In the recent Lynchburg College publication entitled Profiles in Achievement, four of the twenty-eight alumni profiled for their career success held degrees in English. Only one other major had as many of its alumni in this featured group. It is commonly assumed that a major in English prepares one for a career in teaching and nothing else, but most English majors, at LC and around the country, go into other fields. Some of our alumni report careers in publishing, theater, human resources, sales, and management, as you might expect. One was the manager of the Ice Capades until recently, when he left to join a theater company in Chicago.
English majors are flexible and versatile.
These entries hint at the range of work being done by English majors. Alumni credit the major with developing their analytical skills, their speaking and negotiating abilities, their expertise in working with and understanding texts, and their skills as writers. Furthermore, they appreciate the breadth of knowledge that they have gained from their majors, and they value their liberal arts background for its richness and its flexibility. The broad knowledge acquired by English majors, taken together with their skills, makes them particularly able to adapt to new circumstances and challenges. If you have specific ideas about the field you want to enter after graduation, take advantage of your time at LC to make some preparations.