Can I Get a Job with an English Degree?
Absolutely.
There are only three considerations when choosing a major as you think now about life after college. Some folks have a great-paying job they hate. Others love their job but have to put up with low pay. In today’s volatile job market, nothing is a guarantee, but if you enjoy writing, reading, researching, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, processing, and synthesizing information, an English degree could be the key to your success, the sweet spot in the center of all three.
For each of the three English degrees offered at Ship, click below to see:
* What you'll learn
* Degree requirements
* Career outcomes
Let's try a real-time experiment. Go to www.indeed.com. Punch in the city where you'd like to live one day and terms like: "writer," "technical writer," and "creative writer" into the search box. Consider the experiences and skills those employers are looking for. If you're in high school reading this, you have years to develop those, and Ship is a great place to do it. And don't forget, Ship has degree options in literature and teaching English. Our trained teachers often graduate with multiple job offers.
Won't I Just Be Eating Ramen Noodles?
It’s true that some with English degrees don’t necessarily have a predetermined career path, but this means they have more flexibility and broader opportunities to apply their skills in many fields. The figures below from payscale.com (early 2020's) suggest the comparable value of those talents in the marketplace. But don't talk our word for it. Be smart--go to payscale.com and research the latest trends.
Invest in yourself. Here are real world tools to get independent information about the value of an English degree.
Ship English Students Go On to Do Great Things
Teaching
Ship alumni are shaping young minds from Camp Hill to Poland to China! Here’s a small sample of the many places lucky enough to secure our English grads:
Camp Hill Middle School South Allegheny School District
Greencastle-Antrim School District Big Spring School District
Carlisle Area School District Mechanicsburg Area School District
York Suburban School District York City School District
Shalom Christian Academy Shippensburg Area School District
West Perry School District Susquenita School District
Susquehanna Township School District. Southwestern School District
Boonsboro Middle School Chambersburg North Middle School
Achievers Early College Prep Charter School in Trenton, NJ,
Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School, Harrisburg
Graduate School
Some of our students have gone on to graduate studies in literature and creative writing at some of the best schools in the country, including:
University of Nevada at Las Vegas UMass at Amherst
Boston University Queens College of Charlotte
NeoMFA at Cleveland State University New School in NYC
University of Penn Rosemont University
University of Arizona University of Glasgow
Cabrini University Butler University
Chatham University Wilkes College
American University University of Chicago
University of Mississippi
Professional World
Others put their skills to use in a variety of creative roles, among them:
Editor of Amish Romance Novels at Scribe Publishing
Associate Editor at Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Social Media Manager for EZMarketing in Lebanon, PA
Business Development Manager at H&H Chevy (advertising/marketing)
Technical Writer for Volvo in Shippensburg
Technical Writer/Proposal Specialist for BlueWater Federal Solutions
Senior Document Specialist/Proofreader at EchoStar
Online PR Specialist at Webpage FX
Director of Communications for Professional, Continuing, and Distance Education
at Shippensburg University
We can't guarantee the exact shape of your success after graduation, but opportunities are seized by those who seek them.
There is an inherent value in writing that needs no justification. Still, if you're looking for evidence that the business world values the skills of a writer, check out the article below. Click on the image to go to the full story!
