5 Possible Routes For English Graduates

Wahey! You’ve graduated and you’re now ready to leap into the world of work, armed with your well-earned, hard-earned English BA.

Anyone that doesn’t study or appreciate English will assume you want to be an author, but there are millions of jobs at your fingertips. Remember: most things and occupations will revolve around good customer service, which requires the ability to speak, communicate and market yourself well. All skills that English is needed for.

What are some other popular paths students take?

Journalism

A very common, choice and, with so many types of journalism available, it’s a broad field. Journalism can be divided into broadcast (television and radio) or written (newspapers, magazine and even sometimes blogging). Then those segments have divisions of their own! There is a very wide scope to experiment when it comes to journalism and a lot to play with.

You’ll most likely love finding out new information, being a little nosey and a quick thinker. Journalists have to put a spin on a news story to make it specific to their publication and try to find out things others wouldn’t.

Journos may get a lot of criticism, but how else would we know about what Donald Trump’s done now or what Kim Kardashian wore last night?

Publishing

If you want to be on the other side of writing a book, try publishing one! Publishers need a big team, including proof-readers, editors and more.

As a publisher, you spend your time guiding up-and-coming or experienced authors through the process of converting their words from a manuscript to a book in Waterstones. Certain publishers only work with specific genres – such as non-fiction or spiritual books – while others will team up with any budding writer.

The best way to get into publishing is to try and get work experience or an internship and then progressively work your way up. But remember you will spend a lot of time with your nose in a book, so you’ll have to be able to read quickly and decide whether the world will enjoy it. Tough stuff.

Blogging

With this new age of social media and iPhones, the blog has boomed. People are easily opening their own sites, blogs and profiles to report about their daily lives, fitness, make-up and more.

The top advantage of blogging is that you’re your own boss. You choose what your focus is, produce your own content and have complete creative control. The negatives are that you may start out by being your own team, which means taking pictures, proof-reading your own content and promoting yourself. Still, there’s no better way to get your writing out there – and possible gather a following!

Teaching

Another common route for English graduates is teaching. Of course, you have to do a little extra studying to get the appropriate qualifications. b it can be very satisfying.

If you are looking to just teach English, then obviously you could work in high schools, colleges and maybe even a university. For teaching a bit of everything, primary schools could be the place for you.

It’s a big responsibility to nourish the minds of the young. If you’re not the fondest of little ones or even teens, maybe you aren’t made to be a teacher.

Expanding further

Just as teaching requires other qualifications, maybe you want to use your degree as a foundation and gain other certificates or skills. An English degree could be of good use if you want to go into marketing, song-writing or even being a tour guide.

Having a solid understanding of how words are used, rhetoric and having an analytical mind can help you to progress in any field. English has many transferable skills if you just transfer them into other fields effectively.

So what’s it going to be? Journalist? Teacher? Are you going to switch fields altogether and become a pilot? Many employers nowadays look more at the experience you have, rather than fully focusing on your degree. The best piece of advice for a student and recent graduate is to gain as much vital and useful experience as possible, as well as your degree. Achieve this and you’ll be an employers first choice!

Nikita studied English with Creative Writing at Brunel University London. Her loves include literature, travelling and writing. She is a spiritual soul and a bit of a wanderer. Stalk her on Twitter, Instagram and on http://www.nikitamurva.com/!

Inspiring Interns is a graduate recruitment agency. To browse graduate jobs, visit their site.