Majoring in English

Sometimes I wonder what will happen to me after I graduate. What would I do with an English Degree in hand? A lot of people say you can be a lot of things with it. But they never said what. I wanted to be a journalist before. Probably because I like writing and I hadn't really thought about what people would ask me to write if I ever succeeded in being a journalist. But then the newspapers here are sort of like really biased. So that doesn't really help. Unless I become a journalist for Harakah. Lol Ayah would be so proud.

So anyway, I'm thinking of becoming some sort of an ambassador. Mainly because it sounds fun right now and you get to travel overseas a lot. I know, short-term thinking. But seriously, I want a job that involves a lot of traveling. Then maybe I'll get really sick of traveling, I'll finally settle down with a husband and become a free-lance writer lol. I can take care of my growing kids and still have my own money! Sounds like a genious plan. For now. Some of my friends suggested being a tourist guide. But then I'll have to do my homework and dig historical facts about a particular monument and things like that. Bleh. Plus, I'm a girl. Tak bahaya ke for a girl to be a tour guide? Haha taknak tu cakap jela taknak.


Oh and in case I don't end up being an ambassador, I think I'll go find work as a translator God is that not cool. Maybe I'll translate Sophie Kinsella's books into Malay! HA HA NO THAT BOOK WOULD SOUND REALLY WRONG WITH AWKWARD SENTENCE STRUCTURES. Some books are best left as they are. Like Harry Potter. Harry Potter dan Batu Ajaib wtf?

Or I can be a news reporter woots! I'll be on TV every night cool gilaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I mean, I don't even have to memorize lines or anything. Just muster up some serious I-mean-business expression and read the electronic board that's in front of you or something. And the best part of it is that I'll get to look all serious while consulting random papers or fake-talking with my news reporter mate when the credit roles GOD I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THAT AND LOOK AWESOME. God I wanna be a news reporter now. But that means I won't have a chance of using my hard earned English knowledge ._. Unless I work for CNN or something OHMYGOD UBER COOL.


And then maybe I'll fall in love with a brave and handsome reporter and we'll end up getting married and we'll have 10 beautiful children together and we'll go for family picnics every weekend and people will be all envious seeing how happy we are AAAWWWWWW.

Or not.

OR MAYBE I CAN BE A WRITER FOR A BEAUTY MAGAZINE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH. That shit is wack. But what would I write about ._. Household tips? Lol shut up.

I don't think I can be an author as in a book author. Because my imagination is filled with crap and I might come up with something less appealing than Twilight lol. And I can't write chick flicks. Because most chick flicks are really unislamic and I don't wanna write stuff like that. I love reading it but reading and writing are just two really different things. It doesn't mean that you have to write according to whatever you read. Maybe I'll write something like Habiburrahman El-Shirazy but in English. Maybe I'll translate his works! Or mayeb somebody already did ._.

I wonder if there's any work that involves reading? Hmm, that would be easy lol. But please not a teacher please please pleaseeeee. I don't know why but I just can't see myself (or I just don't want to see myself) as a teacher. Because you know, I've been in school. And when I observe how the students behave and how to teacher handles theri shitty behavior I always think, "Boy, it must be difficult to be in her shoes." Really, my tolerance towards shittily behaved kids are zero and I might end up being in jail because of child abuse or something. *serious ass face*

Although my mum was a teacher, I just can't see myself following her footsteps. I know that being a teacher is a noble job and everything but I just can't find any passion in teaching ya know?

So yeah.

The problem of having an English degree is that it doesn't prepare you for a specific job in a specific field. Unlike engineers and architectures, an English major has to be creative in deciding what job he/she would want to apply for. What specific field he/she would like to be in. What specialty that he/she has that would make them sell-able for that particular field. Majoring in English is like majoring in something very general. You could be anything. From working for a newspaper company to working for an advertising company to being an editor or even a teacher or being involved in human resourcing. Whatever that is.

The point is, you can be anything with an English degree. You just have to use your left side of the brain and start thinking creatively. Develop your communication with other people, develop your specialty while you can. Because as soon as you enter the working world you would have to sell everything that you can do to gain a spot as an employee. The market(?) is getting very competitive ok. So be ready to sell yourself to your future employers.

Here I am advising people that they can be whatever they want to be with an English degree and still vague about what my future holds for me.

But like they say, you're writing your own story. So make sure it's a pretty darn good story!