Managing information Thinking independently Working with others Reading critically Meeting deadlines and managing time Understanding components of complex problems Perceiving patterns/structures Comparing/contrasting Synthesizing information Summarizing ideas Managing a project from conception to completion Finding solutions to intricate problems Perceiving the world from multiple points of view

Establishing hypotheses Gathering information Using original sources Interpreting data Summarizing and presenting information Evaluating results Analyzing texts and information Establishing priorities Writing creatively Creating persuasive messages Using precise language Assessing an audience Writing concisely Drafting documents Editing

Many occupations require an individual who can write and speak well, solve problems, learn new information quickly, and work well with others on a team. This means that English graduates use their education in a wide variety of fields, and your future career may relate more to your personal career interests, work values and transferable skills than anything specific to the content of your major. The following list contains a representative sample of job titles of former graduates with an English major. Use this as an idea list, and remember that it represents some, but certainly not all, of the careers you might consider.

 

 

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Who Hires English Majors?

 

 

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Some Work Applications of English Major Skills:

Position	Job Duties	Comments from Students
Editorial Assistant	Proofread and edit manuscripts  Market and promote books Manage sales data base Attend national book selling conference	"I felt competent editing  and proofreading,  even  though I had  never done it before,  and felt that I was being  challenged to grow."
Public Relations Specialist	Write and edit press releases and articles Conduct background research Maintain data base Communicate under the pressure of a deadline	"I learned that the skills  you learn as an English major go far beyond literary texts.  The ability to think on your feet, the skill of being  flexible enough to handle  any contingency, and the determination to think through problems are all aspects of being a Liberal Arts major."
Investigator	Interview witnesses Write reports of witness testimony Conduct conflict of interest checks Communicate with attorneys and law enforcement officers	"Our job is incredibly  important, since we are  the eyes and ears of the attorneys.  If we fail to interview the witnesses properly or fail to complete our tasks, the clients  lose their liberty/freedom."
Trade and Market Development Intern	Collect statistical trade data Communicate with international clients and governments Recruit American Companies for Canadian trade show	"My ultimate career goal of working for the State Department either in France  or Switzerland now seems completely attainable."
Commercial Real Estate Intern	Rent collection and billing Market properties to real estate brokers Draft listings, proposals, lease and other documents Community relations/philanthropy	"My goals for the internship  were to learn more about the commercial real estate business and expand my job  to learn skills that could  make me more marketable  in the future."
Museum Collections Assistant	Catalog and maintain museum artifacts Prepare condition reports on stored collections Engage in acquisition, evaluation and preparation of new artifacts	"While my initial position was limited to running the admissions desk, I eventually was able to interview for and ultimately secure a position with the Collections Department."
Literary Manager Assistant	Assist Literary Manager/Dramaturgy Background research for play production Review plays for possible production Maintain script library	"I have gained valuable theater experience that I would not have been able to obtain in the classroom.  I have been able to watch, and participate in, a professional theater group."
Casting Assistant	Schedule and assist with auditions Review audition tapes Research casting files for talent Communicate with casting directors, actors, and producers	"Just as when I read a novel  and visualize in my mind what type of person the character  is, casting goes one step  beyond to decide what  actor could best embody  that type of person."

 

 

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What Can I Do to Prepare While I'm Still in School?

Visit the UW Center for Career Services, located in 134 Mary Gates Hall. CCS has a broad array of services available for undergraduates, including career counseling, classes and workshops, employer panels, career fairs, job listings and internships, campus recruitment, and much more. Make CCS your home base for career exploration activities. You can even post your résumé to employers through their job web.

Go on an Informational Interview: Setting up an informational interview with a professional in your field can be an excellent and much less threatening way to practice your interview skills and find out more about a particular job or field. For tips on making contact (including a sample letter), setting up the interview, preparation, and conducting the interview, click on the link above, or see the CCS Career Guide (also known as the "gold guide"). Pick up your free copy at the Center for Career Services in 134 Mary Gates Hall.

Get Experience through an Internship or Volunteer Work: At the most recent series of Career Education Week panels, an overwhelming majority of English alumni and other professionals working in related fields stated that an internship had helped them to get where they are today, either through an offer of a permanent job by the sponsoring organization, or through valuable contacts they made, or through skills they developed which led to their current positions. Employers value experience very highly: it shows them that you know what the job or field is like and are prepared with the necessary skills. Even if you are close to graduation, consider a quarter-long internship or a short-term volunteer project.

Make Contacts: Talk to faculty, counselors, graduate students, and your peers. Get involved in departmental and college functions, lectures, seminars, workshops, and activities. Some of the most valuable contacts you'll make in college may not be apparent at the time you're making them. Networking is extremely important: this is how you get information about career fields, find resources, hear about jobs, get recommendations, forge key relationships and locate mentors. A large percentage of professional jobs are found through personal contacts, not through the want-ads!

Get Involved in a Student Organization: Consider joining a student organization like the English Undergraduate Association or Bricolage, in the Department of English, or the Undergraduate Fiction Writers Association. There is also a vast and diverse array of student organizations on campus to suit almost any interest. Not only will you have an opportunity to make contacts, but you may also have a chance to develop skills like leadership, presentation skills, and teamwork.

Take the "Navigating Career Options" course (GEN ST 350):This three-credit class, offered every quarter, is an exploration of career options that will help you to learn how to navigate your course through the vast domain of job search strategies and career possibilities. Connect your academic experiences to your future career. Elements include experiential learning, individual self assessment and processing, generating career options, group interaction/discussion and journal writing.

Begin the Task of Self Assessment: Participate in an English Major Skills Workshop and begin to assess your particular transferable skills derived through the English major, as well as your personal adaptive and self-management skills. Take the Strong Interest Inventory or the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory through UW's Student Counseling Center to help you to identify your strengths and interests.

Put Your Research Skills to Work: Begin to investigate possible career fields, employers, and jobs. There are many resources at UW to help you with this task. There are also countless resources beyond UW. Some key places to start on campus are the Center for Career Services, the UW Alumni Association, the Student Counseling Center, and the UW Libraries Reference.

Attend the UW's annual Career Discovery Week, including more than 50 panels and workshops with undergraduates designed to assist you in exploring your career interests. UW alumni speakers return to campus to lend their expertise. A great opportunity to practice your networking skills. This event is held during the 4th week in January each year.

Attend a Career Fair, and Bring Your Résumé: Career fairs are a great opportunity to see what's out there and to make contacts with recruiters. They are also a great place to practice your presentation and interviewing skills and try out your résumé. The Center for Career Services holds their annual Internships and Summer Jobs Fair and their Liberal Arts, Science, and Business Career Fair in early April. They also sponsor a Minority Career Fair every February.

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Career Resources in the Department of English

English Major Skills Workshop: This is a workshop sponsored quarterly by English Undergraduate Advising and the Center for Career Services. It is open to any interested English major. The object is to explore and identify the kinds of skills that English students learn as they advance through their major, and how those skills are transferable to other settings and fields outside academia. This is a critical task to accomplish because it grounds and orients a student in the first steps of a job and career search, helping to answer such questions as "What can I do?" or "What skills do I have?" We attempt to arrive at some answers through a variety of techniques and exercises. Interested students should watch their departmental "englmajors" e-mail for workshop announcements and registration information.

Résumé Writing Workshops: English Undergraduate Advising offers résumé workshops quarterly for English majors interested in developing a first résumé draft or in obtaining peer and adviser feedback for a draft that's in progress. Interested students should watch their departmental "englmajors" e-mail for workshop announcements and registration information.

ENGL 491 Internships: Internship experiences are one of the best avenues for career exploration and development for undergraduates. An internship will allow you to gain valuable work experience, make contacts with professionals, explore a particular career field to see if it's right for you, and begin to develop your résumé and portfolio. This link takes you to the information pages, which have additional links to the large list of past and present sponsoring agencies and organizations.

Career Discover Week: Career Panels: Each winter quarter, during the annual UW Career Discovery Week, English Undergraduate Advising sponsors a number of information panels on various career fields of interest to English majors. Past panels have included such areas as the entertainment industry, writing careers, jobs for humanities majors, and non profit arts administration, and have brought UW alumni and other professionals to campus to talk with undergraduates about their areas of expertise.

English Department Faculty: English faculty can be a great source of information and advising, especially for career fields within academia. Faculty can also serve as excellent mentors for undergraduates. Some faculty members have taken on undergraduates as research assistants in their areas of study.

English Graduate Student Organization: The English Graduate Student Organization (GSO) can provide mentorship opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students. This is especially valuable for those undergraduates who plan to go to graduate school.

Other Career Resources at UW: This is a list of resources available to University of Washington undergraduate students.