Starting All over Again? You Must Be an English Graduate!

Abstract

I am senior at Northeast Missouri State University (NMSU), about to graduate with Bachelor of Arts in English. Throughout the semester in senior seminar course, I have worked with my professor, David Partenheimer, on project exploring the opportunities available for English majors after graduation. According to the Career Placement Center at NMSU, about half of the English majors continue their studies in graduate programs and professional schools or go into teaching. The other half, including me, must ask: What can I do with my degree? My objective has been to answer this question for myself and possibly many other English majors. I first turned to the 1993-1995 General Bulletin of NMSU to see what the institution has promised its English majors: English B.A. and B.S. graduates-provided with the training, background, and perspective to make intelligent and humane decisions about the world, to lead others, and to communicate ideas succinctly-will be not only for lifelong learning and enjoyment of life in general, but also to pursue advanced degrees to graduate and professional schools right away. A of other careers-such as technical writing, journalism, public relations, management, diplomacy, linguistics, and education-also await our graduates. (113) Perhaps English majors at NMSU are now provided with the training and background to make intelligent decisions, to lead others, to communicate succinctly, as well as prepared for lifelong learning and graduate schools, but aren't these just general objectives and rewards of any liberal arts institution? In fact, this promise for English majors is simply paraphrase of one of the goals of NMSU's Mission Statement: a sense of the joys and uses of creative and critical thought, including skills of intellectual problem-solving through effective reading and research, clear writing, and articulate speech (General Bulletin 8). The program description also guarantees English graduates variety of other careers-such as technical writing, journalism, public relations, management, diplomacy, linguistics, and education (General Bulletin