Please stop telling English majors that we’ll all be broke

As a double major in English Writing and English Literature, I constantly receive comments from people on how broke I’m going to be after I get out of school, because I’m pursuing a career in the liberal arts. It’s gotten to the extent where I feel like people automatically assume I have no ambition in life, and want to go to school for something ‘easy.’ This is so not true. I have big dreams for myself, such as working as an editor in a publishing house in NYC or some other awesome city one day. If I work hard and take advantage of all the opportunities I can get, I’ll make it there, and live a comfortable life.

I should not feel belittled when people learn I am not going to college to become a doctor or an astrophysicist or something. Despite somewhat popular opinion, a liberal arts degree does not equal lifelong poverty, or a lack of ambition.

Science is obviously crucial to the development of society. We need doctors to keep people healthy, and we need engineers to develop all the amazing technology we take for granted in our lives. I am in no way trying to disprove the value of science – I just want to open peoples’ eyes to how valuable English truly is.

Without English classes teaching students to develop basic communication skills, how would scientists be able to articulate their research in a meaningful way for others to see? Researchers are busy, so without English majors, who would be writing grants to provide the funds for research? Who would be editing the textbooks used to teach aspiring doctors or engineers? It doesn’t matter how intelligent a person is – if they cannot communicate effectively with others, they have nothing. A balance between communication and factual information is crucial.

This world is so obsessed with money: making money, having money, spending money, and making more money. It’s not that money isn’t extremely important, it’s just not the only important thing in the world, or even the most important thing, for that matter. Self-expression is vital to a healthy well-being, in any way that it can be achieved. Vital enough that April is National Poetry Month – an entire month devoted to using an aspect of English to achieve self-expression.

According to Pitt’s homepage, the creative writing department here is one of the “oldest and largest in the United States.” Pitt even has an entire page devoted to the publications and other notable achievements of its alumni, which can be found here.

Despite the shade I might get from people who undermine the value of English to society, I am so proud and thankful that I have the opportunity to participate in the English department here at the University of Pittsburgh, and I know that great things are in my future because of it.

So please, rethink the next time you feel it’s OK to tell someone they need to figure out a more stable career path, rather than following their dreams and doing what’s right for them. It’s not OK, and we English majors will be just fine.