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- English majors are often the butt of jokes regarding the "useless" nature of a liberal arts
education . - The misconception that English degrees are a waste of time, energy, and money ignores the valuable skills and experience that can be gained through years of study.
- Time management and communication, for example, are universally important work skills that hours of essay planning and writing can teach you.
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Long before I ever set foot in my undergraduate university, I knew I would be an English major. It was the inescapable conclusion to a childhood of devouring books and writing stories.
And while my parents were supportive of my choice in college major, in recent years studying English has endured its fair share of name-calling. In an atmosphere of skyrocketing college expenses and a surge in popularity of STEM fields, burying your nose in a musty copy of "The Canterbury Tales" is hardly seen as a productive use of time or money.
And while I agree - at least to some extent - that a 3,000-word essay on the class structure of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is unlikely to fix any of the problems facing our world today, I still believe that studying English gave me a great education and five important tools I use on a daily basis.
With that in mind, here are five ways I use my English major in my everyday life.