It’s common knowledge that the current job market is fickle, which is why a study published recently in Forbes is excellent news for numerous Westminster College students and graduates. The humble English degree — a longtime, respected major at Westminster — is ranked as the most versatile degree today.
Why is this important? According to the article published by Forbes on June 25, English and a variety of other humanities majors offered at small colleges like Westminster allow graduates to pivot.
“According to new LinkedIn data provided to Forbes, the key to young professionals successfully navigating today’s uneven job market may depend on whether their degree is versatile enough to land a job in several different industries,” explains Forbes writer Courtney Connley-Hampton.
Dr. Jeremy Reed, chair of Westminster’s Department of English, adds that students have flocked to pre-professional and career-focused majors since the 2007-2009 Great Recession, leading colleges and universities to emphasize career training more than in the past.
“When economic times are tough, I understand why people focus more singularly on college as a path to a career,” Reed reflects. “But over the years, several up-and-coming majors grew fast and also contracted fast, and many have had to change careers, by choice or necessity, and will probably do so again.”
The Forbes article reveals a truth already known at Westminster: Earnings increase exponentially as English majors’ careers evolve. The New York Times put it this way: “In the salary race, engineers sprint but English majors endure.”
Reed explains, “Salaries for humanities majors catch up with others as the skills they learn on the job allow them to become managers and take higher-level positions.”
A study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce places this information into context, revealing that after four decades, the median return on investment for liberal arts graduates is $200,000 higher than that of graduates from all other colleges.
But for students concerned with finding immediate employment after college, the English major, and the humanities in general, remain a solid choice based on rapidly evolving technology such as AI.
“A few years ago, the World Economic Forum released a study that examined what would happen to employment in the 2020s and found that employers think two-fifths of core skills will be disrupted by technology in 2027, and half of all workers’ core skills will need to be updated every five years,” Reed says.
The Forum concluded that employees in the near future will need strong socioemotional skills and be creative thinkers who problem solve and demonstrate flexibility, which brings us back to the point of the June Forbes article.
And while an English degree isn’t for everyone, Westminster students who seek career-based degrees can choose from 29 other majors, 30 minors, 23 certificate programs and eight online degrees.
Yet Reed encourages students to give English courses, and the degree, a chance.
For those considering majoring in English but worry about job placement, Reed adds English (and Westminster) is flexible enough that students can manage second or third majors, making them even more hirable.
Yet he ultimately encourages students to relax. The English department is committed to helping students with their careers by mentoring them in their research, their creative pursuits and with hands-on experiences like the campus literary magazine, the Writing Center and required internships.
Reed concludes, “Whether you’re a reader or writer worried you might have to study something else in school to be ‘practical,’ or you’re someone who wants to improve your English skills because you know they’ll be important, there’s a place for you in the English department, and we will prepare you for work after graduation.”
For more information on Westminster’s Department of English, please contact Jeremy.Reed@WCMO.edu. For information on Westminster’s programs of study, please visit Westminster’s website.
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
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