• About
    • Archives: 1/5/2007-4/17/2007

The Nowning Process

~ BUFFY: How do you get to be renowned? I mean, like, do you have to be 'nowned' first?

The Nowning Process

Tag Archives: English majors

English majors: a good investment

22 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by elrambo in English dept., English major, students

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

education, English major, English majors, students

Edzell Castle, Angus, Scotland. One of the sev...

Image via Wikipedia

Synchronicity! Yesterday we held our second annual English majors orientation, a time to gather them all together, introduce them to each other, and remind them that in addition to reading Hamlet and Pride and Prejudice, they need some practical skills. Not that reading isn’t practical!

Today, the New York Daily News points out that “A liberal arts degree is a good investment.”  As we told our majors, it’s partly a matter of emphasizing the abilities inherent in the liberal arts, and partly a matter of bolstering those skills with practical experience. From the NYDN article:

Connie Thanasoulis, a career coach and co-founder of the New Yorkconsultancy Six Figure Start, agrees that liberal arts graduates bring all sorts of strengths that employers desire: communication, problem solving, attention to detail and teamwork.”Look at the interpretation skills an English lit major has from interpreting literature,” she says. …One example is a research analyst, who studies and writes a complete story about a particular stock. It’s a good job that pays well, says Thanasoulis. The head of research at an investment firm once told her, “Stop sending me only finance majors; I was a Russian lit major. I want someone who thinks outside the box, who can tell me a story and who has good writing skills.

The article goes on to acknowledge that liberal arts majors may indeed start at lower salaries, but that doesn’t mean they won’t move up, or that they won’t find satisfaction in their jobs.

The practical advice for job-seeking English majors (and other liberal arts majors in the NYDN article is much the same as the advice we gave our Campbell U English majors yesterday:

Take courses in business, technology and marketing to bank some diverse experience and valuable contacts. Consider having a double major. And be sure to get some good job or volunteer experience while in school or in the summers between classes. …Even if you volunteer for a nonprofit, at least you can show a future employer that you’ve had exposure to the workings of an organization.

So if you’re an English major, or you know an English major, the next time someone asks, “What are you going to do with that?” remember the answer is, “You’ll be surprised.”

Post-Labor Day job-hunting English Majors?

06 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by elrambo in English dept., English major, students, Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Post-Labor Day job-hunting English Majors?

Tags

education, English majors, students

In a few weeks, we’ll hold our annual English majors orientation, including some suggestions for ways our students can be preparing to parlay their degrees into real-world work experience while they’re in college, and, eventually, a post-college career. We’ll invite some alumni who’ve found their ways into some of those careers–or at least jobs that don’t involve fast food.

On the day after we celebrate all working people, a few more job-hunting tips for recent graduates in any field, from Thoughts on Teaching.

Encouraging words for English majors

21 Monday Feb 2011

Posted by elrambo in English dept., English major, life, students, university

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Business, education, Employment, English major, English majors, students, university

Yes, English majors, there are jobs for you other than those involving teaching (which is a very good thing to do, of course, but not for everyone) or fast-food (also an important element of the economy). Be encouraged and enlightened by the exemplary story of how a graduate from our program found her first post-college job (linked by permission).

Notice how she added work-experience to her courses before graduation, and how she’s using her blog as a kind of resume—very creative. Congratulations, Sam, and thank you for sharing your valuable experience.

This is the kind of success sources like For English Majors love to hear about.

2010 in review

02 Sunday Jan 2011

Posted by elrambo in English major, literature, students, university, words

≈ Comments Off on 2010 in review

Tags

education, English major, English majors, literature, Social Networking, university, WordPress.com

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 4,300 times in 2010. That’s about 10 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 29 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 266 posts. There were 13 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 15mb. That’s about a picture per month.

The busiest day of the year was November 3rd with 46 views. The most popular post that day was What can you do with an English major? Go to med school!.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were jobsforenglishmajors.com, en.wordpress.com, facebook.com, twitter.com, and lomagirl.blogspot.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for english major medical school, what you can do with an english major, things you can do with an english major, things to do with an english major, and the future of literature.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

What can you do with an English major? Go to med school! January 2009
8 comments

2

Things you can do with an English major (continuing series) August 2007
5 comments

3

The future of literature? November 2007
2 comments

4

What can you do with an English major? (continuing series) January 2010

5

What can you do with an English major? (continuing series) November 2008
1 comment

 

So interesting! I have indeed noticed that those “careers for English majors” posts get a lot of traffic. I’ll be sure to add more this year. In the meantime, I direct all humanities majors to For English Majors and The Liberal Arts Advantage—for Business to find practical advice on how to put your degree to work in a variety of areas outside the stereotypical (if nonetheless valued) teaching.

Wishing everyone a happy 2011!

 

Fictional English majors

04 Tuesday May 2010

Posted by elrambo in books, English major, literature, pop culture, TV

≈ Comments Off on Fictional English majors

Tags

A.S. Byatt, books, David Lavery, Dorothy L. Sayers, English majors, literature, pop culture, thirtysomething, TV

Thanks to media & pop-culture scholar David Lavery for posting about two heroic TV English majors: Brisco County, Jr. and Jack Bauer (last year!) As noted in the quote from The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., sometimes you really wish you’d gone to med school as well, but we can’t do everything. If you’re up to a double-major or a minor, however—general science is a good minor for getting English majors into medical school. And my nephew is, essentially, doing a double-major in English and engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy. He’ll be able to do anything AND write about it afterward, during, or even before—whatever the situation calls for.

A few other admirable fictional literary scholars:

Harriet Vane, who returns to her alma mater, does research for some literary criticism, and solves a mystery with a little help from Lord Peter Wimsey in Dorothy L. Sayers’s Gaudy Night.

Roland Mitchell and Maud Bailey, the contemporary scholars who research the mysteries behind (fictional) Victorian poets Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte in Possession, by A.S. Byatt. Actually, this book is overflowing with eccentric literary scholars. I love it.

Gary Shepherd (Peter Horton) of thirtysomething (ABC, 1987-91) was the first English professor I recall noticing on TV, perhaps because he was teaching medieval literature and at the time I was completing my PhD in medieval lit. When Gary was denied tenure for some incomprehensible reason, I think I threw something at the television.

What can you do with an English major? (continuing series)

10 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by elrambo in English major, literature, students, university

≈ Comments Off on What can you do with an English major? (continuing series)

Tags

education, English major, English majors, literature, students, university

Posts in the “what can you do with an English major?” series continue to be popular, so as the spring semester begins, it seems like time for an update. The good news is: English majors can still do ANYTHING they want to do—with the judicious application of some initiative to find internships or acquire any “practical” job skills they can, savvy self-marketing, and taking advantage of any opportunities to learn the latest technical skills.

S.L, a senior English major, just posted a link to an article on the advantages of being an English major, both for students and for career-seekers. Margaret Garcia-Couoh points out it’s cheaper to major in English to begin with, because the textbooks are less expensive and frequently available used. There are other advantages:

While in college, you tend to be less depressed as an English or World Lit major—saving you valuable cash money that could otherwise be squandered on therapy. You get to read Crime and Punishment, so you don’t need therapy. Dostoevsky spells it out for you….

After college, says Garcia-Cuouh, you’re better prepared for the real world:

Heads up on the Surreal. Let’s face it. Life after college becomes this weird surreal madness of social networking, begging for work, allegiances that might go nowhere and the randomness of landing a job because you sat next to the right person on a plane even though you know next to nothing about the job the nice man in the suit wants to give you. Only great literature prepares you for the absurd.

(Actually, that’s much like what I tell the general curriculum intro. to lit. and lit. survey classes when they get that “Why do we have to be reading poetry when we could be taking [statistics/biology/marketing/physics]?” look.)

Some of our recent English major graduates have gotten jobs in human resources, technical editing and working for the state department of health and human services, as well as teaching, law, and graduate school. Another area English majors might consider: Business analysis. Follow the link to learn more about the field and why English majors might do well in it.

Advice from the big-league humanities programs regarding graduate school is “just don’t go.”

Most undergraduates don’t realize that there is a shrinking percentage of positions in the humanities that offer job security, benefits, and a livable salary (though it is generally much lower than salaries in other fields requiring as many years of training). They don’t know that you probably will have to accept living almost anywhere, and that you must also go through a six-year probationary period at the end of which you may be fired for any number of reasons and find yourself exiled from the profession. They seem to think becoming a humanities professor is a reliable prospect — a more responsible and secure choice than, say, attempting to make it as a freelance writer, or an actor, or a professional athlete — and, as a result, they don’t make any fallback plans until it is too late.

“Don’t go” may be overstating things a bit, but Benton is right, at least, that if English majors do get into graduate school, they should be realistic about their expectations and have “fallback plans”—even M.A.s and Ph.D.s can find “real world” jobs. And in a previous column, Benton argues for the value of graduate humanities education that is viewed as a good in itself, rather than narrowly focused on preparation for a certain kind of university teaching career:

What if, instead, you had pursued a Ph.D. simply out of a desire to learn, and with the expectation that you would have to develop an independent career path—instead of twisting yourself into some version of what the ever-changing academic job market seems to want? What if graduate students were not entirely dependent on a system of hierarchical publications, institutions, and professorial sponsors? How would things change if students were suddenly empowered to demand support for opportunities that really exist and for ideas that are currently not offered a space in the established academic system?

A generation of graduate students with no aspirations to become professors might finally bring about changes that have been needed since the profession ran off the cliff at full speed back in the early 70s.

That day may never come, but undergraduate English (and even history) majors still have the option of approaching their studies in this way, demanding support for internships that will help them make connections with future employers, and taking electives in technologies or business skills that will also give them a broader base.

Happy new year

07 Thursday Jan 2010

Posted by elrambo in English dept., English major, university

≈ Comments Off on Happy new year

Tags

English majors, family, university

What I did during the holidays: celebrated Christmas with my father, my siblings and their families.

Moved my office (along with my entire department) from here:

Demolition of English Dept office building December 2009

To here:

New office Jan 2010

Actually, the new office looks much better than in this photo—furniture is more or less where it should be, so now it’s just a matter of unpacking boxes and hoping that the most recent renovations and shoring up of the most venerable building on campus keep it standing for at least another twenty to twenty-five years. And we all agree that the location of the building, in the heart of the campus and close to the library, is definitely an improvement. We hope more English majors and students in general will find us more easily.

English majors–what to do?

09 Saturday May 2009

Posted by elrambo in English dept., English major, life, students, university

≈ Comments Off on English majors–what to do?

Tags

English majors, John Milton, students, university

I cannot believe how many hits this blog gets from people looking for “what to do with an English major.” No, I can believe it—but seriously, folks—the answer remains what it was when John Henry Newman wrote “The Idea of an University” (I paraphrase): Anything you want to do—although, admittedly, you may have to pick up a few additional skills along the way, like money management.

Here’s John Milton on what to do with all that literary knowledge:

In the cultivation of literature is found that common link, which, among the higher and middling departments of life, unites the jarring sects and subdivisions into one interest, which supplies common topics, and kindles common feelings, unmixed with those narrow prejudices with which all professions are more or less infected. The knowledge, too, which is thus acquired, expands and enlarges the mind, excites its faculties, and calls those limbs and muscles into freer exercise which, by too constant use in one direction, not only acquire an illiberal air, but are apt also to lose somewhat of their native play and energy. And thus, without directly qualifying a man for any of the employments of life, it enriches and ennobles all. Without teaching him the peculiar business of any one office or calling, it enables him to act his part in each of them with better grace and more elevated carriage; and, if happily planned and conducted, is a main ingredient in that complete and generous education which fits a man ‘to perform justly, skilfully, and magnanimously, all the offices, both private and public, of peace and war.’

Yes, you’ll probably have to do some tweaking of your resume, your application letter(s), and your interviewing skills to sell that to prospective employers, but according to the University of Delaware Career Services Center,

Approximately 25 percent of students majoring in English go on to graduate study in fields such as law, library science, literature or journalism. The skills that many English majors develop in articulation, written communication and analysis are valued by employers in banking, sales, insurance, lobbying, labor relations and social service fields. There are also job opportunities in journalism, publishing and editing, technical writing, advertising, teaching and public relations.

To find these opportunities, go to your college/university career services center and hold them down until they help you. Or, you could just do this, and hope for the best.

But remember that you have skills that may actually be more in demand than ever:

We’re living in complicated times, and I can’t help but think they’re going to get more complicated and more difficult before some light shines in the distance. Getting some idea what it all means depends, in part, on learning from people who have some idea (not “pundits,” by the way). The ability to read, really read, undaunted by complexity, turn of phrase or length of thought, puts you in a position of making some sense of convoluted, technical and controversial ideas and events

Add to your list of advantages: Clarity and reasoning (about complicated subjects), logic, expression and patience (with long passages). You don’t suppose we’d have any reason in work and in life to call on those abilities right about now, do you? (ForEnglishMajors)

I’ll be saluting a number of local English majors and others as they graduate today. Several are already bound for graduate school and other destinations. Others still looking. Here’s wishing each of them success and happiness as God guides them.

Book review by my brother

09 Monday Feb 2009

Posted by elrambo in books, English major, TCK

≈ Comments Off on Book review by my brother

Tags

books, English majors, family, writing

Recently I posted about connections between the skills required for success as an English major and how they could also contribute to success in science or medical fields, my brother Bill commented that he was reviewing a new novel, Cutting for Stone, by Dr. Abraham Verghese. Check it out.

I’m especially interested to read the book for this element:

Verghese also captures the feeling of rootlessness that is experienced by expatriates in Africa, and America, and the unusual ways that sojourners may find anchors and maintain relationships.

While we’re on the topic of family and doctors who have written books and other things worth reading, my father sent me links the other day for the obituary of Dr. Bill Close (1924-2009):

Dr. Close spent sixteen years in Africa, often joined by his wife and children. He arrived in the Congo just before independence and in time for the mutinies, coup d’états and rebellions that have marked the history of that country.

For his first year there, Dr. Close was responsible for surgery as one of only three doctors in the capital city’s 2,000-bed hospital. He became the personal physician to the president, and chief doctor for the Congolese Army, as well as seeing any citizen who came to his clinic for care. In 1967 Bill took over the management of the general hospital. . . .

Dr. Close is the author of four books, including Ebola: Through the Eyes of the People; A Doctor’s Life: Unique Stories; and Subversion of Trust, a novel. His most recent book is Beyond the Storm: Treating the powerless and the powerful in Mobutu’s Congo/Zaire

Dr. Close gave the 2001 commencement address at the University of Utah. His advice:

Get and stay involved with people whose perspectives are different and often bigger than any one of us. Avoid the old-fashioned colonial great white father approach that sought to tie up needy natives in the bonds of self-righteous care. Learn languages – Spanish, Navaho, French, Swahili, whatever — go there, see there, feel there, cry there, laugh there. Hands on, one on one, as brothers and sisters of the human race who care in real and practical ways. These human bonds will grow in strength and effectiveness as you learn more about people, as you take the time to listen, to learn, and especially to persevere

Good start, anyway.

Sometimes an English major’s lot is not a happy one

03 Tuesday Feb 2009

Posted by elrambo in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, English major, pop culture, students

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

books, btvs, Buffy, Buffy Goes Dark, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, English majors, pop culture, students

It’s not easy. We just make it look easy—like English lit. major Ryan, who plays all the parts in his own video production of a particularly trying class discussion. Good thing we English professors have a sense of humor!

Ryan is also a student of pop culture, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and previewed Buffy Goes Dark.

Thanks to Nik at Nite for pointing me to Ryan’s blog!

← Older posts

January 2021
S M T W T F S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  
« Jan    

Renowned?

  • 2013 in review
  • Thankful
  • Ancient architecture
  • Before the beginning
  • Summer’s end

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 254 other followers

books btvs Buffy the Vampire Slayer cats Chaucer dorothy dunnett English dept. English major film Firefly grammar Joss Whedon King Arthur life literature London medieval movies nature news poetry pop culture students TCK technology theater TV Uncategorized university words

Random nowning notes

  • RT @UNESCO: The Holocaust began with words - and in the era of the internet and social media, the power of propaganda is more devastating t… 9 hours ago
  • RT @RepAdamSchiff: Here's the risk if Trump isn’t convicted: A future president will try to overturn the election at the end of their term… 10 hours ago
  • Big Anya and little Pippa https://t.co/vM4WyRebEy 11 hours ago
  • RT @pol1tically: RETWEET if you think Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Mo Brooks, Lauren Broebart, Marjorie Greene and others who incited the Jan 6t… 12 hours ago
  • RT @RepJayapal: Today on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau 76 years ago and honor t… 14 hours ago
Follow @elrambo

Blogroll

  • 1More Film Blog
  • Bill’s Dunnett Blog
  • CBE Scroll
  • Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog
  • Good Letters
  • Gospel of the Living Dead
  • Hogwarts Professor
  • In the Open Space
  • Insert Clever Name Here
  • Kings at Shyira
  • Lomagirl
  • Looking Closer
  • Mockingbird's Nest
  • Nik at Nite
  • Quiet Anthem
  • The Scriptorium
  • Unfettered Brilliance
  • What's Alan Watching
  • Whedonesque

Essential Links

  • Anglican Church in North America
  • Chaucer MetaPage
  • Church of the Resurrection
  • Dorothy Dunnett Society
  • Slayage
  • TCKid
  • Third Culture Kids

advanced-placement Advent Angel AP-Lit Babylon 5 Beowulf Billy Collins blogging books Bruce Springsteen btvs Buffy Buffy Goes Dark Buffy rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer C.S. Lewis cats Chaucer Christianity Christmas CUSA Dante David Lavery Dollhouse dorothy dunnett Dorothy L. Sayers education Eliza Dushku English major English majors English teachers family Firefly First Things heroes history India Jane Austen Jane Espenson John Donne John Milton Joss Whedon language Lauren Winner life literature London Lost Marti Noxon Mary Oliver medieval Moby-Dick movies NaBloWriMo poetry poetry month poets pop culture Rhonda Wilcox science Shakespeare Slayage Conference students T.S. Eliot teaching technology television Thanksgiving translation travel TV Twilight university words writing

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

“Nowning?”

BUFFY: How do you get to be renowned? I mean, like, do you have to be ‘nowned’ first? WILLOW: Yes, first there’s the painful ‘nowning’ process. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4.1 “The Freshman”)

Or Renowning?

And evermo, eternally,
They songe of Fame, as tho herde I: --
`Heried be thou and thy name,
Goddesse of renoun and of fame!' (Geoffrey Chaucer, The House of Fame 1403-6)

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy