English major: to be or not to be?
Toward the beginning of the popular Broadway musical Avenue Q, Princeton (the loveable puppet protagonist) reflects on his college decision to major in English:
What do you do with a B.A. in English,
What is my life going to be?
Four years of college and plenty of knowledge,
Have earned me this useless degree.
Granted, Princeton is a puppet in a Broadway musical comedy, so it would be easy (and perhaps sensible) to discredit his lament. But even though he's less than human, Princeton voices more than common concerns among students considering or declaring a major in English: What will I do when I graduate? What kinds of jobs can I get with a B.A. in English?
Despite its widespread sentiment, there is more comedic value than truth in Princeton's complaint. A degree in English is far from useless - English is one of the best majors to prepare you for success in a wide variety of career paths (or blazing new ones). To all those who doubt the value of an English major, the department would like to say: "au contraire" (see how rich and flexible English is, seamlessly incorporating entire phrases of other languages).
So, what can you do with an English major?
The ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ English Department (with the help of ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ Career Services) has compiled a list of internships that can help you start exploring what's behind the many professional "doors" an English major will open for you.
Human Resources:
- Clark County Department & Family Services
- Clark County Jail
- Springfield City Schools
- ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ Office of University Communications
- ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ News Services & Sports Information
News and Media:
- New Carlisle Sun-Enon Messenger (New Carlisle)
- Springfield News-Sun (Springfield)
- WHWO-TV (Toledo)
- The Torch (ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ Student Newspaper)
- WCMH NBC4 (Columbus)
- WKEF/WRGT (Dayton)
Publishing and Creative Writing:
- Dreamtime Publishing (South Pasadena, Fla.)
- Mazer Creative Services (Dayton)
- Westcott House (Springfield)
Arts and Education:
- Springfield Arts Council
- Springfield Museum of Art
for a list of internships English majors have done for credit while at ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥