English Literature is a growing field, with many opportunities to use your skills and expertise in a variety of different jobs. As the world becomes ever more digital and innovative, English Literature majors are increasingly sought after in the job market. With the ability to read and interpret literature, analyze data, and craft compelling stories, graduates with an English Literature degree are well-positioned for a successful career. Whether you’re looking to pursue a career in publishing, teaching, or marketing, there are plenty of exciting English Literature jobs out there. In this blog post, we’ll look at some of the most popular jobs for English Literature graduates and how you can land the job of your dreams.
What kind of jobs should English literature majors look for?
You may be wondering how to best apply your knowledge in the workplace after spending years reading literature, deciphering texts for meaning, and coming to conclusions in your own writing. Even though your work after graduation won’t exactly resemble what you did while you were a student, you’ll still use the highly developed skills you’ve acquired in it.
You probably became an expert in all things writing and rhetorical throughout your English literature program. Most English literature majors have experience communicating clearly and expressing their ideas. Analytical reading, critical thinking, and effective communication are fundamental skills that can help you pursue careers in a range of industries, including publishing, media and journalism, academia, law, marketing, and public relations.
20 English lit jobs to consider
Here are 20 careers you could enter after earning a degree in English literature:
Reporting on breaking news, including local and national politics and public events, is one of a journalist’s main responsibilities. These experts conduct research, enquire, and gather data to be used in their stories. Additionally, journalists are in charge of conducting interviews, keeping up with significant contacts, and confirming claims and facts. Knowing English literature can help you carry out the major duties, such as writing and presenting stories in a coherent format.
Primary responsibilities: English teachers are qualified academics who concentrate on the English language and literature English teachers, who are most frequently found in middle and high schools, have the chance to share their love of reading, writing, and critical thinking with their students. These teachers are in charge of lesson planning, curriculum development, instruction, grading assignments, parent communication, support and intervention for students at all levels, and mentoring and advising.
Among their main responsibilities is writing content for periodicals, newspapers, broadcast news, journals, and books. They are free to switch between projects and can count on working as a creator in many different fields. English literature majors who have a lot of experience writing compelling narratives and effective informational texts will be particularly interested in this position.
Editorial assistants’ main responsibilities include both editorial and administrative work. They assist editors of newspapers, magazines, and other publications directly by answering phones, running errands, conducting research, and other duties as required. Additionally, editorial assistants support publications by confirming information, editing for spelling and grammar, corresponding with writers, and choosing content for publication. English literature majors’ focus on detail and strong communication abilities will be beneficial in this position.
Interpreters’ main responsibilities are to facilitate communication between individuals who speak different languages. They accomplish this by re-communicating both sides of a conversation in translation. Many organizations, including schools, governments, private businesses, and hospitals, employ interpreters. English literature majors who are bilingual or trilingual can anticipate using their excellent communication skills in this position, even though interpreters must speak more than one language.
Planning and implementing efficient digital marketing strategies on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are the primary duties of social media managers. They produce and share gripping stories on platforms to promote user and subscriber engagement. Social media managers can work in many different industries, such as business, education, and nonprofits. Students who major in English literature can easily use their strong writing abilities in this position.
Copy editors’ primary responsibilities include editing written work to make it easier to read. They can work in a range of industries, including journalism, marketing, academia, and advertising. Editors are in charge of proofreading text using their understanding of grammar and writing styles to ensure error-free copy. They can edit books, websites, journals, articles and more.
Primary responsibilities: Paralegals assist attorneys by drafting documents, keeping files organized, conducting research, and calling on expert witnesses. Paralegals, who are also known as legal assistants, conduct research, draft court documents, and work with other attorneys to expedite clients’ legal cases.
Lawyers are licensed professionals who counsel and represent others in legal matters as their main responsibilities. Lawyers practice in many different legal areas, such as criminal and civil law. They must be skilled critical thinkers and excellent argumentative writers. English literature majors often make excellent lawyers because they learn to read critically, think critically, and write persuasive arguments.
Account executives for advertising primarily serve as the point of contact for clients and the creative teams. They excel at communication and are crucial in developing effective marketing campaigns. Account executives communicate with coworkers and make sure client objectives are met. Liberal arts majors may not think immediately of jobs in the business world, but English literature majors frequently have the necessary oral and written communication skills for this job.
Primary responsibilities: Academic advisors who work in a K–12 environment are educational consultants. They advise students and parents on the academic program, suggested resources, and educational opportunities at the school. For those who want to get involved in education without taking on in-classroom responsibilities, this position is a fantastic choice. Educational consultants need to be well-organized, detail-oriented communicators who are passionate about promoting lifelong learning, just like English literature majors.
Technical writers’ main responsibilities are to create and make understandable technical writing for non-technical professionals, such as instructions, manuals, guides, and journal articles. Technical writers use their analytical abilities to transform complex, jargon-filled materials into ones that are easier for everyone to understand. They frequently work in engineering or technology fields where they can assist in controlling the flow of information.
Publishers are employed by publishing houses that create books, magazines, newspapers, and even greeting cards as their main responsibilities. Publishers carry out procedures, sanction project acquisitions, keep tabs on expenditures, and make more significant business decisions. They collaborate with creative teams to market materials that have been published. Since this profession is directly related to the creation of written texts, and literature in particular, English literature majors may enjoy working in it.
A librarian’s main responsibilities include assisting clients in locating the data they require online or in a library. In schools, colleges, universities, and other research institutions, librarians manage books and other media while also managing library systems. Students of English literature who excel in organization, communication, and analysis may enjoy working as librarians.
Public relations managers’ main responsibilities are to plan and oversee the production of materials that uphold or improve an organization’s reputation. Their main duties include creating and evaluating communication materials, formulating strategies, keeping track of client progress, and performing brand analysis. English literature majors can further hone their creative and communicative abilities as public relations professionals.
The development, production, and strategic distribution of messaging content for a range of audiences are under the direction of content managers. They collaborate with customers and creatives to achieve an organization’s specific messaging objective. Although they can work in print media as well, content managers typically work in the digital sector. English literature majors with a creative flair can make suitable candidates for the role of content manager because the position requires detail-oriented individuals who comprehend the inner workings of storytelling.
Primary responsibilities: Copywriters work in a variety of fields to create unique, attention-grabbing text in accordance with client requests. English literature majors may find this creative position appealing due to the writing, reading, and proofreading requirements. In the advertising industry, copywriters frequently create slogans, jingles, scripts, blog posts, and other materials.
The main responsibilities of records managers are to create secure information management systems and company records departments. They are in charge of overseeing the placement, storage, backup, upkeep, reproduction, and maintenance of all records. English literature majors can be excellent candidates for this position due to their organizational abilities.
Depending on the type of archive they work in, archivists’ main responsibilities are to procure, assess, and preserve unique materials like books, photographs, maps, films, and more. They also aid personnel and researchers who are trying to access information archives. English literature majors with strong communication and analytical abilities might be excellent at facilitation and appraisal of archival materials.
Marketing managers oversee promotional campaigns and brand awareness as their main responsibilities. They can work in a variety of fields, but typically they are employed by businesses to draw in more clients and persuade them to interact with their brands. Many marketing managers hold supervisory positions where they oversee other employees. Students majoring in English literature who have experience writing, solving problems, and working with others on creative projects might enjoy working as marketing managers.
Career Paths: Jobs for English Majors
FAQ
Is English literature a good career?
Librarianship, archiving, bookselling, information and research, tourism, event management, social work, youth work, probation work, human resources, retail management, and sales are additional common careers with an English degree.
