English honours is one of the most common courses among students after High School. However, there are much mixed opinions about this course. Some think it to be a really amazing and easy course that just involves a lot of reading and some think it to be a very boring course with very less career and job opportunities.
I’d say neither of the two outlooks is totally correct. It sure can be an amazing course if you have the knack for it, but can’t promise you that it’ll be easy. It does involve a lot of reading but that’s not just it. English honours means studying English Literature- the History of it, works by the great writers, a critical analysis of the plots, characters, themes, settings, and the time in which the literary piece was written, and the socio-economic conditions of those times. So, it’s not just reading but needs a lot of critical thinking, analysis, memorizing, having strong perspectives, and “reading between the lines”. From a career and job perspective, maybe earlier it had only a few options but now there are multiple careers to opt for with a degree in English Literature.
Let’s have a look at a few of them:-
- Teaching
This is one of the old-age professions when you choose to major in English Literature. What you can do is get a degree in B.Ed after English honours and start with your teaching career, or you can get a Masters’s degree in English and apply for jobs in some reputed schools and institutions. You can even go ahead with some research and get your PhD in English and can be a professor in the top colleges. While it is a major belief that this is the only career you can ultimately choose with a degree in English, that’s not quite true. Read on to learn about more options.
- Mass Communication
Mass Communication deals with the different mediums through which information is passed through the masses. This course requires a strong grip in any language and the usage of the language confidently and effectively. When you already have a degree in English, it can be presumed that you’re well versed with the language and hence can go for this field.
- Public Relations
A PR job deals with the association between a company/industry and its audience. A PR manager has to make a good impression of the company that he or she works in and this job is highly paid and respectable. You are basically the “makeup artist” of the company. You need to be an expert in presenting meaningful messages that are appealing to the audience and helps maintain being in the good books of the public.
- Professional/ Creative Writing
Writing can not only be for books or newspapers. It could be for some website, your own blog, or copywriting. It can be scriptwriting for movies, series, or short videos or plot writing for different video games or even for cartoons or advertisements. There are different genres of writing that you can find out about if you want to go into this.
- Digital Marketing
In a world where everything happens online, Digital Marketing plays an important role. The term is of course self-exploratory but there are different categories under it. Email marketing and Social Media Marketing are some major chunks of Digital Marketing. The good part is you don’t need any particular degree to start a career in this. You need to have knowledge and skills. Since much of it involves the creation of content, a degree in English does no harm, instead helps in making creative content.
- Translators
You are an expert in English, presuming you have majored in the language, so all you need to learn is some other language (if you don’t know already) and you can easily apply for jobs as a transcriber or translator. You could work in embassies too.
Apart from these, careers in Civil Services, Law, MBA, Entrepreneurship, and Management are always options to go for.
English honours Literature can be the best choice for you as a first step towards your dream career if you are truly aware of your interests and capabilities. What are you waiting for? Start applying to your dream colleges before it is too late!
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