Book Description: What do Joan Rivers, Steven Spielberg, Alan Alda, Barbara Walters, Clarence Thomas, and Chris Isaak have in common? That’s right--they were English majors who now have dream jobs. I’m an English Major, Now What? debunks the myth that English grads have to be teachers, editors, or writers and provides:
-Information on exciting career paths, including corporate communications, investment banking, graphic design, customer training, and more
-Strategies for showcasing skills taught in college to prospective employees
-Information on how an English background can be very marketable, all in the author’s candid--and humorous--voice
English majors are unconventional, so why offer them a standard career guide? Instead, give them this invaluable resource for landing a job they will love.
Fantastic book for the parents of English majors Our daughter is an English major (Latin minor) at the U of MN in Minneapolis. She is not yet quite sure what she wishes to do with her degree when she gets it in three years, but after reading this book I am ready to help out with advice if needed (or asked). It uses a great blend of humor and insightful ideas to get the points across, yet is not flippant (which gets old after a while). Fun to read, very informative, and thorough. You will love this book!
It's okay As a recent graduate with an English Major, I was excited to find this book, and disappointed once I read it. Yes, it has one or two good suggestions, but overall it wasn't really worth the money or time. He had suggestions that my college had already pointed out to me, and in the end you're better off going to the career councilors at your college than you are with this book.
Disappointed I must say that I liked the concept of the book but I was really disappointed with the actual product. I think the format of the book was not very helpful and it didn't really feel as if he was guiding me. Also he spent the majority of the book talking about book, magazine, and newspaper professions and not enough time on the other careers listed in the book. He did focus on corporate jobs for English majors but somehow it felt disjointed to me. He briefly mentioned other careers like Public Relations and so forth but only briefly.
A 'must' for any who love English Tim Lemire's I'm An English Major - Now What? will hit a chord with any who love the liberal arts yet find themselves wondering how to get a job with such a degree. Surprisingly some big names too have English degrees: Alan Alda, Steven Spielberg, and Stephen King among them. I'm An English Major, Now What helps majors and grads understand how to apply their interests and skills to the job market. Chapters show how to market an English major, how to move beyond the usual writing/teaching directions to promote English skills in exciting career choices, and how to enhance and hone such skills through extracurricular activities. A 'must' for any who love English.
A Much-Needed Glimpse into the Work-a-Day Aspects of Writing You're an English major. So, what are you going to do with that?
After all, physics majors become physicists, psychology majors become psychologists and history majors become historians. What do English majors become? Englishists? Englishologists?
People usually choose to major in English because they love literature, reading and writing. When they enter the workforce they find that they also love a place to live, transportation and eating.
Not to worry. Where there is linguistic communication -- speeches, presentations, commercials, ads, podcasts and broadcasts -- there is work for the English major.
I'm an English Major -- Now What? offers guidance to English majors who wish to translate their skills into employment. It dispels fears about career options, answers questions about education and job opportunities and refutes misconceptions about making a living from writing.
Each of Chapters Two through Eight offers a discussion of an opportunity for English majors, covering teaching, continued education (grad school, journalism school, Masters in Fine Arts), journalism, magazine publishing, book publishing, freelancing and business writing. Sidebars, glossaries, exercises and interviews add value to the information presented.
Chapter Nine lumps together radio, television, marketing, advertising, technical writing, public relations, public affairs, alumni affairs, military writing and nonprofits. The sketches of these careers are disappointing compared with the information available in previous chapters.
Author Tim Lemire goes on to lament the current state of English major programs (and higher education in general) and offers suggestions for improvement. He argues for a program that imparts not only theory but practical skills as well.
The book concludes with five appendixes, offering some of the best material in the whole work. The discussion of job hunting and advice to aspiring writers found here is alone worth the price of the book. Lemire also lists additional books to read and Web sites to investigate.
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