As a child, people always ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
The older a person grows, the more pressing the issue becomes. By the time a student is in college it’s no longer a question — it’s something set in motion.
The question then becomes, “What’s your major?”
Most students will snap out an answer quickly. As an English major, when I say as much, no one asks me what I want to be. People only ask, “So do you want to be a teacher?”
The answer to that is “no.”
It’s not like it’s necessarily a bad thing. The question itself is harmless. However, when it’s the only question that comes up, it starts to feel annoying. There is so much more an English major can do aside from teaching.
Advertising, business writing — they could be the bestselling authors of the future. While being a teacher is a noble calling, it feels limiting when people assume that is the only thing English majors can be.
No, a teacher is not all I could be.
The problem is that when I was told I could be anything I believed it. I know it to be true. While I smile and gently correct people by telling them the possibilities I might pursue, the question itself does wear me down.
I know I’m not the only one who is asked this question. English majors aren’t the only ones who have some apparent career choice that’s obvious to everyone but them.
Why create these misconceptions? Why even ask if the answer is already known?
If someone were to tell a child that they would be this or that when they grew up, that child would rebel. They would then start listing off all of the other things they could be. As an adult, I should not feel the need to do the same.
Most people change their majors at least once. How many times in that time period do they change their career choices? How many new career paths are presented? And why would anyone settle on just one when they have no idea what opportunities will actually be available after college?
I don’t think I’d mind being a teacher, but there are other things I’d like to try. I’ve had many options presented to me. I’ve talked to people who are in different fields, all of which need writers, storytellers and people who study plot.
Every student has those choices. Every student could go down multiple paths in their lifetime, because there is no one career associated to a major. The major is just a tool for students to get to the career field they want. So next time someone asks an English major if they want to be a teacher, remember that it’s only one narrow path.
They aren’t limited by it. They are irritated by the question, though.
Mary Emert can be reached at [email protected]