Career in Literature

Ranjan K Baruah *

One of the common subjects in higher education is studying literature. Literature here means studying English as a subject. While conducting one career session at Shemford School, Jorhat, one of the students asked me to explain to her about the scope of literature. Well, there are options and opportunities and let’s explore what might be probable options and opportunities for the students of literature.

We are aware that English Literature is a non-vocational course; students pursuing English Literature are expected to do activities to build their career simultaneously.

This means, students have to snag internships and jobs related to their chosen field of work, or have a portfolio displaying their work in the subjects. This isn’t necessary, but employers always hold people with work experience and/or records of personal work of more importance, as compared to those with only a degree to show.

English literature is taught in many colleges and universities across India. After graduating from college, the next step is to find a job based on the path one pursued in colleges or universities. With an English literature degree, aspirants have a wide variety of jobs to choose from post-graduation in all sectors of the job market.

One must remember that mere qualification may not make one employable as one must have different employability skills. Reading analytically, thinking critically and communicating clearly are foundational proficiencies that can help aspirants pursue a job in a variety of fields, such as publishing, media and journalism, academia, law and marketing and public relations. Let us explore opportunities for the students studying English literature.

Media and Journalism: Though there have been changes in the field of media and journalism, the profession is still lucrative for those who can plan and prepare in this field. It is easy for the students of English literature as they can do further courses related to media and journalism and build their careers.

English Teacher: This is the most common career path for the students of English literature. One may become a teacher in primary, secondary, senior secondary or even in college and universities. To become a teacher at the university level, more degrees and qualifications are needed in comparison with becoming a teacher in the primary sections.

Online Tutor: Like teachers in schools, one may also become an online tutor and teach students and others who are eager to learn literature. Instead of attending physical classes teaching can be imparted through online mode. There are many portals and apps that teach literature through experts who have studied literature.

Freelance Writer: Anyone interested in working independently may choose to become a freelance writer. To be successful in this field one must have effective communication as initially one must face challenges to get established as a freelance writer.

Editorial Assistant: They help in editorial activities like in newspapers or magazines. This can be online or for print editions of different publications.

Interpreter: Interpreters facilitate communication between two or more parties who speak different languages. They do this by translating and re-communicating both sides of a given conversation. Interpreters can work for many organizations, including schools, governments, private businesses and hospitals. English literature majors who are bilingual or trilingual can expect to use their excellent communication skills in this position.

Social Media Manager: Social media managers are responsible for planning and implementing effective digital marketing strategies on social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

Copy Editor: Copy editors revise written material to make it easier to read, and they can work in a variety of fields, such as journalism, marketing, academia and advertising.

Paralegal: Paralegals support lawyers by drafting documents, maintaining files, creating organizational systems, performing research and calling on legal witnesses. Often referred to as legal assistants, paralegals perform research, write legal documents and collaborate with their colleagues to streamline clients’ legal cases.

There are many other options but one must prepare for an early age . One can start with blogging, writing reviews, interning at magazine companies/newspapers, attending and conducting workshops to share skills, reviewing books, restaurants or movies in your free time, spending time making short films, or writing scripts are all things one can do to make any aspirant a potential employer.