Welcome to my English degree career series! In this three part series, I am exploring 33 great career paths for people with an English degree.
This post is part II of III (careers 12–22 in the series).
For the first 11 great career paths (careers 1–), please check out part 1: "What Can You Do With an English Degree? 11 Career Paths to Consider! Part I of III"
11 (more) career paths for someone with an English degree!
1. Curator
Curators work in many places—museums, art galleries, libraries, botanical gardens, zoos, venues, historic sites, universities, to name a few.
You might imagine the main duty of this job is to collect and arrange items in a way that tells a story or is visually pleasing, but there is so much more to the job. In their work, curators gather, restore, and conserve items, specimens, artifacts, or even documentation of cultural heritage practices (for example, crafts, language, and dance practices).
Often, curators are involved in every step of the process of creating a collection! Those steps include:
Determining valuable collections for public, community, or private clients.
Researching, planning, and initiating projects.
Locating, acquiring, and coordinating objects with various stakeholders.
Documenting, cataloguing, and storing items.
Orchestrating physical or digital exhibitions and displays.
Writing grants, articles, reports, and promotional materials.
Organizing events and viewing opportunities.
Promoting collections, developing educational materials, and training others.
While there isn't a standard educational or work experience requirement for curators, most curators have a bachelor's degree in a related field. Larger facilities may prefer to hire those with master's or doctoral degrees in the related field. If you pair your English degree with a certificate, degree, diploma, or master's course in something such as history, museum studies, geology, zoology, biology, geology, botany, anthropology, indigenous studies, or sociology, then you might find curator to be a rewarding career!
2. Project/Program Coordinator
There are an abundance of opportunities for project and program coordinator positions within the for-profit, non-profit, and education sectors!
While the job title is pretty much the same across sectors, the duties are a little bit different. But in general, this is a middle management role.
In general, some post-secondary education is required for this type of role.
For-Profit Sector
In this sector, project coordinators may go by different titles such as assistant project manager, or management coordinator.
Mainly, the job is to support project managers through completing various administrative tasks, handling communications with stakeholders and the team, assessing and managing the team, and managing resources.
Project coordinators interested in working in corporate environments may want to pair their experience with PMP (Project Management Professional) certification to increase opportunities.
Non-Profit Sector
In the non-profit sector, there are many opportunities for project and program coordinators. In general, programs are government funded within non-profit organizations. Non-profits will put forward a program model, and if it is approved by the funder, they will hire a coordinator and other relevant staff to execute the project to the target population.
For example, an employment bridging program for dis-empowered youth may have a coordinator, instructor, and career counselor. The coordinator's role may be to recruit clients and build community relationships, schedule various aspects of the training program, complete administrative duties and write reports on the progress of the program, etc.
Education Sector
Educational program coordinators may work in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary facilities.
Educational program coordinators are responsible for ensuring that educational programs run smoothly. Job duties for this role include researching relevant policy and preparing reports, creating and enhancing curriculum programs, completing administrative duties, creating program materials, training and supervising volunteers and other team members.
3. Freelance Editor / Staff Editor
For a previous post about freelance editing called "5 Tips For Acing Your First Freelance Editing Contracts!" click the button below:
Editors assist writers, publishers, and others by refining and crafting clear, accurate, engaging, and effective written content for publication or broadcast. Editors may work in many fields—such as book publishing, magazines and newspaper publishing, and even government and corporate environments.
There are many kinds of editors: book editors, technical editors, online editors, acquisitions editors, copy editors, substantive editors, process editors... if there is writing involved, then an editor is needed.
No matter the editing job, whether you are a staff editor or a freelance editor, the main duties can be broken down into the following:
Proofreading | Correcting spelling, syntax, grammar, and punctuation errors |
Fact Checking | Verifying the accuracy of information and citations |
Copy Editing | Making minor changes to improve clarity, style, and consistency, and accuracy of written work and ensuring content is appropriate for target audiences |
Indexing | Creating indexes or tables of contents for longer works |
Acquiring / Managing Submissions | Reviewing and selecting content for publication |
Collaborating | Providing feedback and guidance to writers/authors |
Copyright / Permissions | Ensuring necessary permissions are obtained for use of copyrighted material |
Industry/Market research | Keep informed about changes in publishing, technology, and writing styles |
Design / Layout | Collaborating with designers to ensure visual presentation of content is effective |
Editors usually have a bachelor's degree in a related field such as English literature, communications, or journalism. It is a competitive field, so it is ideal to begin volunteering and gaining experience to get your start in this field.
4. Blogger / Content Writer
If you enjoy writing, editing, researching, you might enjoy becoming a freelance or staff content writer or blog writer! If you are particularly knowledgeable on a specific niche subject, you can specialize in a certain type of content writing, too.
Bloggers and content writers create online content, either for their own websites, or for clients' websites and projects. Freelance content writers will work independently and may have many projects on the go at once. To succeed in this role, you should be self-motivated, adaptable, and able to complete tasks by the deadline set by the client. The job of content writing involves the following:
Creating various types of content, such as website copy and blog posts, to inform, persuade, or entertain audiences.
Researching thoroughly to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Utilizing SEO best practices for search engine visibility.
Editing content for grammar, consistency, and brand guidelines.
Collaborating with clients to align content with their marketing strategies.
Many content writers have some higher education such as a bachelor's degree in English, communications, journalism, or marketing, but it is not necessary. It's important to start to get experience through writing and building a writing portfolio to showcase your ability and to appeal to potential clients.
5. Creative Writer
Creative writer as a job title is a pretty big umbrella term!
Creative writers may make their living through publishing books such as fiction novels, poetry books, magazine articles, short stories, scripts, or comics/graphic novels.
Creative writers may be entrepreneurial, too, and sell their services by writing poetry for stories for other people on demand.
Creative writers may take on opportunities like writer-in-residence positions where they are supported with funding to complete their own projects and focus on writing. Writers-in-residence also support writers in their community through providing editing/feedback services to other writers.
In general, a creative writer will do the following:
Research suitable publications for work
Fact-check writing topics for expertise
Thoroughly revise drafts of creative works
Ensure satisfaction of both authors and clients
Build connections with industry representatives
Promote work to editors and producers across different media formats
Negotiate terms like property rights and fees
Collaborate with professionals like art directors and illustrators to enhance visual aspects
Depending on the career stage and publishing deal, creative writers may need to do a lot of public relations work like interviews, book tours, signings, readings, and social media to help promote their books. Networking can be very important for creative writers.
6. Ghost Writer
Ghost writers work in many fields, and their primary job is to create content for someone else anonymously. Ghost writers may write speeches, articles, books, or any type of text that will be attributed to someone else. If you want to do this job, you must be comfortable with someone else taking the credit for your work.
Ghostwriters do the following:
Research and gather information about the text's topic and craft the content to the client's satisfaction.
Craft text in different styles and tones to match the client's voice and appeal to the intended audience.
Comply with deadlines and deliver written work within a specified timeline.
Maintain confidentiality and keep client's information and the fact that a ghostwriter was hired strictly confidential.
Ghostwriters often work closely with clients to understand their goals and ensure that the final product meets their expectations. Most ghostwriters freelance and attract clients through word of mouth and through their network. Ghostwriting can also pay very well as you build up your business and reputation! Educational requirements vary, however many ghost writers have certifications and degrees in creative writing, English literature, journalism, communications, business, and other related fields.
7. Screen Writer / Script Writer
Scriptwriters work in television, film, and video game industries.
Scriptwriters do the following:
Create story lines
Craft well-rounded characters
Write dialogue
Structure narratives
Format scripts
They also conduct research to ensure accuracy and authenticity of the story. Naturally, they work closely with directors, producers, and actors to revise the script.
As an English major, the hours you've spent analyzing the elements of story will benefit you in this profession. But this industry is not easy to break into—so I recommend taking at least one screenwriting class during your undergrad degree, and seeking out mentorship from established writers to help you craft a strong portfolio. The importance of networking and gaining exposure to help you succeed in this field cannot be underestimated, either.
Analyzing movies and TV shows can also help you learn how the script drives the story, pacing, and character development. So, ultimately, if you are interested in screenwriting, the homework I would give you is to watch A LOT of movies and TV!
8. UX Writer
UX writer stands for user experience writer. These writers are responsible for creating the digital content that users interact with on apps, websites, and other digital products.
Key job duties and daily tasks include:
Crafting clear and concise copy that is easy to understand and follow
Improving user experience by using clear, impactful, and helpful written content
Maintaining consistency in writing style and tone and ensuring all content matches the brand
Conducting user research to understand user needs and preferences
Working collaboratively with design teams to ensure that written content complements the visual design
In essence, a UX writer's goal is to create a seamless and intuitive user experience through well-crafted language. Naturally, you can see how an English degree would come in handy in this field!
This profession can be very lucrative. Your job as a UX writer is to help companies improve user experience, so naturally UX designers help companies make money. Many websites cite the average salary as well over 100,000 a year.
UX writers usually hold a bachelor's degree.
9. Technical Writer
Do you have a talent for taking complicated ideas, concepts, vocabulary and transforming it into easy to understand, plain writing that anyone could understand? If so, then consider becoming a technical writer!
Technical writers simplify complex jargon for various audiences.
They create content for companies, focusing on projects like educational materials, manuals, reports, and guides.
To succeed, writers need to be analytical, efficient, and adaptable to their audience, often using diagrams and charts.
They follow style guidelines and may assist in translation and publication.
There are no standardized educational requirements for technical writers, but most job listings ask for an unspecified bachelor's degree at least. With a degree in English, you certainly have the communication, writing, and editing ability to create these written documents, and you can pair your degree with any other discipline to work on specialized projects!
10. Insurance Underwriter
Insurance underwriters have an important role in the insurance business because they assess the risks involved in insuring both people and assets.
Companies, organizations, and individuals seek insurance coverage by submitting applications through insurance agents or brokers and each application goes to an insurance underwriter.
It is the insurance underwriter's job to:
review insurance applications
verify and check details of the policy
conduct risk analysis, detect fraudulent requests
collaborate with insurance agents and brokers to rewrite and adjust premiums/coverage.
communicate with
Communicate effectively through phone calls, letters, and emails
Collaborate with other departments, such as the legal department
Most underwriters have some post-secondary education, but no degree is required. However, to become qualified through taking relevant trainings, it takes about 2–5 years. Underwriters must be trained to analyze data and reports and have a strong research ability in order to keep up to date on current affairs and events that affect the insurance industry.
11. Marketing Professional
Key skills for a career in marketing include analytical abilities, communication skills, being persuasive (persuasion = crafting that killer thesis for an essay!), quick ideation, and of course, the ability to tell a story to sell a product or idea.
So, as you can imagine, the analytical skills and communication skills that you gain with an English degree are huge assets in this mercurial field.
Typically, someone beginning their career in marketing will be involved in the following tasks:
Market Research | Researching customer needs & preferences, market trends, and analyzing competitors. |
Branding & positioning | Creating and defining a brand identity and strategically positioning products in the market to appeal to a target audience. |
Branding & positioning | Gathering customer feedback and contributing to product improvements and new product strategies. |
Advertising & promotion | Designing and executing advertising campaigns across various channels to increase product visibility and engagement. |
Sales Enablement | Support sales teams by providing tools, generating leads, and helping close deals. |
Digital Marketing | Manage online presence through website optimization, social media, email marketing, and performance analytics. |
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | Building and maintaining long-term relationships with customers to enhance loyalty and retention. |
Event Marketing | Organizing events to promote brand awareness and customer engagement. |
Public Relations (PR) | Managing the brand's reputation through media relations, press releases, and handling public perception |
Strategy and Planning | Setting clear goals, allocating budgets, and developing strategies to achieve marketing objectives effectively. |
Although furthering your education in marketing can help your job prospects, this field is especially results oriented, so getting practical experience should be your first priority if you want to pursue a career in this field.
For the Part I of this series (careers 1-11) click the following link: "What Can You Do With an English Degree? 11 Career Paths to Consider! Part I of III"
Check back over the next few months for part III of this series - 11 more career opportunities for English majors!
Let me know in the comments if you have any additional suggestions for great ways to use your English degree! And feel free to share what you did with your English degree so others can learn from you, too!
Which career path excited you!?
Curator
Project / Program Coordinator
Freelance / Staff Editor
Blogger / Content Writer
You can vote for more than one answer.
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