Do you REALLY need a degree in English?
SHAKING THE TREE #144
Simply put, having a degree in English doesn’t make you a writer.
While a strong foundation in English language and literature is valuable, the path to becoming a writer isn’t about academic credentials.
I worked in museums for almost 30 years, a field in which English majors are a dime a dozen. And yet—again and again—I came across academics who couldn’t write a compelling piece of narrative to save their lives.
Similarly, I recently came across a well-known big-wig, someone with a high profile in public service in my native England: someone who was educated at Eton and Oxford whose sentence structure was AWASH with dangling modifiers.
This person had formerly held a highly placed cabinet position in the government for Christ’s sake, and yet their writing is a shambles!
The biggest issue with English degree courses is that they pump out students who have only ever dissected existing works.
That’s fine if you’re only ever going to review writing, but that’s a skill that’s next to useless in terms of honing your instincts for written description, observation, and interpretation.
Much of the best writing happens because the author has learned to observe the world with a storyteller's lens—which involves rooting out and capturing the nuances of human experience, crafting vivid descriptions, and weaving narratives that resonate with your audience.
While an English degree might hone your analytical skills, the ability to translate observation into compelling storytelling comes from lived, felt, and observed experiences; that, and it comes from innate curiosity and a willingness to be both brave and diverse in your reading habits.
Curiosity is about investing time and effort looking at people, situations, things, places, habits, locations, and the world—both up close and from a distance—and it’s about describing the things you see in new ways.
Because writing success rarely blossoms overnight, you need to get comfortable with waiting as well as with rejection—both your own and other people’s.
An English degree might teach you about different literary styles, but what it can't do is instill the committed perseverance needed to churn out draft after draft after draft.
Similarly, that shiny new degree won’t insulate you against rejections as you toil tirelessly to refine and hone your craft.
Becoming a writer requires an intrinsic motivation to write, a willingness to learn from criticism, and the sheer grit and focus to keep putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) day after soul-destroying day.
These sorts of qualities don’t come from a college education. I wish they did but they don’t. Instead, they come from within, from somewhere way down inside.
Your job as a writer is to mine your inner depths to find those rough stones and it’s your job as a writer who is willing to self edit and to rewrite to cut those bits of rough looking crap into shining jewels.
Although the critiques most often leveled against English degree courses and English majors vary depending on perspective, one of the most commonly discussed concerns is an overall perceived lack of practical application for the qualification in terms of job market readiness.
Critics argue that English degrees focus far too heavily on the theoretical aspects of literature, criticism, and analysis, all of which tend to make it challenging for graduates to demonstrate concrete, marketable skills in fields beyond academia.
This creates a serious disconnect between what students are being taught, what they choose to learn because they think (wrongly) that it’s going to be useful, and the kinds of skills that either employers are looking for in the job market, or that readers welcome and appreciate in the things they choose to read.
This might explain why the number of English majors dropped by a third from 2011 to 2021 SOURCE
Thankfully, English programs are increasingly incorporating more practical elements into their essential areas of study, including writing for various media, increasing digital literacy, and arranging internships that help students build a more diverse (and more appealing) skill set.
Additionally, English majors seem to be spending more time developing stronger analytical and communication skills, which are valuable in many professions, though these benefits might not always be immediately apparent to employers.
Sadly, (or perhaps, refreshingly, depending on your perspective) the writing world is as fickle as it is dynamic in which different platforms and genres have varying and constantly shifting needs and demands.
While an English degree might equip you with a broad knowledge of classic literature, what it may not do is to fully prepare you for the ever-evolving needs of online content creation, technical writing, or scriptwriting.
More and more these days, the most successful writers are simply that—successful—by dint of being both astute and intuitive enough, and nimble enough in the way they’re willing to shift gears, change tracks, and adjust both their attitudes and their approach to learning new techniques.
Effective writing isn’t simply about writing the right words. It’s also about constantly being willing to hone your skills, whet your creative edge, and adapt your author’s approach in order to cater to an ever growing, regularly shifting set of parameters while catering to specific audiences and keeping a watchful eye on the ever-changing media landscape.
Having said all this, let me be clear: this isn't to diminish the value of an English degree.
A strong foundation in grammar, literary analysis, and critical thinking can certainly be beneficial.
I only ever studied English to CSE level at school and it’s taken me well over 40 years to feel in any way comfortable as a writer (and lest anyone critique THIS piece of writing, yes, I know, in places it could be better.
However, that’s not the point I’m making here. The true key to unlocking your writing potential lies in your passion for storytelling, in your dedication to the craft, and in your willingness to learn, to and adapt, and to shift gears.
So, aspiring writers: don't let the lack of a specific degree hold you back.
Read widely and voraciously. Write frequently and consistently. Embrace technology willingly (and yes, that means making nice with AI). And be open to honing and refining your craft.
Whether you know it or not (or, more to the point right now, whether you believe it or not) the world needs your unique voice; the world needs your stories, and the world will be enriched through your unique perspective.
While the path to becoming a writer can sometimes be a rough one strewn with the rocks hurled by clueless critics; one of unforgiving and sometimes hostile terrain, and oft populated with less than friendly editors, it’s also a path that’s paved with rewarding self expression, thrilling passion, and compelling perseverance, all of which will make you a better writer and your writing a greater joy to read.
OK then. You have work to do. Embrace the journey, and when anyone asks you what you do, tell them proudly: I’m a writer!
As always, thanks for reading.
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P.S. Next time on Shaking the Tree … Advice from Ernest Hemingway.