What Can I Do With an English Degree?

English degrees open opportunities and careers that don't necessary follow a literary path. English students learn to read critically, write effectively, understand ideas and communicate with others; skills necessary in many, broad fields.

Here is a compiled list of English majors you may have heard of.

• Alan Alda, actor-activist
• Amerie, singer
• James van der Beek, actor
• Carol Browner, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency and now chair of the Board of the National Audubon Society
• Vin Diesel, actor
• David Duchovny, actor
• Harrison Ford, actor
• Jodi Foster, actress/activist
• Cathy Guisewite, cartoonist
  
• Randy Owen, lead singer of Alabama
• Joe Paterno, legendary football coach
• Sally Ride, astronaut
• Geoffrey Rush, actor (we're not sure about the monkey)
• Diane Sawyer, TV journalist
• Harold Varmus, Nobel Prize laureate, former head of the National Institutes of Health and now CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Research Center
• Barbara Walters, TV host
• Reese Witherspoon, actress

The question is not “What can I do with my English major?” but “What do I want to do with my English major?”   

For Undergraduate Degrees

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition
Authors, Writers, and Editors

CollegeBoard inspiring minds
Survivor Face-Off
Career vs. Liberal Arts Majors (includes English majors)

AAC&U American Association of Colleges & Universities
Top Ten Things Employers Look for in New College Graduates

For Graduate Degrees

Modern Language Association (MLA)
Advice to Graduate Students: From Application to Career