Why be an English Major at CSC?
“Eighty years is not enough time – for anything, really, much less the squeezing in of a whole lifetime. And to waste four of those limited years pursuing a degree in a field I was less than passionate about, leading to an occupation that wouldn’t bring me joy, was not an option. So fare-thee-welling pragmatics and ignoring those dull parade-rainers always asking the predictable “What are you going to do with a degree in English?,” I chose to live my bliss and major in English at CSC.
I gorged on great books. I chewed on the bits of the philosophical, political, and literary theories I could get a grip on. I followed my curiosities. I read Wollstonecraft, Plato, Thoreau, Kierkegaard, Anderson, and pages and pages of others under the evergreens at the State Park. I discussed those words and what they might mean in kitchen conversations with a friend around the refrigerator where we drew dry-erase outlines as we talked. I posed ideas, and I had them critiqued and refined, in class, in papers, in conversations. I was privileged to be in small, close classes taught by professors of the highest-possible caliber, and in the company of friends and classmates who were inquisitive, bright, and generous in the sharing of their thoughts and ideas. And I can say, four years later, that my world was irremeably changed.
Frost’s ‘Yet knowing how way leads on to way,’ proved true, leading from the undergraduate program at CSC, to the graduate program at the University of Vermont. Following the completion of my thesis, Bastardized Being: Arguing the Grotesque as Objet Petit a, or What Can Be Had of the Successful Existential Individual in Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, I married a native Vermonter, and went to work in a small public library which, in the craziness of grad school, had become another way I decided I wanted to follow. I do not for a moment regret majoring in English, and I treasure my time at CSC and the people there who not only shared that part of the journey, but gave me glimpses of so many more places to go.”
Cassie Bohn-Germain (B.A. Literature, 2004)
“Midway through my freshman year, I was undecided about what my major would be and had already switched majors twice. The problem wasn't that I couldn't decide what I wanted to do; instead, I wanted to do everything. When I declared as an English major, I hadn’t met people with a degree in English who were accomplished judges, attorneys, pastors, even scientists – although I have since. All I knew was that I wanted a field that would allow me to discuss any ideas, that would require me to read and discuss the works of the greatest minds, that would force me to examine myself and the world around me more closely. Pursuing my degree here has allowed me to work closely with immensely talented students and professors from every subject, in ways as diverse as discussions of epistemology over midnight coffees, to working as a research assistant in CSC’s own Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center, to presenting information on water conservation to the EPA in Washington, D.C. When I chose to major in English, I wanted to be surrounded by the brightest, most curious people possible. I have not been disappointed – majoring in English at CSC has been all that, and more.”
Dan Schweitzer, class of '08
A degree in English will prepare you to work in careers that demand good professional or creative writing skills, or to teach middle or secondary school, or to pursue graduate degrees. Our English program also emphasizes building competence in critical thinking and writing skills that are essential for successful careers in law, business, and public service.
Careers for English Majors:
- Teacher
- Writer
- Publishing - editorial, publicity, marketing
- Advanced degrees - Law school, seminary, English professor
- Journalist
- Sales, advertising
- Government work
- What Can I Do With This Degree?
Some Notable English Majors:
- Vin Diesel (actor, director)
- Sally Ride (astronaut)
- Matt Damon (actor, writer)
- Michael Eisner (Former Walt Disney CEO)
- Toni Morrison (novelist)
- Joe Paterno (football coach, Penn State)
- Clarence Thomas (U.S. Supreme Court Judge)
- Reese Witherspoon (actress)
- Stephen King (novelist)