ilovelarry so much! You can teach, granted I’m sure that’s not your plan.
The benefits to an English degree — or any Liberal Arts degree (I studied government) — are less tangible than a STEM degree, where jobs are clear-cut and you know what fields you can go into. The extent to which your ability to think critically about a subject, convince others of your opinion by means of rhetoric, as well as develop an ability to see through other people’s bullshit (their rhetorical appeals), all of which are vital skills to have, make your instructional path worth it.
As for a more tangible path, besides the simple benefits like those I listed above and your writing ability on top of that, many English majors go into law school.
Keep your head up! Your grades will slip if you feel like it’s not worth it. I minored in rhetoric & writing, and those classes did a ton for me in observation and self-awareness. How am I being interpreted? How can I say this in a manner that will resonate? These classes alter your thinking, making it progressively deeper.
Last point to make.
Think about rhetoric and what it means. The reason rhetoric exists is because there isn’t logic and fact to 100% solidify a point. So to make their point stronger, we utilize rhetorical appeals, which are based on emotion, logic (not always factual), and character. Hence, when an argument is not capable of being proven empirically, we bullshit with these appeals in order to make our point.
KrisStory Honestly, this is one of the nicest and most helpful comments I've ever received on here! And I agree that the critical thinking/rhetorical skills are so useful, but I think it can be hard to convince folks outside the field of their benefits.
I'm actually graduating in two months (which is possibly why I'm losing motivation...senioritis is so real lol). I have no plans to go on to law school or grad school as of now, but I could see myself doing that in the future! and thanks again for your lovely comment :)
ilovelarry I’m glad I could be of some help. And yes, senioritis IS real. I killed it in college, but those last few months — which ended up being remote — were Hell. There’s only one thought in mind: “hurry the hell up graduation...” With that said, the advice to hang in there holds even truer than usual.
Good luck friend! You can always pm me to discuss this sort of stuff.
