Career paths for English majors

Marketing & Communications

Communications and public relations

English majors practice writing persuasively for different audiences, which is the core of PR and communications work. A writing sample such as a press release, a newsletter or social posts for a campus group would make this fit even stronger.

Entry-level roles to search for

• Communications Intern
• Public Relations Assistant
• Communications Coordinator
• Social Media Coordinator
• Marketing Communications Associate

Skills to build

• AP style
• Social media analytics
• Media pitching
• Basic graphic design (e.g., Canva)

How to start

• This term: Volunteer to write announcements or run social media for a student organization, and save the pieces as portfolio samples.
• This summer: Apply for a communications internship with your university, a local nonprofit or a PR agency.
• Next year: Build a simple online portfolio of 5–8 strong samples and take a public relations or strategic communication course.

Media & Publishing

Editing and publishing

Analyzing texts and revising essays builds the eye for structure, clarity and detail that editors rely on. Hands-on experience with a campus paper, literary magazine or university press would show employers you can work on deadline.

Entry-level roles to search for

• Editorial Assistant
• Publishing Intern
• Copy Editor
• Proofreader
• Production Assistant

Skills to build

• Chicago and AP style
• Content management systems such as WordPress
• Fact-checking
• Project tracking on deadlines

How to start

• This term: Join the campus newspaper or literary magazine as a copy editor or section editor.
• This summer: Apply to publishing internships or summer publishing programs, and offer freelance proofreading for campus departments.
• Next year: Take on a leadership role at a campus publication and request informational interviews with editors through your alumni network.

Technology

Technical writing and documentation

Technical writing rewards the clarity and organization English majors practice, applied to explaining how products and processes work. Pairing your writing with a bit of tech or science knowledge, such as a course or a documentation project, would strengthen this path.

Entry-level roles to search for

• Technical Writing Intern
• Junior Technical Writer
• Documentation Specialist
• Knowledge Base Writer
• Content Developer

Skills to build

• Markdown and documentation tools
• Basic HTML or familiarity with APIs
• Style guides such as the Microsoft Writing Style Guide
• Interviewing subject-matter experts

How to start

• This term: Take a technical or professional writing course, or rewrite confusing instructions from a campus office as a portfolio piece.
• This summer: Contribute documentation to an open-source project or apply for technical writing internships.
• Next year: Assemble a portfolio with a how-to guide, an FAQ and a process document, and look into Society for Technical Communication student resources.

Technology

UX writing and content design

Many English majors overlook this field. It uses word choice, tone and empathy for the reader to shape the text people see inside apps and websites. To compete, you would need a small portfolio showing before-and-after rewrites of real interfaces.

Entry-level roles to search for

• UX Writing Intern
• Content Design Intern
• Associate UX Writer
• Content Strategist
• Product Content Writer

Skills to build

• UX fundamentals and user research
• Figma basics
• Accessibility and plain-language principles
• Usability testing

How to start

• This term: Take an intro HCI, design or UX course, or attend a UX club or workshop on campus.
• This summer: Complete 3 UX writing case studies that redesign the microcopy of an app you use, and apply for content design internships.
• Next year: Partner with computer science or design students on a hackathon or class project as the content lead.

Nonprofit & Social Impact

Grant writing and nonprofit development

Grant proposals are persuasive, research-backed writing, which is the kind of argument English majors build in essays. If you care about a cause such as education, the arts or health, connecting it to your writing would make this an especially meaningful fit.

Entry-level roles to search for

• Development Intern
• Development Associate
• Grant Writing Assistant
• Development Coordinator
• Prospect Research Assistant

Skills to build

• Basic budgeting and Excel
• Donor databases such as Salesforce or Raiser's Edge
• Grant research
• Event coordination

How to start

• This term: Ask your campus volunteer or service-learning center about nonprofits that need help writing or editing grant applications.
• This summer: Intern with a nonprofit's development team, or take a short online grant-writing course and draft a sample proposal.
• Next year: Take a nonprofit management or community engagement course and keep building relationships with local organizations.

Law & Public Policy

Law and legal services

Interpreting dense texts, building arguments and writing precisely are central to legal work. A paralegal role is a common way to test the field before deciding on law school. Debate, mock trial or a pre-law advising meeting would help confirm your interest.

Entry-level roles to search for

• Legal Assistant
• Paralegal
• Law Firm Intern
• Legal Research Assistant
• Case Assistant

Skills to build

• Legal research tools such as Westlaw or LexisNexis
• Document management
• Organization and confidentiality practices
• Familiarity with legal terminology

How to start

• This term: Meet with your campus pre-law advisor and consider joining mock trial or a debate club.
• This summer: Apply for an internship at a law firm, legal aid office or public defender's office.
• Next year: Take a constitutional law or philosophy of law elective and conduct informational interviews with paralegals and attorneys.

Education & Training

Instructional design and learning content

Instructional design turns complicated material into clear, engaging lessons, often for companies rather than schools. English majors who enjoy explaining ideas or tutoring tend to do well here. Tutoring or writing center experience would make this a much stronger fit.

Entry-level roles to search for

• Instructional Design Intern
• Curriculum Development Assistant
• Learning Content Developer
• E-Learning Developer
• Training Coordinator

Skills to build

• Adult learning principles such as ADDIE
• E-learning tools such as Articulate Storyline
• Basic video and slide design
• Learning management systems

How to start

• This term: Apply to tutor at your campus writing center or volunteer to help with course materials for an instructor.
• This summer: Build a short e-learning module on a writing topic, and apply for curriculum or training internships.
• Next year: Ask your university's online learning or teaching center about student assistant roles.

AI and this field

How AI is changing this work

AI can produce a passable first draft of many kinds of writing, which raises the value of strong editing, accuracy and clear structure. Technical writing, content design and instructional design increasingly mean working alongside AI tools, including writing the instructions and style guides those tools follow.

AI skills worth learning

• Editing AI drafts for accuracy, clarity and tone
• Writing precise instructions and style guides for AI writing tools
• Fact-checking and citing sources in AI-assisted research
• Structuring content with clear headings and plain language so people and AI tools can both use it

Questions to ask someone in these careers

• What does a typical week look like in your role, and how much of it is writing compared with collaborating, researching or managing projects?
• What should an English major put in a portfolio to stand out for entry-level roles in your field?
• What skills or tools do you wish you had learned in college that would have helped you in your first job?