English

Transferable Skills that English Majors Develop:
In addition to the specific subject matter that English majors learn, they acquire many skills that can easily transfer to any subject matter.  The following is a list of transferable skills that English majors develop:

Influencing and persuading
Clarifying ideas
Problem solving
Comparing interpretations
Thinking independently
Creative writing
Presenting alternative view points
Making oral presentations
Developing hypotheses
Summarizing ideas
Editing
Using language effectively
Articulating ideas for a variety of audiences
Exploring implied or subtle meaning
Creatively using resources to resolve issues

Possible job titles for English majors:
Attorney
Book Critic
Consultant
Copywriter
Editor
Educator
Film Maker
Foreign Correspondent
Journalist
Linguist
Novelist
Playwright
Poet
Professor
Publicist
Public Affairs/Information Officer
Publisher
Researcher
Speechwriter
School Administrator
Technical Writer

Types of employers:
Advertising Agencies
Business and Industry
Consulting Firms
Educational Institutions
Government Agencies
Law Offices
Libraries
Magazines and Newspapers
Non-Profit Organizations
Public Relations Firms
Publishers
Research & Development Firms
Telecommunications Organizations

Resources in the Career Library

Great Jobs for English Majors, by Julie DeGalan and Stephen Lambert
Opportunities in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, by Blythe Camenson
Making it in Public Relations:  An Insider's Guide to Career Opportunities, by Leonard Mogel
Careers in Journalism, by Jan Goldberg 

Visit the HSC English Department website or catalogue!

Other sources of information:
Career counselors and faculty members are great resources.  Visit the Career Development Office early and often, and make time to talk to professors in your major and related fields.  Ask at the Career Development Office for help locating Hampden-Sydney alums in career fields that interest you and set up informational interviews with them.  Professional associations are excellent sources of career and employment information, and many of them have websites.  Surf the internet, keeping in mind that many colleges and universities have websites for their Career Centers and for each academic major, many of which include career and employment information as well as links to professional associations and other useful websites.  Contact the following organizations and websites for more information:

American Society of Journalists & Authors
http://www.asja.org

International Association of Business Communicators/Philadelphia
www.iabc.com/

JobLink for Journalists
http://ajr.newslink.org/joblink.html

Linguistics Society of America
http://www.lsadc.org/

Public Relations Society of America
http://www.prsa.org

Writers Guild of America East
www.wgaeast.org