/lit/ - Literature

>>5138302
yes. no (going on 7 years now). good luck

>>5138302
get on my level, faggot.
philosophy graduate reporting.

$0 a year.
and counting.

>>5138302
English Specialist here.

I know your feels very well.

I want to become a writer, but I hate the idea of compromising my integrity and working for chumps.

I'm probably just going to become an entrepreneur and philanthropist.

I did peace corps after college, and afterwards moved to chicago and became a freelance writer and editor. I was able to survive pretty well without having to do much work.
Decided to quit though, and move back to the third world to teach. Much more fun.
My advice--go abroad, teach.

>>5138302
DO NOT go to graduate school. You were stupid enough to fall for it once, don't fall for it twice.

>>5138324
You sound interesting. Let's have a beer.

>>5138327
It'll delay my suicide, though.

>>5138344
it means the difference between a 50k debt sentence or an 90k debt sentence.

>>5138302
Don't sweat it. I have a STEM degree but work as a writer. The pay's not as good but it still plenty and the lifestyle is the best.

>>5138354
>work as a writer.
what are you writing?

>>5138359
Features journalism

>>5138352
both of those are so prohibitively high they may as well be the same number

>>5138337
i would, but i'm also a recovering alcoholic
/typical English major

>>5138309
Where have you applied?
>>5138313
What did/do you want to do with that?

>>5138361
nice!

how did you start?
internship? connections from college?
sometimes I want to send something to a newspaper by email, but then I think they will thrash it, with a 1% chance someone will publish it under his own name.
getting paid for it? Nah.

>>5138381
>What did/do you want to do with that?
I wanted to teach philosophy and change the world.
But I had the opportunity to discover telemarketing in phone centers instead.

>>5138400
I cold called every newspaper in my area and asked if they were looking for any freelance work. One of them said they were and literally assigned me a couple stories at the interview. After that I made connections and picked up a couple other papers. Your best bet is hyperlocal papers. While most of traditional print media is dying, the smaller pspers that cover stories not on large news affiliates are flourishing. One of my papers has already launched another one in a neighboring town and bought out one more. So business is good. My associates was in Liberal Studies and my Bachelors is in Biology, so it doesn't matter if you have a journalism degree, you just have to enjoy writing and be self motivated.

>>5138413
Where have you applied, and how often have you done it?

graduated three months ago with a B.A. in englit and history

currently working in event planning where I produce expos/trade shows/summits

would have done journalism but 3 years of internships at newspapers and magazines has made me realize how pointless so much of journalism is

the dream is to write fiction in my off time until I can get a fellowship/residence/grant/good MFA

>>5138434
thx, very helpful!

I actually worked one month for a local weekly newspaper, several years ago.
They paid me, said I was too good for them and talked about hiring me if I was interested.
But I was ambitious and then moved to the city.
I'm thinking about going back.
A colleague who was tutoring me had a degree in history.

>>5138452
tits and timestamp!

Kinda relevant,

I have a Bachelor's in Journalism and I'm considering taking a Master's in Writing or Creative Writing from either Pratt or Parsons respectively. Would that be a bad idea? I just want to be well versed in all fields of writing and I feel that I've learned *enough* in the field of journalism. Also, going into one of the aforementioned fields for my Master's intrigues me, especially the creative writing MFA.

>>5138452
Lol 3 years of internships. I have my bachelor's and I've worked for CBS and NYT as soon as I finished my Bachelor's

>>5138302

majoring in something non stem isn't a complete waste unless you have a bunch of debt, let's hope you don't op.

Personally, I was an Occitan major (don't ask) and work for 35k as a copy editor at a book publisher, which is more than comfortable in the extremely cheap city where I work for a single male, but that calculation would change drastically if I had loans to repay and I'm sure I would be hating myself right now.

>>5138479
did mommy and daddy pay for your education?
How did you put yourself through university and have no debt

>>5138440
I applied for many phone marketing jobs, because of social anxiety. I wanted to hide behind the phone.
My profile was screaming "social justice warrior", so nobody hired me in insurance, opinion polls or anything.
Only manager who called me back was working for charities.
I was paid to harass old people to adopt a child from Africa.
So I changed the world, at my level.

>>5138302
just a question?
what university do you go to?

>>5138472
>taking a Master's in Writing or Creative Writing
Don't be the biggest idiot on earth.

>>5138479

and by not a complete waste I just mean, you will be completely fucked without a college degree and don't already have money. Even people that should know better like their employees and public servants well credentialed and can't afford to hire someone that isn't.

Which isn't to say 35k is good, because frankly it's pretty shit, but work is interesting and great experience and not starbux and I can afford to take it because I don't have debt.

>>5138484

My parents did have 6k saved up which seems almost comical considering how much college costs these days, but other than that it was a full tuition scholarship I got from the school, pell grants, and a few outside scholarships. I wasn't a retard in high school.

>>5138501
Why not?

>>5138302
junior b.a. in english here, hoping to go to med school lel. couldn't imagine the job market for this degree

>>5138352
only if you're stupid enough to go to grad school without any sort of job assurance or fellowship

>>5138507
I'm not getting started, but if you have a bachelor's and haven't figured out how higher education has become a huge scam, you're an uncritical thinker who deserves to be robbed.

>>5138515

this, unless you are old, rich, and bored don't pay for graduate school. I guess these days in the humanities and some social sciences you have to pay for your masters to have any chance of getting funding for a phd, but even still it's retarded.

Nobody will respect you, and why should they? The school has no faith in you, they just cashing the checks nigga

>>5138537
>Nobody will respect you, and why should they? The school has no faith in you, they just cashing the checks nigga

>>5138554

What the fuck are you trying to say? Do you have down syndrome or are you just a fucking idiot?

>>5138324
This is what i want to do. Any recommendations? Im thinking South America.

>>5138302
BA in English and Philosophy.
Copywriter.
~70k per year.

>>5138302
Ha. I just got work on the research staff of a small magazine trying to launch, and I'm assisting a graduate student on their thesis doing research. I'm 19 years old and haven't spent a day in tertiary education.

That being said, here's what you have to do to get work writing. Make yourself available, and socialize with people. Be open about your interests and don't be afraid to write garbage for low pay. But really, the key thing to remember is you get a LOT of work like this by knowing people. Good luck, you're probably smarter than me. I just hope you're smart enough to get yourself in a position where you can use that knowledge.

>>5138352
>paying tuition for grad school.

If you're going to grad school without the university covering at least your tuition, you're doing it wrong.

>>5138754
>don't be afraid to write garbage for low pay

I have no problem writing garbage for low pay, but how do you get into the position of doing that without a relevant degree?

>>5138836
I talk to people and then know people. That's the sad truth of the world.

>>5138302
didnt graduate with an enligsh degree but ive recently been made unemployed
damn these 2 year contracts

>word on your TEFL during the summer
>move to shanghai
>?????
>profit

you'll show them by having an exciting life in a foreign land

>>5138702
What do you do to get into copywriting?

It's probably a questionable use of "employed," since I'm going to have to fist my way through the job market still, but I did English and am in a pretty well-funded PhD program now. It's a pretty sweet deal, but has a time limit.

I never really understood fellow English majors with no idea what they want to do. Why major in it then? I took a bunch of extra lit classes as electives, which someone could do in another degree track, plus reading any book you want any time you want without the classes.

I never worried about being in English because 1) I always had a specific goal; 2) I'm not worried about making a ton of money; and 3) my undergraduate costs were fully covered.

>>5138302
how's your work ethic?

>>5138754
>the key thing to remember is you get a LOT of work like this by knowing people.
good.
now everyone will try to know people...

>>5138566
It gets complicated being authorized to work as a teacher in a lot of foreign countries. Often, the best way to get the experience is to work through some auxiliary program sponsored by the government, either your home government or the country you want to visit's. There is the Fullbright Scholarship, but this is pretty competitive. There are other programs though based within the foreign countries. Spain has one called Auxiliares, and if you speak any amount of Spanish before getting there and have a bachelor's degree, they'll put you somewhere.

The problem with Latin America is that most countries don't have established public programs to bring in English teachers. What ends up happening instead in these places is that private companies fill this void, but it gets complicated fast. You can't really earn wages on a traveler visa. Most government programs solve this by granting you a student visa. You don't earn a wage while you are there. Instead, you earn a living stipend. This is how they get away with letting foreigners work in their nation without granting them full working privileges.

The only country in Latin America that I could find a government sponsored English teaching program for was Chile, and it seemed like a decent program, except the living stipend is small to non-existent. You live with a host family, and the host family feeds you twice a day. You then earn something around $15 usd/week while you're there. Even though room and board are mostly covered, you'll still have quite a few expenses while you're there, especially if you plan to go out at all or travel. What the program suggests is that you bring your savings with you to Chile. Spain offers anywhere between 700-1000 euros per month living stipend. As you can see, Chile's offer is much less promising. I'm pretty sure it's basically a way to divert tourist money into their nation.

Colombia has a strong desire for English teachers currently, but to my knowledge, no government sponsored English teaching program. Most schools will want a TESOL certificate before you get there, or will want you to pay to get certified there. I found through Google a couple of programs that offer roughly $800 usd/month living stipend to teach English in various Colombian cities. In other countries, the only programs that I could find required that you go and get TESOL certification from a class held in that nation before being placed in a position, and even then, there was no guarantee that you would find a job, just that they would give you contacts to look for one. This seems a bit iffy to me. I'd personally much rather join a program that guarantees a position before I relocate myself across the globe.

I'm currently planning on going either to Colombia or Spain in the next year or two to teach English. Colombian schools start their school year in January, and Spanish schools start in September. The deciding factor for me will most likely be when I'm free.

>>5138943
Sorry I can't give better advice. I don't mean it as knowing people through family though, that's not how I've got any work. I mean in knowing people by involving yourself in your city's literary scene, or journalistic scene, or film scene, or music scene, or whatever you want to get involved in. Someone else above mentioned he called a lot of newspapers in his area. Even if he didn't get work from the people he called immediately (and he eventually did), he now knows these people and stands to maybe get work from them in the future once they see his other work.

>2014
>Going to any form of higher education
>Not being elite homeschooled then transitioning into self taught master race

>>5138556
Schools only give money to people who are going to survive in the academic sphere. Schools don't give money to people who will probably not publish, hence, what he said.

>>5138324
Yo, I'm leaving for Peace Corps Mozambique in 2 months. Any advice?

>>5138302
Take a technical writing class OP.

Seriously, the most obvious remedy if you're worried about employability. Or learn to code. If your literary skills or worth a shit than learning to code isn't that difficult.

Graduated with BA in lit. Got technical editing job. Hated it. Considering going into nursing even though lit is my life.

>>5138918
I'm polite and I show up on time.
I wasn't a cunt during the science fair either. I'd hardly call that an achievement, though.
Why?

>>5138986
I'm minoring in Technical Communication. Most jobs I look for want 5 yrs writing experience, though. Would you happen to know how to get around that?

>>5138971
I wasn't expecting a reply.
Many decent people ITT, it's refreshing.
I haven't socialized much in college, too obsessed with tfw nogf.
After college, I totally collapsed.
Now networking feels like begging.

But I try my best to sound appealing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbckIuT_YDc

>>5139002
You sound like an utter cunt.

>>5139002
are you "above" flipping burgers then?

Any grad students here (former or enrolled)? Been looking at grad programs in my state and they all sound fun as fuck. Coming up with a dissertation topic sounds nerve-racking but whatever.

I just want to know what the climate of it all is like. What I've read so far is that there are very few grad students so is it all super small readings groups in the courses? Do you ever see undergrads outside of teaching/ta? If anyone can just blab on about what it's like that'd be great.

I know it's all different depending on program, school, etc. I just want to get a feel for the general thing.

This is all for philosophy by the way.

>>5139024
Just apply everywhere regardless what they say about experience. I mean, as long as it's below like 3 years.

>>5139064
Just so you know, it's almost impossible to get in with funding to any philosophy graduate program, especially if the program is in the slightest prestigious. Going to grad school with the intention of getting a doctorate and a tenure track position is basically the only end-game to a philosophy degree if you want to stay purely in the field. Philosophy is a relatively popular undergrad degree, and there are a lot of people that, after realizing that they can't find a job in the private sector with their philosophy degree, apply to grad school. The programs are highly selective, especially if you want funding (if you're not getting funding, at least a tuition waiver, the university doesn't give a shit about you, and nobody will take your MA/PHD seriously). Your best bet is to do anything else.

I'm looking at going into grad school for Comp Lit. It's similarly competitive, but not quite as bad as philosophy. Both have roughly the same size classes though. Most schools will admit 5-7 people per yer, and often, no more than 3 candidates will be offered funding. There are certain universities that make sure to offer funding to all candidates instead of just some of them, but these can still be incredibly selective.

you will need to publish some sort of academic article before being considered as a serious candidate to most programs, and from there, you need to make sure that the programs to which you are applying specialize in what you want your focus to be. For instance with literature, don't apply to a school that focuses on postmodern critical theory if your interest lies in Medieval literature, but it gets much more specific than that. For you, make sure you know if you want to be in an analytic or continental focused group, but from there, make sure that they focus on the right philosophers, and I suppose the right interpretations of those philosophers. If you can't demonstrate your propensity to specialization and publication, you won't be worth anyone's time.

Now, if you get in somewhere with funding, it could either be one of the best experiences of your life, where you learn a lot and have fun doing it, because you're studying and contributing to a field that genuinely interests you, or you could lose all enjoyment from that field, hate yourself and everything that you do, and turn to less than ideal coping mechanisms. Lots of grad students develop (or at least exacerbate pre-existing) crippling alcoholism.

My last year of undergrad, I basically took a year of grad school. Almost all of my classes were at the grad level within my department, and I got A's in all of them, but despite this, and despite the fact that my university does not have a prestigious program in the least, I was only offered acceptance into the grad program without funding. They didn't think that I was prepared to both teach and study at that level, and they had a couple of candidates that were better qualified.

>>5139064
European in Europe, we don't say "grad school" here, but whatever. Maybe I can bring my 2 cents.
If I had to do it all again, I wouldn't eat the shit they say, that you can choose freely the topic of your research.
At best, a bored Professor will deign to read 10% of what you write.

I noticed that successful students are the most sheepish and compliant.
Go to a Prof. Tell him with a naive face, "I have no idea what subject to choose". Chances are, he will be more than happy to give you a subject that he will later use as material for his next book.

They have ideals, they don't want to discourage free-thinkers.
But hey, life is life, if someone is ready to work for them on their favorite subject, everything will def. be smoother. That's the Professors who proceed to let their grad students teach to undergrads, and will give them all the right connections, teach them all the ropes.

I shouldn't have been obsessed with the problem of free-will.
nobody cared one bit.
the fuckers were actually mostly catholics. I discovered this too late.

>>5139097
Continued:

Those classes were the most enjoyable classes that I took in my entire undergraduate experience. I learned a lot more about writing and literary theory in those classes than at any point before. I want to go back, because I think I could make a tenured career for myself with enough perseverance. Publication is one of my main goals. I'm working to get a few articles published in the fall. Based on how this goes, I will see if it's worth my time to pursue these goals any further. If not, luckily I have a few decent backup plans based in the real world outside of academia.

>>5139047
No. What are you getting at?

>>5138302
If your fear is having no money, you live in the wrong era.

guys I'm going into my first year at uni in the fall

is a writing degree worse than english?

>>5139127
Yes

>>5139097
>>5139105
Oh jeez this sounds frightening. Most of the programs I was looking at mentioned that they fund all grad students but I suppose it could all be read in a shifty way.

When you say publish before admittance, do you mean as apart of the application process or the transitory period between the coursework portion and the research portion? If the former, that is complete bullshit, if the latter that's less bullshit but at least somewhat reasonable.

>>5139100
Sounds souls draining. I'll try to stay optimistic though.


Thanks for the responses. Once Fall semester starts I plan on spending all my free time in the undergrad advisors office hashing this out.

>>5139127
just do what you want
better to be happy and poor than rich and miserable
probably. just make sure you can eat

>>5138951
Thanks heaps for the advice. One more question: what is it actually like teaching overseas? Is it a rewarding experience and do you get time to travel around the country you work in?

>>5138302
To OP and anyone else, if you're thinking about law school, take a logic course or two.

I took the LSAT, and destroyed it because I had a minor in Philosophy.

Like, 93rd percentile first try, 96th percentile with practice.

>>5138302
Yes, but I had to leave my home country to get employed.

You should teach ESL in Asia. Fun and easy.

>>5139127
You have some creditability at least with an english degree. Good writing cannot be taught and the only thing a creative writing class does is give an audience that pretends to be interested in your cookie cutter writing. When in the real world, nobody gives a shit. Seriously, it'll only give you a small ego boost to have chicks with nose rings saying you're deep.

>>5139351
b-but I can go into journalism with a writing degree

>>5139417
I'm in journalism right now and I've never been to college.

>>5139312
Tell me more please.
I've been thinking about teaching in China recently but I don't know any Mandarin.

>>5139440
I wouldnt teach in China, I've heard horror stories about the pay and the relationship between the teacher and the program.

Go to south east asia, korea, or japan.

>>5139047

This right here is bullshit. I'll have you know I literally applied to McDonalds and a corner store and they wouldn't even hire me. Currently contemplating suicide.

I'm actually jealous of English grads because it's a degree that is very helpful for travelling. But then I am a drop-out NEET so I'm jealous of everyone.

>>5138302
Studied philosophy.
Copywriter for a lawfirm on wall street.
~$55k a year

>>5138302

Well, I graduated as a creative writing major (I got plenty of shit for that too), and I have had a couple jobs. I worked as a writer for a newspaper for a while, and after I moved I started working for a magazine. You may not land your dream job right away, but I only graduated a year ago and it's gone pretty well. Don't give up!

>>5138479
Anyway STEM majors are overrated. At my company I see people with majors in statistics and physics applying to 35k positions as tech assistants.

Unless you come from some ivy league or you are some kinds of exceptional mind, even with stem you are going to have a rough time.

I used to beat myself up for not going for computer science but now I see that those people are not having it any better than I do and at least I studied things in which I'm still interested in.

>>5138313
>philosophy graduate reporting.
I'm reporting in too-
>10 hours ago
F-fuck.

>>5139865
>at least I studied things in which I'm still interested in.

I'm sure somebody who studies molecular diffusion or proteomic syntheses has an interest in their field too.

>>5139869
you make a good point. I doubt more than ten percent of STEM majors go into those fields with any other hope than to maybe get to do something they love and get paid for it, no matter how little.

>>5139869
I didn't express myself properly.
What I meant is that if I had studied physics (as my parents pressured me) or CS as I was considering I would have studied subjects that do not appeal to me, probably with bad results and probably I would have ended up living a similar situation of low-wages, low-satisfaction anyway.

>>5139869
People in engineering fields tend not to do that in my country, though. Aside from the job prospects, they were lured by old socialist jargon and ideals, like, "engineers are builders of the countries, etc."

>>5139889
What did you ultimately study for?

>>5139895
Philosophy (mostly german idealism) and literature (xix century french decadentism).

>>5139902
Were there any interesting fields of study on German Idealism now? There seems to be many resurgences on that period.

>>5138302
My BA is in English, I'm working on a terminal degree right now.

I would be adjuncting at the university except for social anxiety, though I've said I'm ready for it by next year. Right now I'm employed tutoring and edit for two publishers, one an internship. I'm loving the editing and translation checking even more than I've loved tutoring positions in the past, which I hadn't expected. I have my eye on two other publishers in my field I might bug for permanent positions if I can.

>being a success of the system
I dont think this thread is for me

>>5139955
>being a thorn for the system which helped cultivate your needs
M-me too. /phi/ graduate here.

>not finding a way to escape the rat race

have fun being a teacher

Get into technical writing if you can.

It's in demand right now, and usually the pay ain't too shabby.

All you have to do is be willing to learn software, completely avoid passive voice, be brief, clear, etc.

I'm thinking of trying to become trained as an indexer.

Anyone here worked in the field or know what the job market for indexing is like?

>inb4 computers can do it for you automatically, etc.

>>5140055
Haven't done indexing myself, but we definitely still need humans to index—while you will defintely use computers to execute, it is an important decision as to what will go into the index—you need to analyze the text and audience and accurately determine what they would want to look for. Nothing frustrates me more than a missing word in an index that I should feel is important and should be there. It's important work, so best of luck.

Graduated with a B.A. in Humanities with a Literature concentration when I was 15.

I'm 21 now and I've pretty much been sitting in my parents' house reading books and trying to write fiction all day. I've also been struggling with 4chan addiction, which kind of hinders my other goals.

My parents have been telling me since I graduated that I need to either go to graduate school or get a job. Which do you recommend?

>want to study Folklore
>want to apply to either my university's Humanities PhD program or Anthropology PhD program so I can concentrate on Folklore in one of those two fields
>Admission is suspended "indefinitely" to both programs, aka they're being cut to the point of barely existing and not admitting new students
>tfw

>>5138983

I've had friends and family who've been in the Peace Corps

What I've heard:

>most locals will have no idea why the fuck you're there
>some of them will think you're a spy or there for some other sketchy purpose
>others will think you're a loser for leaving your own country to accept a Peace Corps salary
>most of the available Peace Corps work is in TEFL education, with development projects being rarer
>You can count Peace Corps towards Master's degree credits because there's a program for that

>>5140065
If you are ready for specialization, dedication, and commitment on certain subjects, for the rest majority of your life, then you should take the graduate programme. Otherwise, I can't really see even one consistent success stories from that path.

On the other hand, what kind of job are you thinking on taking?

After my 12 mandatory years in a state-run indoctrination camp, I signed up for another four years. Then I signed up for another two.

I've gone too far to turn back but I'm starting to realize I don't want to be molded and brainwashed anymore. College went much further in trying to indoctrinate me into a prescribed set of ideas and crush my individuality than the public school system ever did.

>>5138501
>know a guy with a masters in writing
>his bills are paid by a related field and he's content

Are things really that bad for english majors in america? In my country you'll definetly not make a lot of money by majoring in humanities, but if you went to a decent college you can almost certainly get a job teaching at private schools. Usually it doesn't pay much, but it's enough to live by yourself at a reasonable level of comfort.

>>5139847
>in NYC
>making only $55k a year
so you live in a studio apartment?

>tfw majored in STEM biochem and in my last year now
>tfw tired of studying and tired of it
I really wish I would've just majored in history, I always liked reading about it, at least.

>>5138302
>Has anyone graduated with an English degree of any kind? Are you employed?

Yes. B.A. English and M.A. Cultural Studies. I am doing sort of a trainee thing at an agency for corporate communications, I get enough to live off comfortably, I'm drinking Islay Mist right now.

Honestly, I know that this will be an unpopular opinion, but hear me out. Do not major in what you love. It's only four years of your life, you should get a degree that actually means something in a job market. If you go into business and end up making six figures (let's say 100k on the dot) as opposed to 33k as a journalist, if you know how much money you'll want for retirement, you'll be able to work for only a third of the amount of time it took being a journalist or whatever (most of you seem to have jobs that are peripherally related to writing and unrelated to fiction writing at all in your day to day life) and will have plenty of time to make up for the time spent doing what you didn't exactly prefer doing for 4-6 years during school and as a career. I don't know all the answers, but sometimes I feel as though I should just be miserable for a little while and cash in so I can really enjoy life later, as opposed to being a journalist or copywriter that has no connection to fiction on a day-to-day basis and having my job be slightly easier and while focused on writing. What is your opinion? I know a lot of you will say "follow your dreams" or something, but while my dreams don't involve going into business, they also don't involve being some shit journalist waiting for his "big break" by writing on the side. There seem to me to be no good professions for people that aspire to write fiction unless is means sitting around all the time because your parents are loaded (see: William S. Burroughs). What do you think?

>>5140166
Yeah, but teaching little shits that are only in your class to go on to the next level and don't actually care about the subject all day isn't exactly my idea of a fulfilling life.

>>5140138
In America? Where'd you go to college?

>>5140868
What exactly do you learn in a Cultural Studies class? Is it more about methodology than learning about other cultures like critical theory-related or what?

>>5140162
What does he do?

>>5138302
I switched majors after freshman year. I wouldn't have minded sticking with it because unlike the business major I went with I was actually learning new things about writing. Either way I don'y plan on doing anything I couldn't do for myself (going into business for myself) so my situation is different.

If it was your passion then imho you could have just studied on your own and maybe took a few classes here or there. You seem to rely on a degree landing you a job (not something I personally feel good about, but the more of you who rely on degrees the better it is for me to succeed without one) so you should try to shoot for a common position English majors take. It's not like you have any other choice unless you switch fields altogether which I highly recommend.

>>5141039

Yes, in America.

Join the police, seriously. You'll be fast tracked with an English degree.

>>5138354
Graphic Design does not count as a STEM degree

>>5141445
>Join the police, seriously. You'll be fast tracked with an English degree.

Are you in the police force? 'Cause, in my city, it's not that easy. There's even a wait list (regardless of degree) of potential candidates that is over 5 years long.

Anyone here trying to get a teaching credential for high school English? Got my BA in political science but would rather not teach American Gov/Econ.

>>5138302
you made the wrong choice in life, m8; you're fucked

>>5138466
Her grammar and orthography confirms it.

>>5138302
There is simply no reason to major in the humanities unless you have particular aptitude and would like to work in academia. Literature, History, Philosophy, etc., can all be "learned" through exposure to the material and lively discussion, not necessarily through pursuing a non-marketable degree. I still concede the fact that the Humanities are vital as academic subjects, but the chances of attaining a BA/BS and actually "working in your field" are slim as shit, and the simple fact is that any STEM-major can just as easily find fulfillment in his or her life by studying the Humanities outside of a classroom setting.

I mean, at least with STEM you know that you will be considerably more likely to work in your field (assuming you have any brains) and the academic positions at universities for STEM subjects is only expanding.

>>5141579
>Literature, History, Philosophy, etc., can all be "learned" through exposure to the material and lively discussion
English =/= Literature, though. You're forgetting about Linguistics, Rhetoric and Composition. I hope you're not implying those fields of study can be "learned" as easily.
When you present your English degree, you're essentially telling people you know how to write and communicate well. I acknowledge that writing and communicating aren't as important as anything STEM, but there is a demand for those things.

>>5141869
Of course there's demand for good communicators, but that isn't exactly a career path, is it? Communication is a skill, just as solving difficult math problems is a skill. My point is geared more toward presenting STEM subjects as a more relevant/fulfilling interest than non-STEM majors. For instance, strictly knowing fundamental English mechanics and communicating effectively won't get you very far beyond being more qualified to proofread papers, for instance. However, if you want to enter, say, Business with a degree in English then I can see the "validity" to the degree, but studying English with an emphasis in grammar/communication isn't marketable in and of itself. STEM majors have to take composition courses as well, and often times they are more than sufficient in providing the marketable need of communication.

>You're forgetting about Linguistics, Rhetoric and Composition.

To my knowledge these are predominantly academic interests, and that's perfectly fine, but outside of working in academia studying those subjects is fairly limited.

>>5141978
>but that isn't exactly a career path, is it?
I'd never argue against that.

>STEM majors have to take composition courses as well, and often times they are more than sufficient in providing the marketable need of communication.
I question this claim. A STEM major definitely needs to have good reading comprehension, I understand that. Most of the ones I know have communication problems, though.

>but studying English with an emphasis in grammar/communication isn't marketable in and of itself.
Then how do you market those skills?
People want writers and communicators, especially in the internet age.

>>5140065
get a job, it will get you out of the house, off 4chan


the ideal would be like bartending, you'd get to pick up some characters, maybe some inspiration for your writing.

>>5141514

I know your feels. I majored in International Relations and after seeing professors field stupid questions from opinionated but poorly informed students I don't think I'd want to have to do that for the public school system or further on in academia. The only other obvious options mostly involve the thought of selling my soul to the government or a think tank that attempts to manipulate political discourse through inherently biased research and I'm pretty sure I don't want to do either of those things.

I'm the guy who was considering working by contract as an indexer btw. Completely unrelated to my degree, I know, but probably better for my well-being than things that are.

>>5140085

Relatable fucking feels. I wanted to go for a PhD IN Foklore but the only Folklore PhD I know of in the entire country (University of Pennsylvania) was suspended/cut.

It is admittedly possible to become a trained Folklorist by studying other fields (like those you mentioned, Humanities, Anthropology, maybe Religion or History) as a PhD but those programs are increasingly being cut and defunded by universities.

>>5142267
Thank god I live in Iceland, at least here being an English major is a marketable skill.

>>5139000
nice trips
what was the pay, though

>>5140085
>Anthropology PhD program
>getting cut
Good. Like all anthropology should be

>>5142682
>no one should study human fossils, artifacts, or societies

Great idea.

>>5142677
Snap, didn't even notice. First trips.

Pay was 35k

>>5138519
Underrated post, unless you get accepted to medical school

>>5138519
What about a Masters/PhD in Biochem

>>5142758
what about you go fuck yourself

>>5141471
Call local politicians and humbly ask for assistance

>>5142758
Because not everyone is a soulless autist like you

>>5141045
He teaches part time and works at a paper.

This is why I pursue literature and philosophy as a hobby and not my full time career. I love philosophy, but I've found a field that pays well and is just as interesting to me as philosophy.

I'll be going to grad school, want to teach, but my major is not even related to literature. I plan on entering my field (which, luckily, isn't saturated with professors) and continuing my study of philosophy on my own time.

That said, if you like english, you should do it. Life is too short to work in the corporate shit pit, dying after never fully exploring the questions you want to answer.

>>5142682
>Good. Like all anthropology should be
Except apart from the sociologist factions, it's everything historiography ought to be, but isn't, and cannot be. Cutting Anth before soc and dyke studies is an abomination.

>>5143437
>He teaches part time and works at a paper.
>he does it for free

>>5138413
That happens when you go to a shiity graduate school

>>5143544
No, he's paid at both.

>>5143541

>implying sociology should be cut

You can't be fucking serious

>>5140085

>Humanities
>Anthrpology

What would you even do with that outside of academia

>>5142682

I know this feel. After my state's governor went on a tirade against Anthropology and other "useless" degrees my university decided to nix the program entirely

I think it still exists as an undergraduate minor but I actually know people in the major that have had to either change their major in their fourth year or drop out because there wasn't enough available coursework to earn a full Anthropology degree anymore

>>514017
No I live in a 1-bedroom with my wife.

>>5140995
By the time you are 40 or 50 probably your brain would have lost the elasticity to get in the mindset for being a good writer.

Just do a phd op

>>5138302
I'm doing a major (hopefully BS) in Statistics, with minors in Psychology and in Arabic. I kinda want to switch to a major in Psych, but I'm already going into my third year and I don't have much time left to be fucking around.

There are good jobs for English majors out there, it just takes a lot more effort to find one.

>>5141041
It's probably vastly different at other Unis, depending on which department thought they'd like to have a CultStud programme. Since mine was an English department, it was mostly taking English Literature classes + theory, which was 60-70% French Theory, a little Western Marxism (Gramsci, Althusser, Frankfurt School) and whatever gay and ethnic shit you are into / can't avoid. When I graduated 'disability studies' was becoming a thing, so there you go. You could probably write you M.A. thesis on Confederacy of Dunces and how society marginalizes fat weird people who think of dogs while wanking.

>>5144726
William S. Burroughs
Raymond Chandler
Anthony Burgess
Bukowski

http://flavorwire.com/349249/10-great-literary-late-bloomers

>>5138321
If you had the ability to be any of those things you'd be doing them and not talking about possibilities on 4chan.

>>5138302
I know an English major grad
He gives boat rides now. Didn't make that up.
I hope his experience isn't typical op

I just graduated with a first in English and starting in September I'm doing a 1 year philosophy MA then I guess trying to prolong my education for as long as possible so I don't have to find a job. Helps if you have good enough grades and are poor enough to get funding. Recommend this OP.

>>5138324
Ha, is this Prof. M?

Graduated 2 years ago as a writing major, biology minor. I did all of the pre-dental classes, took the DAT and I'm currently in dental school.

D-do you guys work with a lot of liberals?

>>5138302
I have a Ba in Eng Lit and I work at Whole Foods.
1. I like working at whole foods.
2. The only semi-englit related job i've ever applied for was technical writer and I only applied for like 3.
3. I'll never regret studying englit.

From what you've said you want to do as a career, you're major is 100% on point. The teaching jobs in particular will be incredibly easy to get. While you're teaching you can work on writing and searching for more obscure career paths.

>>5145568
Considering that 3/4 of that list is made of people who had literary training and probably kept working/reading/studying even if they weren't publishing defeats the purpose.

You can't seriously get acquainted with literature if you are working your ass off to retire at 47.