Both the Wall Street Journal and the Journal of College Placement have reported that increasing numbers of graduates from reputable business schools find themselves drifting from one job or firm, to another, unable to hold a position for longer than twelve months. Skill in analysis and communication is the essence of management. Consequently the English major with an emphasis in business is particularly well prepared for a future in business administration. Any new employee represents something of a risk, and most new employees, whatever degrees they hold, require additional training to suit them for specific jobs. College graduates with degrees in English are working successfully in marketing, in systems engineering, in personnel management, in sales, in programming, in project design, and in labor relations.
English majors are also at work in the thousand occupations provided by government at all levels.
In organizations ranging from the Marine Corps to the Bureau of Mines, from the Commerce Department to the National Park Service, the federal government employs a work force of nearly three million men and women. Every year, some 300,000 new employees are hired just to fill turnover positions in federal service. English majors may qualify for many of these jobs. The list of federal positions for which English majors may qualify ranges from Claims Examiner to Foreign Service Officer to Highway Safety Management Specialist.