suggestions? I really don't want to waste any more time in university than I have to, and going into the second year with no real decision made is a bad thing to do.

Kate of Lokys

A history minor would absolutely be an asset for any prospective writer. Some of the greatest stories ever told have already *been* told, and knowing how to draw on historical source material for inspiration is a highly valuable skill. For example, George R.R. Martin's fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" is basically a retelling of the English War of the Roses (plus, you know, dragons and flaming swords and so on). Guy Gavriel Kay works in a similar vein: "The Lions of Al-Rassan" is a variant on the story of El Cid, the "Sarantine Mosaic" books were inspired by the Byzantine Empire at the time of Justinian, "The Last Light of the Sun" describes a version of England around the time of Alfred the Great.

It's possible to write good fiction with no historical background, of course. It's even possible to do so well. But unless you're writing purely modern-era stuff, having that background will give your prose a significant boost. The devil is in the details, as they say... and if you actually take the time to learn the details of whatever historical period you're using as the rough model for your own work, the world you create will just be that much more believable to your readers. I mean, just look at the differences between Martin's novels, and those of, say, Robert Jordan. Martin knows his shit, and it shows. His entire world is detailed, right down to the hierarchy of the feudal systems, and the actions and motivations of his characters make sense within the context of that world: Littlefinger schemes tirelessly to improve his position, Jaime is torn between his family loyalty and the tattered remains of his knightly honour, Brienne stoically suffers the awkwardness of not fitting in with the socially accepted position of women in a brutally patriarchal world.

Jordan's world, on the other hand, has a slapdash, improvised feel to it. Rand et al careen wildly from one improbable event to the next, and the only real reason for anything they do is "Well, they're *special, see?*". There's no internal consistency to the laws or norms of any given country. Hell, the map itself is a goddamned square.

So... that, in a longwinded nutshell, is the difference history can make in your writing. At the very least, doing a minor in history will teach you how to research details that can add depth and realism to your worlds. At best, some particular time period may inspire you to use it as the base for an entire series of well-crafted novels.

If you want to write fiction, take history. If you want to write for work, take journalism. It's probably equally difficult to break into either field, so sit down and take some time to figure out what you really want to do with your love of writing.

Hachface

I wish you the best of luck with writing. It's not easy to be successful at it, but if you like studying English, stick with it. You can do a whole lot with a degree in English besides write, too.

If you have a strong command of grammar, spelling, and punctuation and also have a good ear for language, there is always copyediting. There is a growing demand for competent editors that I don't see shrinking anytime soon, especially as online publication grows. The fact is that most people can't write, and even freelance writers can be stunningly bad at spelling and grammar, so being able to take a shoddy manuscript and make it publishable is a valuable skill.

From my admittedly limited understanding, your chances of becoming a game designer are roughly on par with your chances of becoming a novelist. Which is to say, low: even the extremely talented need to be tenacious and will languish for years in obscurity.

If you want to be a professional writer outside of nonfiction books and novels -- journalist, web content provider, whatever -- you need to start getting clips published now. Your school probably has student publications, whether it's the newspaper or the student life magazine. Those are great places to develop your skills.


If I were you, I'd take as many classes outside the major as possible to make yourself well-rounded. Don't get discouraged when people say that your degree will be useless; you just need to think outside the box. People are often surprised to learn, for instance, that English majors can and do get into med school; in fact, I remember reading somewhere that English and Philosophy majors tend to do better overall in med school than students who did Pre-Med.

And of course there's always law school.

bsjezz

as an english major who's recently undertaken a significant project in historical fiction, i'd say going into history isn't really necessary - if you know what story you want to tell, you'll do the research out of interest rather than being forced to through school, and you'll get a lot more out of it. kate is right in that an understanding of history is very beneficial for any writer, but i've found doing it at my own pace has been as rewarding as any degree

but then again, it's as good as anything. other than english and creative writing, i had a pretty standard run of philosophy and sociology classes on the side - and i loved my degree so much i went back for a masters. linguistics is another one you could look at, if you like grammar, that would feed quite well into writing, or even languages - but i agree with hachface. go for the most well-rounded program you can possibly manage.

and yeah, an english major affords a lot of potential if you look for it. as long as you talk up your written communications skills you'll be a shoe in for entry level positions everywhere - and in terms of writing if you catch the bug, you'll be getting satisfaction from it for the rest of your life

Quoth

To add to what others have already said, I've known English majors who took on psychology, anthropology, journalism, film and communications. Those all seemed to be good complements and would probably work well in terms of broadening your creative horizons.

Kilroy

The best thing about being an English major with a History minor is that if writing fails, you can always go to law school. :P

I'm an English major with and Archaeology minor, and I love it. While history is good for particular events that may be inspirational or useful, archaeology is about the actual culture and how people lived their lives. It can be particularly useful if you're planning on creating your own worlds and civilizations, since you can see what types of cultural adaptations suit what types of environments.

But all in all, it's really hard to go wrong with picking something to complement English. Just find something you like and go for it. You'll find a way to integrate it, I can guarantee.

Toldo

I'm an English major and a Political Science minor. I find the two go together pretty well, especially if you could see yourself doing something involving journalism.

matisyahu

I'm an English major and was hoping this thread had a little more staying power, because I could use some perspective on this situation as well. Right now, it looks like I might end up overseas after I graduate, maybe teaching English, maybe with the Peace Corps (hmm, maybe I should start a Peace Corps thread...), but I really want to get into editing contemporary fiction.

Anyone know anything about the publishing industry, what it takes to get a foot in the door, anything like that?

Incenjucar

As someone who has had a degree in English for two years, and who has been working since the Tuesday after graduation, and pretty much become the company secret weapon, my advice is to get your minor in a field which is in and of itself valued, so that you can use your writing skills within a company or organization serving those purposes. While I didn't take a minor, I grew up focusing on the sciences, and doing lots of construction with family, and even professionally one long and greasy summer.

Now I'm the non-construction research and environmental regulation guru for the company, as well as the contracts and insurance assistant, and they're flying me to Vegas for conventions and sending me to the Capitol to represent the industry, and so on.

I've been with them two years. :P

And most of my success is because my English background allowed me to do things for the industry that their normal expertise simply doesn't train them for.

So, bottom line, set yourself up for a day job that still lets you use your critical reading and writing and research skills, it'll give you a huge advantage, and something to write about. Just make sure it's an industry you're interested in. Every major industry needs someone who can read complex language and write clearly and convincingly.

Mim

I'm actually going into English (switching from Journalism, I wanted a more broad major than a more specific one). I'm not sure, I know sometimes its good to compliment your major with a minor, but I think just with an English major you are open to a lot of jobs. You can do journalism, public relations, editing, etc.

Right now I'm on the fence about my minor being art, Japanese, or video game design. I'm not sure. But I am considering a job in public relations (money!) for a video game company. I read an article about it in EGM, in fact its up on my wall right now to stare at for motivation. You can do anything, in my opinion, with an English degree. I'd say pick a minor that interests you whether it compliments your major or not but I'm a novice at this, so please anyone correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, as Incenjucar said, an English degree isn't just writing, we cover speeches, organization of projects and research. We have the world at our feet...kind of.

Incenjucar

English degree opens up an immense number of doors, they're just very poorly advertised doors.

matisyahu

Where could a 3rd year English major who has done nothing and needs to get off his ass find these doors, alternatively, what would be a good thing to do to increase my metaphorical upper body strength so opening doors is possible.

Mim

matisyahu wrote: »

Where could a 3rd year English major who has done nothing and needs to get off his ass find these doors, alternatively, what would be a good thing to do to increase my metaphorical upper body strength so opening doors is possible.

Internships, both for credit and for not, jobs around campus...that's most I can think of at the moment. All jobs require some kind of networking.