How Much Money Do English Majors Make?

As we mentioned in this recent article, the English major has a PR problem. We all know far too well that there are many misconceptions out there regarding the English major. Unfortunately, many of these misconceptions are held by English majors themselves. Many current students in pursuit of an English degree find themselves committing to the major despite “the fact that they won't earn any money" and "won't find a job." (A quick search for "English major" on Twitter alone will shed some light on this popular conclusion.) So, when they do graduate and find a job that involves writing/editing/marketing/publishing/social media/etc., they might feel grateful that they even found a position related to their degree... even if the pay is low (and sometimes very low).

Our English degrees equip us with a long list of skills that are transferable to a variety of careers. But if we don't see the immense value in our own degrees, why should the average employer? Many employers know and take advantage of the fact that they're offering some English majors an opportunity that they never truly expected: a decent paying job doing something related to their degree. (Sure—we know there are exceptions.) Many English majors will happily take those job offers without a second thought. 

Consider your skills. Consider your worth. When you're offered a job, ask for more money (yes, really). Negotiate your salary (seriously). Ask for a raise. But first, research the job market. See what's out there. How much money do English majors make? 

THE FACTS

In this article, you'll find information regarding the income of English majors using data from national organizations and anecdotal data that we have collected from our audience of English Majors.

A couple of important notes before we get started:

You can make money with an English degree. (!)

There are jobs for those with English degrees out there, but like any degree in any subject, it can sometimes be a real challenge to find a job. We're not blind to that fact, but hopefully, you will be able to use the information below to empower you in your job search and career. 

Use this information to your advantage. 

When you're researching jobs, negotiating your salary, asking for a raise, and choosing a field to enter, you'll definitely want to educate yourself on wage norms and expectations. 

Now, enough talk. We'll let the following information speak for itself.

NATIONAL DATA

Below, we’ve included the information we received in our income survey.

But first, a few things to consider:

  • This is anecdotal data, and the information shared is sometimes inconsistent.

  • Benefits (such as healthcare, retirement, sick days, etc.) can add up to thousands of dollars in value.

  • Years of experience often directly correlate to the amount of money someone is making.

  • Location is (usually) not included and can have a significant impact on cost of living, how much money someone makes, etc.

Each entry is formatted as follows:

Salary / Hourly rate - Job title / Field

  • Degree title

  • Years of experience / years in current field

  • Benefits

  • Any additional comments the person wished to provide

Data Collected During February 2021

$10/hour / 2 Seasonal Jobs (Cashier + Writing on Ornaments)

  • Bachelor's of Arts

  • Experience: 5 years

  • “I move between two seasonal jobs, with a few months gap at the beginning of the year. One is as a cashier in a gift shop, the other writing on ornaments that are ordered.”

$15.69/hour / Coordinator of Tutoring - Higher Education

  • Master of Arts in English

  • Experience: 1 year

  • Benefits: Healthcare (including dental, vision, and mental health), teachers retirement, access to university facilities and services

$16.50/hour / Proofreading; Publishing

  • English Literary Studies

  • Experience: Almost 7 years

  • “I work for a small company. My salary started at $12 an hour in 2014. My only benefits are a fairly generous amount of personal leave and a fairly great office environment.”

$20/hour / Copy Editor for Publishing Company

  • English - creative writing w/minor in mass communication from St. Cloud State University

  • Experience: 2.5 years

  • Benefits: Dental, health, 401k-like plan

  • “I work for a smaller company, but the "editing" we do is an in-house editing that's unlike other companies and likely incorrect.”

$21/hour / HR: Talent Management Coordinator

  • BA in English Liberty University

  • Experience: 4.5 years as HR generalist, 1 month in HR Talent Management

  • Benefits: Health, dental and vision benefits, 401k, EAP

$35,000 salary / University Program Specialist

  • B.A. & M.A. in English

  • Experience: 5 years

  • Benefits: 10% retirement match, healthcare, life insurance, etc.

  • “Choosing to stay and work for a major land grant university makes degrees less valuable. I could make much better money in a larger metropolitan area.”

$37,000 salary / College Instructor

  • Masters of Art in English

  • Experience: 13 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, retirement contributions, opportunity to teach summer classes for extra pay

$39,000 salary / Content Marketing Strategist - Digital Marketing

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • Experience: 2 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare at 80%

  • “I’m at my current salary after one annual merit based raise. My company is 12 years old, so things still aren’t fully established there. Merit based raises don’t end up actually happening annually for most people like they should, and the way things are organized tends to be very...not organized. Our company provides white labelled digital marketing solutions to small businesses.”

$40,000 salary / Editorial Assistant in Publishing

  • English BA

  • Benefits: Healthcare, 401k

  • “I’m surviving on my current wage (in my city this is basically minimum wage), but the most frustrating thing is how impossible it is to make any progress in this field. I have changed companies a couple times and each time had to start at an entry level position again. Then I stay for a handful of years until I’m utterly soul-sick of how badly I’m treated, and try to find another option—where I have to start at square one again. The resistance to providing growth opportunities and unwillingness to support your employees that I’ve experienced in this industry is extremely frustrating. I have been in my current position with increasing workload and responsibilities for around 2.5 years now, with no raise (have asked 4-5 times and been flat-out lied to that they couldn’t afford to offer me any monetary or even non-monetary raise). From what I’ve experienced at other jobs, this is the norm for my industry.”

$40,000 salary / English Teacher, 9th and 10th grade, Idaho

  • English, literature emphasis, Boise State University

  • Experience: 3 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, retirement, academic calendar, ability to bring my kids to work on their remote learning days

$40,250 salary / Lead Professional Writer for an Information Security Auditing Firm

  • English with a concentration in Professional Writing (Western Kentucky University)

  • Experience: 6 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare and 401K contributions

  • “I work for a small business with approximately 95 employees in Bowling Green, KY. Most of the company is virtual and located all over the country, but there are a couple of offices for those who prefer to work in that environment. I got this job right after college and have worked here ever since. My starting salary was $25,000 in 2014, and has risen to a little over $40,000 over six years. I haven't worked anywhere else since obtaining my degree, so I am not sure what is the norm in my area, but I make enough to live comfortably in KY. If I were to relocate to a new city with a higher cost of living (which is an option, since working remotely is allowed), I would probably ask for a salary increase to match the cost of living.”

$42,000 salary / Associate Editor, trade book publishing

  • English Language & Literature, Christendom College

  • Experience: 3 as a full-time editor, started freelancing 7 or 8 years ago.

  • Benefits: Yes, all the standard benefits - PTO, medical/dental/eye insurance, 401k, etc

  • “Non-profit, medium-sized religious company that publishes books but also has a number of other products/services. I am expecting a promotion to Acquisitions Editor and commensurate raise in the next year. I didn't negotiate for my salary.”

$42,000 salary / Administrative Workplace Services

  • B. A., English Literature

  • Experience: 10 years

  • “I work as administrative support for local branch of an international company. My job has nothing to do with my degree, but I enjoy it.”

$48,000/year plus $4000 in stipends for extra duties / 8th grade English Language Arts Teacher

  • Grad school: Secondary English education; Double major (bachelor): Organizational Communication, English literature

  • Experience: 3 years

  • Benefits: Pension, health insurance, extended breaks at summer and winter

$50,000 salary / Librarian

  • Bachelor of English and Master of Information Studies

  • Experience: 2 years

  • “I work for local government.”

$50,000 salary / Insurance Agent

  • BA in English and Music

  • Experience: 12 years

  • Benefits: Retirement account

  • “I am an insurance agent at an Allstate agency. My role is primarily in home and auto insurance sales, but I also write life insurance policies. The industry is ever changing. The ability to quickly absorb new information and the ability to relate to and effectively communicate with a diverse clientele are key to my success.”

$50,000 salary / Associate Professor of English

  • Masters in Composition & Rhetoric

  • Experience: 15 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare; retirement; tuition discount for kids to attend local private school

  • “I work for a small private, faith-based university. I was hired on the presumption that I would being pursuing my PhD, which I plan to start this summer.”

$50,000 salary / Account Executive - Advertising

  • Bachelor of Arts, University of NC at Greensboro

  • Experience: 15 years

  • Benefits: Health, Dental and Eye, 401K

  • “Small business. This is my guarantee but I expect to earn more in commission.”

$52,000 salary / Associate Professor

  • Doctorate, university of Missouri

  • Experience: 15 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, retirement

$53,000 salary / Proposal Analyst, Research Administration

  • Bachelor of Science in English, US Naval Academy

  • Experience: 2 years

  • Benefits: Health insurance, retirement contributions, tuition remission

$55,000 salary / Executive Editor; Journalist

  • MA, English from University of Colorado; BA literature

  • Experience: 15 years

  • Benefits: Retirement matching; health insurance

$56,000+/ 9 months / Business English Instructor - Community College (TT)

  • MA English

  • Experience: 3 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, retirement, dental

  • “I am tenure track faculty in an apprenticeship program and teach accelerated quarters, 2 months/qtr. with a work schedule of 2 months on M-F, 1 month off. Overall, I work 6 months/yr with the option of 2 additional months in summer.”

$57,835 salary / Human Resources Position Management

  • (Submission says “4000€/month” which converts to $4,819.62/month. $4,819.62 x 12 = ~$57,835)

  • English and American Studies at Kassel University, Germany

  • Experience: 2.5 years

  • Benefits: As a German, I have healthcare, 35 days of paid vacation, regular mandatory state retirement contribution + voluntary added retirement contribution.

  • “I work for a state government agency. Thus, salary is fixed and cannot be negotiated. In the city I work at (the state capitol), salary for my position is above the norm compared to other cities. Job itself has nothing to do with my degree and I'm with my MA overqualified for .y position. It took me almost 2 years after graduating to find a job (this one) so I took what I got. Many of my peers in Germany struggle to find jobs, in general. But especially in our field of study and appropriate to our MA degree.”

$60,000 salary / Instructional Systems Designer

  • Master of Arts, Western Illinois University

  • Experience: 1 year

  • Benefits: Health benefits, employer match contributions to HSA and retirement, paid time off

$61,392 annually plus supplemental pay for working athletic scoreboard and after school detention / High School English Teacher

  • BA English

  • Benefits: $350 per month Healthcare, teacher retirement contribution, telehealth free, $1000 Christmas bonus

  • Experience: 26 years

$64,000 salary / Media Planner

  • English Literature

  • Experience: 3 years

  • Benefits: Health insurance, 401K match

  • “I work in TV advertising, and my situation isn’t quite the norm for my company. I’ve been promoted a few times, and started out as an assistant making half of what I do now. I was able to use the skills from my English degree to pick up new tools and research in the office and worked my way into my current position.”

$65,000 salary / Technical Writer. Military

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • Experience: 4.5 years

  • Benefits: Health, dental, vision, paid sick, paid vacation. Profit sharing and 401k contributions.

$67,000 salary / Editor/UX Writing/Content Strategy

  • “Official title is Editor, but really what I’m doing is UX Writing/Content Strategy.”

  • Experience: 6 years as an Editor

  • Benefits: Health benefits, and company matching funds in a defined contribution retirement plan.

  • “I work for a large company (11,000 employees). I work in digital for an insurance / fintech company. UX writing tends to be higher paid than some other types of Editors. My salary is average within my company for a permanent full-time employee. Contractors make a higher salary but don’t get any health benefits.”

$68,000 salary / Senior Marketing Specialist; Marketing

  • Bachelors of English, University of Washington

  • Experience: 7 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, paid childcare, PTO, sabbatical, stock options, pet-friendly office

$70,000 salary / Senior Strategic Marketing Specialist

  • Bachelor’s / Master’s in English Literature

  • Experience: 5 years

  • Full benefits, healthcare, dental, vision, wellness fund, adoption support, tuition reimbursement

  • “I work for a Fortune 10 company. That salary range is fairly typical for my title in the area I’m in. I have negotiated for additional pay with every promotion/new job.”

$71,000 salary / Acquisitions Editor

  • PhD in English

  • Experience: 4 years

  • Benefits: Health care, retirement, vacation days, some reimbursement for education and gym

  • “I work at a nonprofit after a career change. I live in a high-cost-of-living area.”

$72,000 salary / Senior clinical consultant (post acute healthcare)

  • BA in English lit

  • Experience: 5 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, 401k, 30 days vacation, per diem while traveling, cell phone stipend

$72,000 salary plus 10% bonus / IT Technical Writer

  • Bachelor/Master of Arts

  • Experience: Approaching three years at current company, with two years of technical writing experience in the banking industry. I have other editing/writing experience that is not technical writing specifically, so that's also probably four to five additional years of experience.

  • Benefits: Healthcare, 22 days of PTO (not including corporate holidays), 401k with full matching on first 3% of contributions, then 50% matching on 4% and 5%, short- and long-term disability fully paid by company.

  • “I work for an extremely large healthcare corporation in the IT Infrastructure department. I'm the only full-time Technical Writer among a sea of STEM folks, so my situation is not what I would call usual in many ways. I did not negotiate for my salary upon arrival because they offered me 70k when I asked for 65k. This company has an unusual amount of great benefits, especially for the area in which I live.”

$75,000 salary / 10th grade English Teacher/Soccer Coach

  • English Language and Literature

  • Experience: 5 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare. Matching up to 8% contributions to 403B

$75,000 salary / Communications Consultant (Nonprofit Sector)

  • BA in English

  • Experience: 6 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, 10% retirement contributions, bonus pool

  • “I work for a small ESOP (50ish employees). Last year made $88.5k after bonus.”

$77,000 salary / Major Gift Officer - Fundraising

  • English literature

  • Experience: 5 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, retirement, free tuition

  • “I work for a small department in a major state university.”

$79,000 salary / Department Chair, English

  • MA, English (Creative Writing) from New Mexico State University

  • Experience: 20 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, retirement

  • “Community college English departments will always need talented instructors.”

$80,000 salary / Manager of Marketing and Communications

  • English

  • Experience: 8 years

  • Benefits: Full health insurance for my son and me

  • “I recently moved to a nonprofit for the first time and got a huge salary bump! I might have thought nonprofits wouldn't pay well prior to this, but the compensation is quite good.”

$80,000 salary / Author

  • BA English (and BA History) University of Utah

  • Benefits: None (Self-Employed)

  • “I’ve been a self-employed author for over two full years. My first year I made 50k/year (4 books published), the second year I made 80k/year (6 books published), and this year I’m currently on track to earn over 100k (10 books published). My field is one of the rare ones that steadily earns more income each year.”

$86,000 salary / Psychometric Editor / Exam Design Manager

  • Masters English

  • Experience: 15 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, 401K, paid time off, etc.

  • “I taught at a for profit for 18 years, where my salary was around 60,000; became the chain's psychometric lead which led to my current field.”

$98,000 salary / Communications Manager, Medical Research

  • English Literature

  • Experience: 11 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, 401K

$105,000 salary / Proposal Manager II in Defense

  • University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa

  • Experience: 20 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, 6% matching retirement, yearly raises and bonuses

  • “A major part of being a Professor is bringing in research dollars. It easily translates to becoming a proposal manager, especially if you get APMP level I certification.”

$114,000 salary / Senior Attorney

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • Experience: 11 years

  • Benefits: Healthcare, 403 b retirement

  • “I went to law school after college, and I work for a national health advocacy nonprofit.”

$120,000 salary / Manager Trainer in Hospitality (Restaurant)

  • BA in English Literature from CSUN

  • Experience: 7 years

  • Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k, monthly and/or end of year bonuses, travel and lodging

  • “I work for a family-owned restaurant that is well known overseas and growing here in the U.S. Originally, I worked there part-time while I was working on my degree in English Literature. I credit that degree 100% for getting me to where I am in this company. I had the opportunity to create a lot of the training material and structure that is now. The skills I honed in critical thinking and clear/concise expression during my studies have helped me advance in this career in ways I could never have imagined!”

$189,000 salary / CEO

  • English, Drew University

  • Experience: 6 years

  • “I own my own small business. I also earned a doctorate in literature.”

Data Collected During the 4th Quarter of 2017

$9.50/hour – Receptionist

  • Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Professional Writing and Film

  • <1 year

  • “It's a small business and I got the job because my friend is the manager. This was the only job I could find after being unemployed for 3 months despite having my degree.”

$10.00/hour – Library Clerk

  • BA in English and BFA in Creative Writing with a MA in English

  • 6 months

$10.00/hour – Backroom Stocker

  • Bachelor's in English, UCCS

  • >1 year

  • “Huge chain, non-negotiable salary, is normal among my peers.”

$10.00/hour – Assistant

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • <1 year

  • “I work for a small non-profit. I graduated about six months ago.”

$12.36/hour – Patient Services Coordinator (Healthcare)

  • BA in English with a writing concentration from Christopher Newport University

  • 2 years

  • “Big company, will be getting a promotion/raise in the next couple months."

$13.00/hour – Administrative Assistant

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 9 years

$14.00/hour – Eligibility Analyst (Pension)

  • Bachelor of Arts - English Literature

  • 1 year

$14.20/hour – Library Clerk

  • Bachelor of Arts in English from Southwestern University

  • 2 months

  • “Work for a city government, pay rate is pretty good, have really good benefits. Will get a pay raise after 6 months in the job.”

$15.00/hour – Library Assistant (Library and Information Science)

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 1.5 years

$15.41/hour – Professional English Tutor (Learning Commons Facilitator)

  • Bachelor's of Arts in English with a Writing Specialization

  • 3 years

  • “I tutor for various community colleges and for a well-known textbook publishing company. When I started, I made $10-11 an hour and worked on an as-needed basis. If students canceled appointments or didn't show up, I was not paid. After two years, I found a community college offering walk-in tutoring. Currently, I am the lone English tutor for a Learning Commons Center at a community college; part-time work isn't ideal, but the steady pay and hours suffice while I ponder future career possibilities.”

$15.85/hour – Page Designer (Newspapers)

  • English

  • 1 year

$17.00/hour – Copywriter

  • BA English

  • 1.5 years

  • “I work two part-time jobs, but consider the copywriting job to be my main gig. The other job is at a restaurant where I work for tips.”

$17.50/hour – Special Education Assistant at BHS English Inclusion Center

  • English

  • 6 months

$17.63/hour – Global Content Specialist (Marketing)

  • BA in English Literary Studies

  • 2 years

  • “ work for a large corporate company. I help manage & proofread the content for our website and marketing materials. I am the middle man between the content writers and the freelance translators that translate the content. The salary is set pretty solidly on how long you've been here and there wasn't a lot of chance for negotiation. Killer benefits & health insurance though!”

$18.50/hour – Director of Marketing for Religious Non-Profit Foundation

  • Bachelor of Arts in English (and half of a Master of Arts in English)

  • 2.5 years

  • “I negotiated to start a little higher than they would have offered. It's a non-profit so no one makes very much unless you're an executive.”

$20.00/hour – Database Administrator (Non-Profit Sector)

  • Literature

  • 1 year

  • “I started in an assistant position and was promoted. My degree has actually proven very useful; previous database admins either didn't provide documentation or didn't write it clearly, whereas I've been able to not only improve our database but also empower users to understand how it works.”

$25.00/hour – Executive Director

  • English/Liberal Arts

  • 7 years

$69.00/hour – Adjunct Professor

  • Masters

  • 1 year

$100.00/hour – Marketing (Self-Employed)

  • English, BA from Penn State

  • 12 years

$100/day – Certified Substitute Teacher

  • BS Childhood Education/English MSEd Special Education (In Progress)

  • Since September of 2017

$3,000/class – Adjunct English Instructor

  • MA English

  • 7 years

  • “Part time university/college teaching is sketchy. Schedule not guaranteed for any semester. Lucky to get one summer class. Full time positions competitive with so many PhDs available/looking for same. Love teaching but with part time cannot pay student loans. Will have to look for other industry if full time teaching doesn’t happen for next year.”

$8,000-10,000/year – President/Founder of Content Marketing Business

  • English

  • In field for 12 years; started Business 3 years ago

$19,000/year – Administration

  • BA in English

  • 2 years

$25,000/year – Freelance Writer

  • Bachelor of Arts – English

  • 1 year

$25,000/year – English Instructor

  • MFA Indiana University

  • 12 years

  • “Don’t get an MFA if you want to teach. Don’t teach if you want to make money. Don’t ever take an adjunct job. Ever.”

$29,400/year – Library Associate (Public Library)

  • Bachelor of Arts degree in English

  • <1 year

  • “I use my English degree regularly in this position and many of my coworkers have English degrees as well. I use my love of reading all the time by recommending books and advocating for literacy. Because of my English degree and my background in writing for social media, the library saw fit to place me in charge of the Facebook page for the Teen and Children’s Departments. Post graduation, I had my doubts as to my field of study, but my degree has led me to a job I love.”

$29,500/year – Social Media and Marketing Coordinator

  • BA English, minor in Business Administration

  • 3 years part-time; <1 year full-time

  • “I think my previous work study experience and business minor have allowed me to have a stable job right out of college.”

$30,000/year – Customer Support

  • BA English Literature

  • 10+ years

$30,000/year – Resource Specialist (Non-Profit)

  • BA in English, Minors in Sociology and Spanish

  • <1 year

  • “My job is to help connect clients to resources (housing, job training, transportation etc) that allow them to achieve stability in life. It does not directly connect to my English degree but I find the communication skills I honed as an English Major to be incredibly useful.”

$31,000/year – Freelance Writer

  • BA English

  • 3 years

  • “It's piece by piece as a freelancer, so everything differs month to month.”

$32,000/year – Project Coordinator (Publishing)

  • English, University of Iowa

  • 1.5 years

  • “I work for a small publishing company in the Midwest that focuses on customized product for higher education. My pay was recently raised due to changes in the market. The publishing field is increasingly moving towards digital product, which is exactly what my company has done.”

$32,500/year – Copywriter

  • English

  • <1 year

  • “I work for a small-ish business of around 60 people. I live in the Houston area, and my salary definitely isn't competitive in this market as far as I can tell. But hey, it's my first job and I like the atmosphere a lot.”

$32,900/year – English Teacher

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 2 years

$33,000/year – Associate Services Coordinator (Administration)

  • Bachelors of Arts, English Concentration in Creative Writing

  • 1.5 years

  • “I work for a small company and do anything they need from me in and out of the realm of English. My salary started at $30,000 and was raised to $33,000 after 8 months for a merit based raise.”

$34,000/year – College Academic/Career Advisor

  • BA English

  • 6 years

  • “I also teach remedial reading and writing at a community college for $1650 a semester (one, 3-credit-hour class).”

$35,000/year – Executive Assistant (Non-Profit Sector)

  • Bachelor of Arts in English, Campbell University

  • 1.5 years

$35,000/year – High School Teacher

  • English, Elon University

  • <1 year

  • “Norm for a teacher.”

$35,000/year – Teacher (Middle School)

  • Creative Writing

  • 3 years

  • “Teachers make nothing and are expected to give their jobs everything they earn and all of who they are. There are no sick days, there are no mental health days, you don't take vacation, and you are rarely appreciated.”

$35,000/year – SEO

  • Bachelor of the Arts

  • 1 year

$36,000/year – Sales Assistant (Trade Publishing)

  • Masters of Publishing, Pace University

  • 1 year

  • “Big independent publishing house. Lowest starting salaries in the industry. Trying to change that by organizing with a union.”

$36,000/year – Fundraising/Development

  • BA English Literature

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a small non profit. The salary is pretty normal for an entry level fundraising job.”

$37,000/year – College Instructor

  • Master of Arts in English

  • 10 years

  • “I was paid $29,800 until Spring 2017, when I finally got pay equity in my department.”

$38,000/year – Clinical Trial Coordinator

  • BA English

  • >1 year

$38,293.48/year – Trial Master File Lead (Pharmaceutical Clinical Trials)

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 2.5 years

  • “I work for a large international corporation. The pay is low for my position compared to other companies but the corporate culture is outstanding.”

$40,000/year – English Instructor (South Dakota State University)

  • English, South Dakota State University

  • 1 year

$40,000/year – Web Content Manager

  • Bachelors of Arts

  • 3 years

  • “I work for a private University. It is my alma mater, so that contributed to me getting the job.”

$40,000/year – Legal Administrative Assistant

  • Masters of English with a Creative Writing Concentration

  • <1 year

$40,000/year – Copy Editor

  • BA English,Concentration in Writing

  • 3 years

$40,000/year – Webmaster (Marketing)

  • English Literature

  • 2 years

  • “I used my degree and combined my work on student yearbook to go into media and marketing. I negotiated my salary, initially offered at $35K but with the school undergoing a rebranding process, upped it to $38K. The additional, approximate 2K comes from my freelance work. I believe my situation isn't what usually happens to English majors, but it's a valuable route to take. Utilizing other skills with an English degree comes in handy when looking for a way to make money doing the things you love.”

$40,238/year – Teaching

  • English (Focus on Education), Virginia Tech

  • 2.5 years

  • “Public education.”

$41,000/year – Journals Manager (Publishing)

  • Colgate Unix BA in English

  • 14 years

$41,641.60/year – Editor/Writer (Communications and Marketing)

  • Bachelor of Arts, English; University of Minnesota, Morris

  • 5+ years

  • “We have a generous benefits package at the University of Minnesota; I tried, unsuccessfully, to negotiate for a higher starting salary.”

$42,000/year – Content/Social Media Specialist (Higher Education Marketing)

  • Bachelor of Arts in English with a Concentration in Writing and Minors in Religious Studies and Public Relations

  • 1.5 years

  • “I started as at $32,000 as an admin/writer for the college I graduated from after interning with the marketing department senior year. I got promoted to writer and social media coordinator a few months ago. It might take English majors a bit longer to reach that higher number (I really wanted to start at $40,000 out of college) but it only took me a Year in this job to get there. Don't be afraid to take a slightly lower position and rise up!”

$42,000/year – College Instructor

  • Master of Arts in English, University of Wyoming

  • 7 years

  • “The above salary is for 30 contracted credits of teaching in an academic year, plus other assigned duties like committee work. Above 30 credits is paid at $640 per credit, which is our adjunct rate.”

$42,000/year – Teacher

  • Bachelor of Arts in English from Baylor University

  • 3 years

$42,500/year – Marketing Support Specialist (Content Marketing)

  • Bachelor of Arts in English with a Professional Writing Concentration

  • 4 months

  • “This is my first job after graduation. The company is an international software company where, overall, we’re in the top three for our market worldwide (some specific products are higher). I also live in Alabama, where the cost of living is much more reasonable than in major US cities. I know I make less than the company’s tech writers, but my division actually makes the engineers do their own writing, thus eliminating that position.”

$43,000/year – Analyst

  • BA in English from Wayne State University

  • 2.5 years

  • “I work trade management advisory service, essentially the field of Customs/Import/Export. Not in Logistics or Transportation. I work for worldwide organization with about 750 total employees. Pay increases happen yearly. I work hourly, so I have the opportunity to achieve overtime and as such my listed gross salary can be larger accounting for overtime.”

$44,000/year – Communications Coordinator

  • English Literature

  • 6 years

  • “I work in an academic department of a public university.”

$45,000/year – Associate Editor of Academic Publications (Higher Education Publishing)

  • Masters of Science in Publishing, Pace University

  • <1 year

  • “This was not out of college/grad school, but over two years after graduation. This is also a small niche in the field and not in the wider publishing field that I originally thought I would be entering with this degree.”

$45,000/year – Senior Program Coordinator (Higher Education)

  • MA English Lit

  • 10 years

$45,000/year - 7th Grade ELAR Teacher

  • Masters of Arts in English Literature from Texas Woman's University

  • 3 years

$46,700/year – Telephone Claims Rep

  • Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies

  • 1 year

$47,000/year – English/Humanities Instructor

  • BA & MA in English

  • 9 years

  • “I am full-time faculty at a community college, where my required teaching load is 5 courses each semester plus weekly hours tutoring in the writing assistance center. I am off from mid-May to mid-August. I’ve been teaching full time for 3 Years, but I am very lucky to have a full-time position. The only teaching opportunities I could get for 5 Years after earning my MA were as an adjunct— open full-time positions are scarce in the community colleges and basically nonexistent (especially for those who do not hold a PhD) in universities.”

$47,500/year – Writing Program Director and Instructor (University)

  • MA in Literature

  • 6 years

$47,724/year – Staff Services Analyst (Government/State Employee)

  • BA English with Concentration in Creative Writing (University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA)

  • <1 year

  • “Salary is the starting range for individuals with a Bachelor's degree.”

$51,000/year – Implementation Manager (Technology)

  • Bachelor of Arts, English

  • 2 years

$52,300/year – Assistant Professor

  • Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

  • 15 years

  • “This is for a full-time position. As an adjunct, the most I ever made was $40,000 from working multiple jobs and not taking breaks.”

$52,600/year – Teacher (Secondary Education)

  • Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences in English and Political Science

  • 1 year

$54,000/year – Content Writer (Marketing)

  • Bachelor of Arts: English Literature - Creative Writing, Georgia State University

  • 3 years

  • “I worked for a large corporation and now a work for a tiny company.”

$55,000/year – Academic Dean/Registrar

  • English

  • 9 years

  • “I work for a very (incredibly) small vocational school where most employees take on dual roles.”

$55,000/year – Writer (Marketing)

  • Bachelor of Arts, English. Master of Professional Writing

  • 1 year

$55,000/year – Assistant Professor (Higher Education)

  • PhD, English Studies

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a small liberal arts college and run a writing center. I negotiated for a slightly higher salary and travel funding.”

$56,000/year – Teacher

  • English

  • 10 years

$56,000/year – Educator (High School English)

  • BA English, MA English, Texas Woman's University

  • 20 years

  • “I love my degree and my job, but I am severely underpaid.”

$56,500/year – Senior Communications Administrator (Higher Education Communications and Marketing)

  • Master of Arts, English

  • 7 years in Marketing; 4.5 years in Higher Education Marketing

$56,500/year – Content Strategist

  • Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature

  • 5 years

$58,000/year – Editor/Journalist

  • English

  • 1.5 years

  • “I work as an independent contractor for multiple companies. My main contract is a $50,000 salary.”

$58,000/year – Information Technology Compliance Manager

  • Bachelor of Arts English

  • 9 years

  • “I've found out a good deal of Information Technology Security Industry instructors are English majors. We get language. We bridge the gap between technology and high level (think C suite) communication.”

$59,914/year – Tourism Economic Development

  • MA English (Professional Writing)

  • 15 years

  • “I spent ten years with the state park service in PR and marketing (yes, I had a ranger hat) and recently transitioned to our state's tourism authority due to my expertise in ecotourism. I also am an adjunct instructor at my alma mater specializing in English courses tailored to students interested in tourism related majors.”

$60,000/year – Teacher

  • MA

  • 27 years

$61,000/year – Web Editor

  • English

  • 6 years

  • “I work for a small non profit.”

$62,300/year – Manager, Resources and Communications (Non-Profit)

  • Bachelor or Arts, English

  • 5 years

$65,000/year – Pharmaceutical Meeting Planner

  • BA

  • 20 years

  • “I work for a small company and we are subject to grants/project winnings. Even though my main job is logistics management, I also review all correspondence and print materials for projects, and how materials merge from the database for formatting and layout.”

$65,000/year – Editor (Academic and Literary Publishing)

  • BA English, University of Missouri and MFA, Creative Writing, Emerson Colleges

  • 22 years

$69,000/year – Education

  • Reading/Writing Instructor

  • 4 years

$70,000/year – Project Manager (Healthcare)

  • Master of Arts in English, Case Western Reserve University

  • 2.5 years

$70,000/year – Teacher

  • BA in English, Niagara University

  • 7 years

  • “$44,350 is base, but I teach an extra class for $6,000, have a Masters degree award for $3,650, a professional development point bonus for $2,000, and have bonuses from a grant up to $2,000 for attendance, $2500 for being effective or $4,000 for being highly effective, and $10,000 for supporting other teachers.”

$71,000/year – State Government Manager

  • English Literature

  • 10 years

$76,000/year – Quality System Manager (Biotechnology-Clinical Trial Software)

  • BA, English Writing (Creative Nonfiction), University of Pittsburgh

  • 8 years

  • “I write technical procedures and detailed reports on issues that crop up in the course of managing clinical trials via the FDA-regulated software my company builds for pharmaceutical companies. I use my writing skills every single day! My salary is the going rate for my position/experience for where I live (northeast US).”

$77,460/year – Senior Associate Director of Admissions (Higher Education)

  • Bachelor of Arts in English Literature

  • 13 years

  • “I work for a large public research university. I worked in retail and banking while earning my degree and after graduating. I took an entry-level position with my current employer after a merger put my bank job in jeopardy and worked hard to earn progressive advancement.”

$80,000/year – Assistant Store Manager

  • English/Creative Writing Dual Major at University of Maine at Farmington

  • 2 years

  • “I'm in sales. Our hourly is only 15.15/hour, but I've only seen that a couple times. I usually average 6500/m depending on the season though. I strongly urge fellow English majors to consider sales. It can be highly lucrative, you already have the ability to form arguments, and eloquence is a must.”

$80,000-85,000/year – Digital Advertising Sales Manager (Broadcast Television Industry)

  • English (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

  • 4 years

  • “I work for a small, family-owned broadcaster, but I would say that my compensation is right in line with what others in my field at my level make. I didn’t have to do a whole lot of negotiating- I told them the salary I had in mind and what they came back with was actually a bit higher because I get commission on the digital advertising my company sells.”

$84,000/year – Associate Professor of English

  • BA, MA, PhD English Literature

  • 7 years as tenure-track professor; 3 years of sessional work before that

$90,000/year – Marketing Manager (Tech Industry)

  • Creative Writing

  • 4 years

  • “I work for a huge corporation.”

$90,000/year – Business Owner (Marketing Firm)

  • English

  • 20 years

$95,000/year – English Teacher (Secondary School)

  • MA in English

  • 20 years

$95,000/year – Communications Manager (Non-Profit)

  • MFA in Creative Writing

  • 18 years

  • “I have gradually worked my way up from being an Editorial Assistant earning $25K just out of my MFA to where I am now at a series of national non-profits.”

$95,000/year – Elementary Education

  • Bachelor of Arts English folklore from the Ohio State University

  • 20 years

  • “An English degree has given me the best foundation for teaching. Colleagues who have degrees in education may have more pedagogy, but lack content.”

$105,000/year – Global Marketing Communications Manager (Skincare)

  • English (Professional Writing and Editing)

  • 12 years

  • “I work for a very large, well-known skincare company in Salt Lake City. I didn't negotiate my salary, but I did tell them what I wanted and was offered it. I think my situation is the norm...there are a lot of well-paying positions out there if you know where to look. Marketing, senior copywriting, etc. pay pretty well.”

$105,000/year – Professor of English (Community College)

  • MA University of Colorado

  • 20 years

$110,000/year – IT Project Manager

  • English Literature, UCLA, 2007

  • 7 years

  • “IT department at a mid-size company. I entered as a temp receptionist straight out of college (couldn't find a non-temp job) and was then hired. Answered phones for two Years, was promoted to a training development role, then into organizational change management, and now project coordination and management.”

$114,000/year – Manager, Information Development (Tech Industry)

  • BA in English (Writing Emphasis)

  • 17 years

$116,000/year – Associate Director of Programs

  • English, Truman State University

  • 17 years

$165,000/year – Certified Professional Controller (Air Traffic Controller)

  • Rhetoric and Writing

  • 3 years

You can find information from our original 2015 article below. 

NATIONAL DATA

  • According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, in 2014, English majors had an average starting salary of $33,574.

  • According to Georgetown's Economic Value of College Majors, as of 2013, those with a degree in English language and literature (ages 25-59) make a median annual wage of $53,000.

  • As of May 2014, the national mean annual salary was $47,230 for all occupations regardless of level, according to the United States Department of Labor.

  • According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, in 2014, new college graduates with a bachelor's degree had an average starting salary of $48,127.

The graph below shows data from the May 2014 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates report from the Occupational Employment Statistics via the Bureau of Labor Statistics from the United States Department of Labor website. We have focused on common careers for English majors. 

Occupation TitleAnnual mean wage
Adult Basic and Secondary Education and Literacy Teachers and Instructors $52,830
Advertising, Marketing, Promotions, Public Relations, and Sales Managers $127,880
Lawyers, Judges, and Related Workers $129,410
Lawyers and Judicial Law Clerks $131,970
Lawyers $133,470
Paralegals and Legal Assistants $51,840
Court Reporters $55,000
Postsecondary Teachers $75,780
Education and Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary $65,690
Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary $72,440
Arts, Communications, and Humanities Teachers, Postsecondary $71,530
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary $69,230
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary $68,390
Graduate Teaching Assistants $32,970
Elementary and Middle School Teachers $57,080
Secondary School Teachers $59,180
Librarians, Curators, and Archivists $48,260
Librarians $58,110
Media and Communication Workers $60,490
News Analysts, Reporters and Correspondents $49,360
Reporters and Correspondents $45,800
Writers and Editors $66,990
Editors $64,140
Technical Writers $71,950
Writers and Authors $67,870
Interpreters and Translators $49,320
Proofreaders and Copy Markers $36,990

Created with the HTML Table Generator

DEAR ENGLISH MAJOR DATA

The graph below was created based on a survey we did of English majors from our audience:

DEM_HowMuchDoEnglishMajorsMake_Graph.jpg

Below, we’ve included ALL of the information we received in our income survey.

But first, a few things to consider:

  • Benefits (such as healthcare, retirement, sick days, etc.) are not noted, and can add up to thousands of dollars in value.

  • Years of experience often directly correlate to the amount of money someone is making. Most people who took our survey have less than 10 years of experience.

  • Location is not included.

Each entry is formatted as follows:

Salary / Hourly rate - Job title / Field

  • Degree title

  • Years of experience / years in current field

  • Any additional comments the person wished to provide

$2,880 per course - Freshman Composition Instructor

  • Master of Arts English and African American Literature

  • 5 years

$8.50/hour - Teacher’s Assistant

  • English literature

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a non-profit childcare center. I wasn't able to negotiate my wages and my hours are atrocious.”

$15,000 - Teacher - High School Latin

  • Bachelor of Arts in English Literature (Louisiana State University)

  • 2 years

$15,000 - Graduate Teaching Assistant

  • Masters from NYU

  • “I'm a PhD student. When I was adjuncting for the past 5 years up until a few weeks ago and working 4 different jobs a year, I made between 30k-40k every year. I am hoping once I complete my PhD to be able to have *one* job and make at least as much if not more than I made as an adjunct. The job placement for my current program is very good—even if the $ offered via the assistantship isn't much to write home about. We *did* just get a raise from 12k to 15k!”

$16,000 - Public Librarian

  • B.A. In English

$16,000 - Doctoral Fellow

  • Master's in English

  • 10 years

  • “I am a graduate student working on a doctorate in English, and I have lived well below the federal poverty line ever since I graduated with my B. A. in English in 2005, 10 years ago. While I understand that a Ph. D. in English ultimately increases my earning potential, I believe it's important to emphasize viable career routes outside of the academy. "Post-ac" is a buzzword for this kind of work outside of the academy; there's also "alt-ac," referring to "alternative" academic employment that doesn't necessarily end with the position of a tenured professor. "Alt-ac" usually refers to academic publishing, administration, accreditation, or other such work that supports the academy without entailing scholarship or teaching. I choose to remain in the academy because I believe that, as a future adviser of other English majors, it's important for me to spread the message that English majors aren't bound to an academic life, and I stay tuned to your site in order to educate myself in these alternate paths.”

$16,000 for 10 months - Public Ally, Nonprofit Sector

  • Bachelor of Arts in English from Presbyterian College

  • “Public Allies is an AmeriCorps program that places their Allies in partner nonprofits to work on capacity building within the organization. I was placed with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and will start later this week. Every Public Ally receives the same stipend, regardless of prior experience or placement organization. It's a great program for English Majors because one of the main requirements is the ability to communicate with your organization as well as the broader community.”

$8.70/hour - Barista/Proofreader

  • English

  • 3 years

  • “I have two part time, dead end jobs. (Yes, even my job as a proofreader is dead end.) I graduated a year and a half ago, and I'm considering going to grad school, even though I really don't want to, so I can actually find a job in my field.”

$9.50/hour - Customer Service, Box Office

  • BA English, Liberty University

  • 5 years

  • “I work for a non profit seasonal. I have yet to find a full time position, but every position I have temporarily worked for complains that no one knows how to write or communicate, but isn't interested in seriously hiring English majors. Thank you STEM curriculum for having people turn their backs to us."

$10.00/hour - PE Teacher/Media Specialist

  • English

  • Less than 1

  • “My situation is certainly not the norm. My plan was to be in film school right now, but I couldn't afford it. The two jobs I have now were the only offers I got.”

$20,000 (max $2400 per class, with 3-5 classes per semester) - Adjunct English Instructor

  • BS in Religion & English minor, MA in Theological Studies

  • 4 years

  • “Not technically an English major, I was an English minor in undergrad and took creative writing classes as part of my MA program in theology. I teach English composition at a community college and a regional campus for a large state university in small Midwest town.”

$21,000 - Administrative Assistant, Manufacturing

  • Bachelor's Degree in English from Missouri Southern State University

  • 10 years

  • “I live in a place where the cost of living is one of the lowest in the nation and actively observed minimum wage is less than $8. I also have paid health insurance for myself AND my spouse. This helps make my very very low wage seem doable.”

$10.50/hour - Assistant Manager at a Restaurant

  • BA English

  • 2 years

$22,000 - Journalist

  • MA Modern Thought and Literature, Stanford

  • 3 years

$22,500 - Reporter

  • Bachelor of Arts in English, professional writing concentration

  • 2 months experience in current field

  • “I work for a newspaper in a small town and mostly rural community.”

$11.00/hour - Content editor/reviewer

  • Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Delaware

  • 1 year

  • “I am currently a freelance contractor for Study.com, a major educational website that provides high school students and other individuals with information about different academic majors, careers, and colleges and universities. The site also offers online learning for those who need extra help in certain subjects or are just interested in expanding their education. Since I am a recent graduate from the University of Delaware, my career is only beginning and I have not made enough money to sustain myself yet. However, I feel very grateful that the work I am doing helps high school students and people of all ages find out what they want to do with their lives. I would not be able to that at the level that I do if I had majored in a different field.”

$23,000 - Administrative Assistant

  • B.A. in English

  • 2 years

  • “I took this job after a devastating break-up just to support myself. But, it sucks. Double major in something practical if you still can!”

$23,000 - Copywriter/Content Coordinator - Magazine Retail/Home Decor

  • B.A. in English from The University of Maine

  • Less than 1 year

  • “I work for a New England/Maine company that sells home decor nationwide, and am the only Copywriter/Content producer, so in my own department/in charge of myself (just under the head of the company). It's quite difficult to get a job position like this in Maine (the company is located in Portland) especially if you don't want to write in a journalistic style or for a newspaper.”

$23,000 - Part Time Instructor

  • MFA

  • 20 years

  • “I work for Penn State.”

$23,000 - Marketing Associate - Retail

  • Bachelor of Arts in English - Lake Erie College

  • 11 years

  • “I work in the job I took to make my way through college. Although I believe an English degree can be useful in pursuing many different types of jobs, no one seems to be willing to give a job (one that would lead to a career) without experience, hence I am still working my retail position.”

$11.72/hour - Supplemental Leader (Teaching Assistant) for Freshman Composition I

  • English - Tech Comm track. UCF.

  • 3 years experience in current field

  • “I hold an English B.A. and I work for a local college. There is no wage negotiation at for non-managers. Max hours are 25 per week for part-time positions like mine. English SLs get 7 hours for one class, and 6 hours for every other class, per week; I have one class this semester.”

$24,000 - Program Coordinator

  • English

  • Less than 1 year

$24,000 - Senior Dining Coordinator @ Non-profit

  • Bachelor's of the Arts in English and Sociology

  • 2 years

$25,000 Adjunct Professor; 5 classes taught

  • Bachelor's and Master's in English

  • 2 years

  • “This is the norm for adjunct professors. You have to piece together your yearly salary by teaching a lot of first and second year composition classes, and you're lucky if you get 5. If you're set on being a professor, and you want to make decent money, get a PhD. Adjunct professors do not get benefits either. You make more money with a Master's degree in English as a high school teacher—really.”

$12.00/hour - Administrative Support Specialist for Marketing Dept. at Woolrich, Inc. (wool mill and outdoor apparel)

  • Lock Haven University - BA in English, writing concentration

  • With Woolrich for 4 years; full-time three days after I graduated (May 2015)

  • “I do FAR more than most with my title. I help with data entry, analytics, design, catalog proofing, work with imagery and our photo studio—I wear many hats! The job opportunity came because my hard work as a sales associate was noticed, nurtured, and harvested. Woolrich has been around since 1830. We've got a global market and impact, but our staff is currently several hundred people total. To that end, even though my title sounds menial, I frequently work with our President and Executive Board, so I have lots of opportunities. I also continue to write for our employee newsletter and plan to continue helping out at my former college with writing projects, like our student-run newspaper.”

$12/hour - Quality Assurance Expert/Customer Service

  • BA English with emphasis in literature

  • 8 years

  • “I don't know if this is the norm. My degree was under appreciated when researching for work but I have to pay the bills somehow.”

$12.30/hour - Emergency Dispatcher

  • BA in English with emphasis in Creative Writing

  • 6 years

$12.50/hour - Freelance Writer

  • Less than 1 year

  • BA English

$12.90/hour - Public School English Teacher

  • BA English, MEd Education

  • 10 years

  • “I went into teaching thinking I would do it until I could get a better job, believing teaching gave me relevant experience that could translate to other similar positions. I have found I was wrong. I have tried unsuccessfully for years to transition out of the classroom. People in the business world do not have the opinion that teachers have skills they are looking for, and my English degree seems less and less relevant to teaching as each year passes. If you can't commit to a career as a teacher, don't ever start.”

$28,000 - Department Lead, Retail Store

  • English, Bachelor of Arts, completed in 2011

  • 2 years

$29,000 - Customer Service Representative

  • Bachelor of Arts at the University of Virginia (English)

  • 2 years experience in current field

  • “My degree was disrespected to the degree that I was told that I wasn't paid to think, that thinking was above my pay grade. Since then, I have quit and am now attending law school. I think my background has definitely given me an edge there.”

$14.00/hour - Office Manager at a CPA firm

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 2.5 years

  • “I work for a small corporation. I handle the communications between the company and our clients. My salary was raised a few months before I graduated.”

$14.18/hour - Librarian Assistant 3

  • Master's in Arts in English with a concentration on Fabtasy and Science Fiction Literature

  • 1 year

  • “Mine is a county job in south Florida.”

$14.65/hour - Adult Literacy Coordinator, Library

  • Master of Arts in English from Colorado State University-Pueblo

  • 8 months

  • “I work for a local public library system. My current wage is entry level for my position level (Library Coordinator). I gained this position before completing my masters. Libraries tend to offer compensation that is lower than what one might make in the public sector. But, my wage is the same as other library coordinators within our district but higher than other districts throughout my state. I also work as a part time press writer for a local non-profit organization that supports the local arts @ $450/month.”

$14.75/hour - High School English Teacher

  • B. A. English

  • 4 years

  • “I also design English curriculum for an online store, which brings me between $500 to $950 extra each month.”

$15/hour - Substitute teacher

  • English Secondary Education

  • 5 years

  • “Public school English teacher positions are few and far between. I have been subbing since graduating with my BA in 2008 and have struggled to find a full time position in any Profession. The response I get is I'm either too qualified (I have an MA) or that my degrees have no correlation to the position. I'm interested to know where English majors find work, and how.”

$15.00/hour - Administrative Assistant

  • Bachelor of Arts with a Major in English from the University of North Dakota

  • “I worked as student employee for over two years and just graduated college. I work for a hospital. I know many people with a variety of Bachelor degrees - from Biology to Marketing - who work in Secretarial positions.”

$15.00/hour - Solutions Coordinator - Online Retail

  • Bachelor's of Arts in English

  • 2 years

$30,000 - Director of Outdoor School/ESL Instructor

  • Master of Arts - English: Teaching English as a Second Language

  • 2 years

$30,000 - Copywriter in Real Estate Marketing

  • English Language, Writing, & Rhetoric

  • 6 months

  • “I work for a small company and am the only full-time in-house copywriter and don't have health benefits, but the company culture and my job more than makes up for the financial aspect.”

$30,000 - Teacher/Counselor

  • English, Literature Option

  • 6 months

  • “Worked a minimum wage job for ten years before this."

$31,000 - Assistant Sales Manager in Retail

  • Bachelors of Arts - English

  • 2-3 years

  • “I have been in my field since I was in school, with my current company for 3 months. I was found on LinkedIn by the District Manager for a larger retail corporation than the one I was currently employed by and offered a much higher paying position (though the title of my job didn't change when switching companies.)”

$31,500 - Publishing, Production Editor

  • Bachelor's degree in English, College of Charleston

  • Less than 1

  • “I work for a publisher of local history books, and I feel lucky to be where I am. Definitely ask for more than your first instinct tells you, even if you don't necessarily have the experience. It can be a good thing, as you don't have bad habits to unlearn.”

$13.00/hour - Medical Receptionist

  • English - B.A., College of the Ozarks

  • 1.5 years

$32,000 - Local Marketing Support Representative (Marketing/Media)

  • Media Writing (Combination of Creative Writing/Media @ Ohio University)

  • Less than 1 year

  • “Recent graduate, fairly large company (three offices around 600 employees) created own major mixed English/Creative Writing and Media Studies, salary range given was $30,000-40,000 and got $32,000.”

$32,000 - Academic Program Specialist English

  • Master of Humanities with a Concentration in English

  • 2 years

  • “I work at a pre-eminent state university in Florida.”

$32,000 - HR & Operations Assistant @ Non-profit

  • BA in English from Texas Lutheran University

  • 2 years

$32,000 - Copywriter

  • Bachelor of Arts in English with a Writing Emphasis

  • 1 month

  • “I have never had experience in this field or in an English related field, save for my college education. I was offered this job writing copy for a health food and supplements company based on a writing analysis. I did not negotiate for my salary; it was the first offer.”

$15.50/hour - Assistant Librarian

  • Bachelors of English

  • Less than 1 year

  • “The librarian circle is very small and tight-knit. Once you know one, you have access to an entire network. The hard part is breaking into the circle.”

$33,000 - Licensed Insurance Representative for State Farm

  • Bachelors of Art - English Literature

  • 1 year

$33,000 - High School English Teacher

  • BA English

  • 4 years

  • “I work overseas as an international educator.”

$16.00/hour - Library Aide, Adult Literacy coordinator/Book Mobile

  • BA English, Sacramento State

  • 10 years

  • “I work in an extremely poor city for an extremely poor library system.”

$34,500 - Assistant Editor; educational publishing

  • Bachelor's of Arts in English Language and Literature

  • 1 year

  • “The company I work for is a bit smaller. There around about 300 employees in our home offices and about 200 sales people throughout various countries.”

$34,000 - Prevention Specialist  in Higher Education

  • Bachelors of Arts, Austin College

  • 3 years

  • “I work for a state university. I also have my M. Ed in Higher Education Administration.”

$16.75/hour - Social Worker

  • Bachelors of the Arts in English Literature Binghamton university

  • 5 years

  • “This is the norm for social workers. I didn't plan on being a social worker but I don't feel like anyone pays attention to English Degrees on resumes. I wanted to teach elementary school but with so many budget cuts it wasn't a sure bet to get my masters in that either.”

$35,000 - Environmental/Business

  • Gonzaga University, Bachelor of Arts in English, Creative Writing

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a budding solar company and was promoted within a year of working there. I attribute this to my degree because of the various communicative channels I used as an undergrad. Not only am I eloquent in the way that I write, I am also an exceptional verbal communicator.”

$35,000 - Senior Editor, magazine publishing

  • Bachelor of English, writing emphasis

  • 2 years

$35,000 - Digital Ad Operations

  • Bachelor of Arts

  • Less than 1 year

  • “A starting wage right out of school w/ no experience. A non-creative role, though my degree definitely helped me get my position.”

$17.00/hour - Proofreader. Insurance.

  • B.A. in English Literature

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a large corporation.”

$36,000 - Project Assistant at a law firm in Chicago

  • English; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Less than 6 months

  • “I work for a small law firm in Chicago and didn't negotiate my salary enough. It was the first time I had been given the opportunity to suggest a salary in an interview, and I low-balled myself by saying 17-18 dollars per hour -- my salary equates to something like $17.33/hour.”

$36,000 - English Teacher (Middle School)

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 2 years

$36,500 - Production Assistant, Publishing

  • English (Penn State University)

  • 1.5 years

  • “I feel incredibly fortunate to have landed what is pretty much my dream job in only a little over a year after graduation. My salary is pretty much the norm for my field, but the age range for others with similar titles at a small university press will vary widely.”

$18/hour - Production Assistant for Theatre and Dance department at a university. I work in marketing.

  • Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing, Pacific University

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a small, private liberal arts university. I actually hold two part time positions for the same university in different departments. It did take me a year to find this level of work.”

$18/hour - Executive Assistant; financial

  • BA English ECSU

  • 1.5 years

$18.00/hour - Healthcare Staffing Coordinator

  • Honors in English Literature

  • 4 years

$37,000 - PR Coordinator. Mobile Gaming.

  • Bachelor of Arts, English (UC Berkeley)

  • 2.5 (6 months unpaid at a fashion PR agency, 6 months paid at a global PR agency w/ video game client, 1.5 years doing in-house PR for mobile games company)

  • “Entry-level/associate level at my paid internship was $36,000 so my salary is pretty standard for PR in general. However, it might skew low in terms of in-house PR, but that's because most in-house PR is at a manager level.”

$37,000 - Service Manager - Restaurant/Hospitality

  • Bachelor of Arts - English - WKU

  • 3 years

  • “I started as a server! My critical thinking skills and other capabilities helped me advance. Because I work for a franchise, my job description is more fluid and also pertains to marketing, which I would not have been able to attain in a corporate-run restaurant.”

$37,500 - Writing Program Director and Instructor of Composition, higher education

  • Master's of Art:English

  • 4 years

$37,740 - Assistant Director of the Center for Integrated Learning at Earlham College. (Higher Ed)

  • Master of Arts in English

  • 1.5 years

$38,000 - Director of Education - Educational Business

  • Bachelor's of English

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a large, national corporation in Educational Business. I began working for them as a part-time tutor 3 years ago until I was recommended to take over the Director of Education role. I did not negotiate my salary.”

$38,000 - English Teacher

  • English Education

  • 2 years

$38,000 - Business Instructor at an online college

  • San Jose state. English: Career Writing

  • 1 year

$38,000 - Business Liaison and International Credential Evaluator - Business/Management/Communications

  • Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Tennessee at Martin

  • 1 year

  • “My situation is quite unusual. I work for a small but rapidly growing department at the National Association of the State Boards of Accountancy. I started out in customer service and quickly advanced into credential evaluation. The evaluation job essentially consisted of reviewing and researching international education systems and creating reports dictating the international education and the U.S. equivalence. I recently received a promotion to the Business Liaison, which is a newly created position resulting from the astronomical growth our department has felt in the last year. There are multiple teams within the department, and they communicate with state boards, universities, and various internal and external stakeholders. My job is to coordinate and manage all the projects going on with the different team members, and make sure all projects, budgets, and other changeable elements are on time and in order. The job is different every day, and is expected to grow into a more stable management position within the department.”

$19/hour - Communication Specialist - Water industry

  • Bachelors in English Language and Literature minor in Business Administration

  • 1 year

$39,000 - Report Typist for an accounting firm

  • Bachelor of Arts - English - Creative Writing Emphasis

  • 1 year

  • “Not a huge corporation, about 3000 employees nationwide. Job includes proofreading (2% of job) as well as formatting (98% of job) documents for clients. Extremely detail oriented work.”

$39,000 - Middle School Teacher, Education

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 1 year

$39,000 - Quality Control Technical Editor - Military Aeronautics, Technical Publications

  • English, Bachelor of Arts - Kennesaw State University

  • 1 year

  • “I work as a subcontractor for a major aeronautics company. Very little room for salary negotiation as the pay scale is predetermined by the government's contracting agreement. Technical editing is not necessarily the field that I was interested in during college but I have been very successful in moving up within my group and within my company. I expect to work for 2-5 years in this field in order to have enough experience for future corporate writing/editing endeavors.”

$40,000 - Manager; Grants & Foundation funding for a nonprofit

  • B.A. in English from TAMU-Commerce

  • 1 year

  • “I was making 65k at a big corporation as a content writer but took a pay cut to find more fulfilling work.”

$40,000 - Faculty education

  • MA English language and literature

  • 5 years

$40,000 - Digital Production, Publishing

  • BA in English; MA in Publishing

  • 2 years experience in current field

  • “I work for a large university press. Academic publishing, unless you work for a giant such as Pearson or Cengage, tends to be low-paying across all departments. I negotiated my current salary based on counter-offer from another company; I was initially offered 35,000.”

$40,100 - Non profit program coordinator

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 6 years

$40,889 - Automated Publishing Technician

  • BA in English

  • 1 year

  • “I work for the government and my degree helps out a lot when it comes to writing certain documents in the office and looking for grammar errors in certain publications and documents.”

$41,000 - English teacher

  • Bachelor of Arts

  • 1 year

  • “I also have a teaching credential, and am contracted annually.”

$41,000 - Instructor/ Learning Resource Center Assistant

  • English

  • 8 years

$41,600 - Membership Manager for a professional association

  • B.A. English Literature

  • 4 years

$42,000 - Project Manager, Marketing

  • English (University of Texas at Austin)

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a small (15-person) dental marketing company. I started as a copywriter at $38,000, but was promoted to project manager after 10 months and received a raise. Our current copywriter makes significantly more than I did starting out (and than I currently make), but he has prior experience in the field.”

$42,000 - Web Optimization, Technology

  • English Education + Language/Literature Studies

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a company that contracts with Google. I also studied French which helped immensely to get this position. I worked as a contractor for roughly a year before signing on full time in April 2015.”

$42,000 - Project Coordinator, IT

  • Bachelor of Arts, English Literature

  • 1.5 years experience in current field

$42,000 - Copywriter

  • English Literature, University of California Berkeley

  • Less than 1 year

  • “Network!! It's all about who you know and following up.”

$42,000 - Higher Education

  • MA English language and Literature

  • 5 years

$20.00/hour - Technical Writer

  • B.A. English: Professional Writing

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a smaller company. I do graphic design work on the side, making an additional $400 a month. My salary seems toward the lower end of average for my area and English major friends.”

$20.39/hour - Timekeeper - Health Care

  • BA in English - University of Akron

  • 11 years

  • “I work for the Cleveland Clinic - one of the top hospitals in the country. Although I'm not utilizing my English degree (other than sending frequent e-mails throughout the day), I believe my degree helped me get my foot in the door. I would still love to work in some capacity in a more Englisj related field, but it's currently not in the cards.”

$42,500 - Marketing Coordinator

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 18 months

  • “I left my previous job that I had gotten with no experience as an Internet Marketer - starting salary 32k and a raise to 38k at my one year. Both are small businesses. In both positions, I did not negotiate for salary.”

$42,600 - Program Analyst

  • English Literature, University of Washington

  • 1 year

  • “I work in state government, and while my English degree is for sure helpful, I would have even gotten my foot in the door as an administrative assistant without also having two masters degrees :( I'm still early in my career in government and am in my 40s!”

$43,000 - Coordinator at a non-profit

  • B.A. in English from UC Berkeley. M.A. in English from Cornell

  • 6 years experience in current field

$21/hour - Customer Operations Associate

  • Master's degree in English from Texas Woman's University

  • Less than 1 year

  • “I changed from poverty level university adjunct teaching to comfortable entry level corporate work. I miss teaching but I love being able to afford to eat.”

$44,000 - Associate Technical Writer

  • Bachelor of Arts - English Literature

  • 5 months experience in current field

  • “I feel like I lucked out with a company that treats its employees really well. They actually offered me a higher salary than I asked for. I originally wasn't going to apply for any technical writing jobs, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to work for such a great company.”

$44,513 - Associate University Librarian

  • Bachelor of Arts in English (and a Master of Science in Library Science)

  • 8 years

  • “I work for an academic library at a state university. I was given the opportunity to negotiate a bit for my beginning salary, which is about the norm in my state for academic librarians at my level, I believe.”

$44,000 - Project Manager, English Higher Ed. Educational Publishing

  • BA in English, Dickinson College

  • 5 years

  • “I started as an Editorial Assistant in NYC at $32,620 in 2010. I think this was on the high side for the industry. My promotion to Project Manger included a 10% pay raise and access to the company bonus program (my current bonus goal is $4,000).”

$44,000 - Associate Editor, greeting cards

  • English, creative writing, BA, University of Kansas

  • 2 months

  • “I work at one of the main greeting card corporations. My salary was the base salary offered. I have the potential for advancement in a variety of positions.”

$45,000 - Community Coordinator, marketing and e-learning industry

  • B.A. English

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a growing start-up company, and this was my starting salary along with a 10% bonus each quarter dependent on if my company reached our quarter goals. In a month, the 10% bonus will no longer be in effect with my salary, but I will be receiving a bonus for working at the company for one year along with a 10% increase in my current salary.”

$45,000 - Restaurant Manager

  • UGA Bachelors of Arts in English

  • 10 years

$45,000 - Professor

  • Ph.D.

  • 11 years experience in current field

$46,000 - High School English Teacher

  • Bachelor of Arts with a major in English

  • 9 years

$46,000 - Teacher

  • BS English Education - Ball State University

  • 9 years

$46,100 - Digital Web Consultant / Online Marketing

  • Creative Writing, Texas A&M University

  • 2 years

  • “For my first full-time job out of college, I worked at a medium size business doing online data entry making $13 an hour. I heard it was easy to transfer into the copywriting department from there, where I would do social media, SEO analytics, blogs, web content, and press releases. 6 months later, I was able to transfer. I worked as a copywriter for $14 an hour for a year, then I got promoted to Lead Copywriter and got bumped up to $18.50. 6 months after that, I landed my current job, where I make 46.1K a year. I busted my butt for it.”

$47,000 - High School English Teacher

  • University of La Verne Bachelors Degree in English with a Single subject Teaching Credential in English

  • 1 year

  • “I work for a public school. Teachers are paid on a pay scale that gives you raises based on how much education you have and how long you have been teaching.”

$24/hour - Copy editor/Page designer (Journalism/Newspapers)

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 16 years experience in current field

$49,000 - 9th grade English I Teacher

  • BA in English, concentration in Creative Writing. Second BA in Theatre Arts.

  • 2 years

$49,000 - Business Services Specialist

  • English literature

  • 1 year

  • “First year in a big corporation.”

$49,000 - Educational Technologist (Higher Ed)

  • Bachelors in English, Western Kentucky University

  • 3 (kind of. Teaching lead me here, and that was 7 years)

  • “I work at Ohio State University. When teaching, I made $25-33k annually. Doing instructional design and Ed tech had been a big financial change.”

$50,000 - Writing Teacher

  • BA

  • 1 year

$50,000 - Digital Marketing Manager

  • English -Literature & Creative Writing

  • 2 years experience in current field

$50,000 - Production Editor in Trade Publishing

  • BA in Creative Writing, MA in Publishing

  • 4 months in trade publishing, 3 years in publishing in general (was in educational publishing for about 2.5 years)

  • “I work for a major trade publishing company and lucked into my job in that they hired me even though I had relatively little trade publishing work experience. My position is not entry-level. I did my entry-level work in educational publishing, where the pay is higher than entry-level trade positions. But it seems like very few people are able to jump into trade publishing at a level higher than entry-level.”

$50,000 - Teacher

  • BA on Literature - University of Houston Clear Lake

  • 2 years

$50,000 - Vice President of Client Services. Advertising

  • BA English, Mississippi College

  • 3 years

  • “I work for a small business, and my situation is definitely not the norm. I was essentially hired to help with project coordination, and I took the opportunity to learn about the industry and the company. A few raises and promotions later, and now I'm the senior employee, not including the owner/president. We've also begun a small publishing company (focusing on magazines), and now I'm regularly able to concentrate on writing, editing, and managing freelance writers. It's nearly an ideal job!”

$50,000 - Classroom Integration Developer; Higher Ed

  • MS in Book Publishing

  • Less than 1 year

$50,000 - Secondary Teacher

  • B.A. English Language and Literature, University of Washington

  • 1 year

$50,000 - Youth Development Director @ Non-profit

  • BA in English

  • 2 years

$51,000 - Community Outreach

  • English (Westminster College)

  • 6 years

  • “I also get $20,000 per year in benefits.”

$52,080 - Senior Revenue Agent with Washington State Department of Revenue

  • BA in English Literature from Pacific Lutheran University

  • 3 years

$53,000 - High School English Teacher

  • B.A. in English from U.T. Austin

  • 15 years

$53,000 - Technical Writer/Editor

  • Master of Arts in Technical and Expository Writing

  • 8 years

  • “I work for the federal government and have had no opportunity to negotiate but have received consistent within-grade increases each year due to acceptable performance. I even got a small bonus this year for the first time.”

$53,000 - Teacher

  • BA English, M.Ed. English Education, Ed.S. Curriculum and Instruction

  • 8 years

$53,000 - English Teacher

  • University of Maryland, BA in English; MEd

  • 6 years

  • “Public school system in Maryland. Because of budget cuts, we're about 2 steps behind our pay grade.”

$54,000 - Communications Specialist for Advancement

  • M.A English Literature

  • I've been in my current job for almost a year. I have been working for about 4-5 years in a professional writer environment.

  • “I work in marketing/alumni relations at a local university.”

$54,600 - Associate Director of Admission Field: Higher Education

  • BA in English

  • 15 years

$55,000 - Higher Education

  • B.S. and M.A. in English.

  • 2 years

$55,000 - Higher Education / Marketing

  • BA English / MBA

  • 7 years

$55,000 - Event Coordinator, Hospitality (Restaurant)

  • BA, English (Texas A&M University)

  • Less than 1 year

  • “Small, privately-owned restaurant chain in Houston, TX. Salary is based on a $45K base plus commission.”

$55,000-$60,000/year - Sole Proprietor (graphic design and editing services)

  • BA in English, literature and professional writing tracks, Virginia Tech

  • 5 years

  • “My first 3 1/5 years out of college, I was a production editor for a small book publisher where I went from $33,000 to $41,000. I began working on B2G proposals and desktop publishing work on the side, and realized I could make more money as a freelancer. I also have a background in graphic design, so I do graphic services as well under the same freelancing pseudonym.”

$55,389 - Teacher

  • English-Creative Writing

  • 6 years

  • “Teacher pay in Texas is based on experience. Our school does not participate in merit pay, so my students' standardized test scores do not earn me any bonuses. We can earn more if we teach in the summer. I believe our salary is higher than the overall state average. School finance is a big controversy right now, so many teachers have gone several years without raises and saw paychecks diminish due to rising healthcare costs.”

$60,000 - Digital Content Manager

  • 5 years experience in current field

  • Bachelor of Arts in English & Master of Arts in English

  • “[I] work for a large state university in Kentucky.”

$60,000 - Digital Marketing Specialist

  • Bachelor of Arts in English

  • 1 year

$60,000 - High School Teacher

  • BA in English and MA in English and teaching credential

  • 2 years

$60,000 - Admissions Representative

  • BA in English, CSUF

  • 1 year in the business 15 years started as a rep then director now rep again

  • “Small for profit college. I have a Masters in Education too. Couldn't find work in management. I was a Director of Admissions now a rep again at $60K.”

$61,000 - Director of Information Systems (IT)

  • BA English

  • 5 years

$61,000 - "Research Program Officer" in the field of Research Administration

  • Master of Arts in English Composition and Communication

  • 5 years

  • “My full-time job is in the research office of a large university. I was hired based on my experience as a grant writer. I also earn additional income as a freelance writer (about $5,000 - $15,000 per year) and as a used book seller on Amazon (less than $1,000 per year). So English, particularly the development of my writing skills, has paid off and provided three income streams.”

$30-50/hour - Editor (publishing), Copywriter (travel)

  • English Literature, UW-Madison

  • 7 years

  • “I am a freelancer for multiple agencies. I have a few of my own clients and projects as well. I travel as I work. I've lived abroad for about six years while working 100 percent remotely.”

$64,000 - Professor of English

  • Masters-English (Rhetoric)

  • 9 years

  • “I work for a community college. If I would have known then what I know now, I definitely would have gotten more certificates and a phd. Those are huge bump ups on the pay scale. Get them while you're young and motivated!”

$65,000 - Senior Intake & Communication Specialist

  • Bachelor of arts degree in English

  • 7 years

  • “Bank - financial services; technology. Located in Toronto.”

$65,000 - Content Strategist @ an Ad Agency

  • English, Tufts University

  • 1 year

  • “Work for a large ad agency. Was offered starting salary of 55k. Successfully negotiated to 60k. Promoted after a year and increased to 65k.”

$65,000 - Operations Manager, Retail Management

  • English literature

  • 13 years

$65,000 - Associate Director of ESL DEPT.

  • Undergrad: English, Grad: ESL

  • 23 years

  • “I work at a University in NY.”

$65,700 - Senior Technical Writer, Johns Hopkins Healthcare

  • Bachelor of Arts, English - Bowie State University and Master of Science, Professional Writing - Towson University

  • 10 years

  • “My advice to English majors is to always pursue an advance degree. You'd be suprises how many doors the extra education opens up for you. Most CEOs aren't grammar fanatics but they always have someone on their team that is and can keep them sounding smart.”

$67,000 - Supply Chain Manager / Aerospace

  • English Literature, University of Nevada Reno

  • 6 years

  • “I work for a small business with about 20 employees. My first job out of college was as a technical writer, and through that I learned project coordination and later supply chain management. I will be finishing an MBA program this year.”

$68,000 - Senior Executive Secretary, Education

  • Bachelor of Arts, English, California State University, Fullerton

  • 3 years

  • “I work in the Superintendent's Office in one of the largest school districts in California.”

$33.15/hour - Human Resources Analyst

  • English Language and Literature

  • 4 years

  • “I work for a municipality with a workforce of about 480 full-time employees. I started as clerical support staff and was recently promoted to Analyst this year. Many people don't think about public sector employment when looking for a career, but it's great. You won't get rich working in government, but you can't beat the benefits. My degree in English has helped me write policies, interpret policies and procedures, as well as give me a different take on things that my coworkers who majored in Business can't relate to.”

$70,000 - Dual Credit Instructor

  • Master of Arts Literature

  • 9 years

  • “My situation is not the norm, but I teach dual credit literature in a midsized school district and receive a salary from both the high school and college.”

$70,000 - Technical Writer

  • English

  • 2 years

  • “I work for a large corporation. I don't love my job, but it's good money. And I get to write (although most of my writing is about things I don't care about) My real love (creative writing and reading) I do on evenings and weekends.”

$73,500 - Technical Writer. Oil and Gas industry

  • English Literature from Oklahoma State Univ.

  • 10 years

  • “I have been tech writing since I got out of college. I make a very decent salary now but I have had to work very hard to prove that I am worth the salary that I am asking for when I have job hunted in the past. It always turns out that people are thankful to have a writer on staff after a small amount of time. The job that gave me the biggest raise was doing civilian contract writing for the Dept. of Defense.”

$75,000 - English Language Arts Teacher

  • MA English/rhetoric and composition

  • 9 years

  • “I work for a small school district in LA county.”

$90,000 - Financial Analyst

  • English literature - Montana state university

  • 3 years

$90,000 - Account Executive (Sales)

  • English Literature

  • 15 years

  • “Corporation - I'm paid on commissions only!”

$92,000 - Digital Research Manager

  • BA English, Graduate degree in Business

  • 6 years

$100,000 - Chief Development Officer

  • BA in English

  • 30 years

  • “I've been doing my job a very long time, mostly because I'm getting old! Back when I was in college I had many people tell me that I should get a degree in computer science or business or accounting for security. All of those degrees sounded so boring to me. I went with English, writing papers about Chaucer and Toni Morrison, though mostly not together. When I graduated I got a secretarial job, and then about two years later I found myself working for a nonprofit. The pay was lower than it had been at my secretarial job, but they were willing to allow me to use my writing skills (although not willing to compensate me for my writing skills). So I stayed with them, built up a portfolio of writing samples and started moving from job to job, up the ladder gradually. I hit a few points where I switched jobs because I was unhappy and therefore made a lateral move, but mostly I've been on a slow climb up. I don't always love what I do, but I do like that in my career path I have generally increased my pay and responsibility. I make a good living (or at least good enough for my needs). I work in an expanding field, I get generous vacation and benefits. I also am vested in two traditional retirement programs. I have friends who went the corporate route, some made a lot of money early but now that we are in the last phase of our careers (I assume that I will retire in the next 15 years), I find that in some ways I am in a better financial position than some of my more corporate friends due to generous retirement benefits at two of the larger nonprofits that I worked for. And being able to take complex ideas and describe them in a way that many people can understand is a big part of what makes me good at my job. Thanks, English degree!”

$50/hour - Editor/Publishing

  • Bachelor of Arts

  • 8 years

  • “I freelance so my income fluctuates quite a bit.”

$110,000 - Property Manager in Real Estate

  • Bachelor of Arts - English. Florida state

  • 5 years

$111,000 - Communications Manager, Retail Industry

  • B.A. English, Eastern Illinois University

  • 9 years

  • “I work for a huge corporation.”

$142,000 - HR Business Partner

  • BA, English Literature

  • 18 years

$150,000 - Lawyer

  • BA -Theatre & English (Whittier College), MA-English Literature (DePaul University), JD (DePaul University)

  • 5 years

  • “Majoring in English is a good start, but I definitely wouldn't rely on it being the final goal. I'd couple it with plans for graduate school or a second major.”

$225,000 - President/Education

  • B.A., M.A., Ph.D., all in English

  • 25 years experience in current field

  • “Typical academic track--faculty, chair, dean, VPAA, president.”

$385,000 - Community Health Educator in Healthcare

  • BA in English Literature

  • 6 years

  • “I work for a fortune 100 company and went into social work after college.”

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Posted on February 6, 2021 by Alyssa W. Christensen and filed under Articles, Featured Articles, Job Search Resources and tagged Featured Articles.