Long-Term Prospects

Long-Term Prospects

Job Satisfaction

49%

General quality of life statement

Here's our advice for all you potential English majors: Make sure you really, really enjoy reading, writing, and analyzing. Okay, so maybe you like to cuddle up with a good book by the fire on a rainy night, but what are your intentions with that book? Do you plan on marrying it? How do we know you really love that book and aren't just using it for street cred?

If you're unsure about your feelings towards literature, find something else. There, we said it. The truth is, about 49% of English majors end up liking their jobs, which is a little lower than the college-grad median of 54%. There are a lot of English grads out there who are happy with their jobs, but only about half. Let's be real, though...literature enthusiasts tend to be a little more dramatic than average, are we right?

Aside from the "traditional" teaching route, there are a some jobs out there that will require using what was learned as an English major. But you probably won't end up particularly well off, financially speaking—not totally down-in-the-dumps, either, but just fine.

Sorry, we don't sugarcoat the facts around here, although we do believe in coating food products in sugar, generally speaking...and $64,700 a year can buy you a lot of sugar, if you really want it to.

25th Percentile Salary

$44,800

Median Salary

$64,700

75th Percentile Salary

$93,200

Stats obtained from this source.