Highest Paying Jobs for English Majors

Choosing a major that you love and enjoy studying will not only make your college experience better, but it will also make your career life after graduation better! Studying English is an interesting experience for students. It helps them discover their abilities as readers and interpreters of literature!

If you’re interested in books, reading, language, and writing, then an English degree is for you! In addition, jobs for English majors in general are interesting, fun, and sometimes challenging! It’s always important to end up doing something you love to avoid burning out or jumping between careers. 

There are a lot of jobs nowadays; the trick is to wisely choose one of the careers for English majors that will make the most money in the future. Still, the highest-paying jobs are not always definite, and they change over time, depending on many factors. 

However, there are always a number of stable jobs known to be high-paying and interesting. We’ve gathered a list of these jobs for you to check out!

What are the highest-paying Jobs for English Majors?

Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting jobs available for English majors and how much each job will pay you!

Technical Writer

Writing, in general, is a great career for you if you’re interested in it! Technical writers will use their technical writing skills to create guides, manuals, and documents that detail the advantages and features of a certain product or industry they’re working for.

They are required to do constant research to ensure that their work is accurate to a great degree. This is why it’s one of the most important jobs for English majors. Technical writers' main priority is providing their readers with the best information available. Technical writing requires a lot of courses, so it’s advised to take some once you’re done with college to make your CV look better!

The average annual salary for a technical writer is around $85,831. If you’re looking for a good university to help you become a technical writer, several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, offer great technical writing courses.

English Professor

Providing tutoring and academic counselling to students, an English professor is one of the most important jobs available. Being an English professor means you will be interacting with students all day, helping them understand their curriculums better and excel in their majors!

If you’re interested in teaching and want to help shape the minds of students, then this is the right career for you! You’ll be creating your own syllabus while teaching a variety of disciplines, from screenwriting to literature! You’ll also help international students improve their English language skills.

An English professor makes around $79,000 per year. A lot of universities offer great courses to help you become an English professor, including the University of Oxford.

Public Relations (PR) Manager

Considered one of the best jobs for English majors, working in public relations means you’re responsible for maintaining a brand's or organisation’s looks. It’s essential to manage the organization's public image and reputation by keeping an eye on social, political, and economic trends that could positively or negatively impact the company!

In order to become a successful PR, you have to acquire a combination of relevant educational background and relevant experience by taking courses to help you. You’ll also have to understand media relations, learn crisis communication, and become experienced in digital and social media networking. 

As a PR manager, you’ll make around $85,000 a year. Several universities offer PR programmes to help you gain experience, including the University of Michigan and the University of Toronto.

Copywriter

A lot of people confuse a copywriter with a content writer. A copywriter is found in an advertising agency or works in the marketing department of a company. Copywriters write catchy, short content, usually around 100 words.

Copywriting is a skill that needs a lot of practise. You’ll need to have a great vocabulary and an appropriate amount of knowledge of current events in order to stay up-to-date. This is why copywriting is one of the best jobs for English majors!

The average annual salary for a copywriter is around $63,722, and it differs according to experience. The University of Oxford is one of the best universities offering English programmes to help you become a professional copywriter!

Editor

An editor checks a piece of writing for errors after it's already been written. They proofread the paper, develop ideas for the writers, finalise articles before publishing, and check facts written in the paper. If they’re editing web content, they also must have SEO knowledge in order to help that content rank. 

Many people think that editing is not an important job. However, it’s been proven that a new set of eyes reading something will help increase its accuracy! An editor will also offer comments and remarks to improve the product and suggest titles and headlines to help achieve the best result possible.

An editor makes around $72,230 a year; this also depends on the editor's courses, certificates, and experience. New York University is known for having the best programmes to help build a great editor.

Medical Writer

If you’re interested in the medical field, have a medical background, and are an English major, this job is for you! Medical writers are responsible for writing papers and documents related to the medical field. It’s one of the highest-paying jobs for English majors because it requires strong medical knowledge and requires a lot of courses.

The average salary for a medical writer is around $93,000, and it can vary depending on your experience and education. The University of Southern California offers one of the best programmes to ensure a high-quality education.

Translator

Being a translator and an English major usually means that you’re an international student who’s bilingual. There is a growing need for translators because of globalisation and social media, which have made communication easier for people! Many people enjoy working in translation nowadays because it gives them the opportunity to learn different languages. 

As a translator, you will specialise in converting written or spoken material from one language to another while maintaining the text's original meaning, format, and tone. This is not an easy job, as ensuring it’s translated accurately is important! 

The average annual salary of a translator is around $81,782, depending on the language, the experience, and the education. Several universities offer amazing translation programmes for you to choose from, including the University of East Anglia.

Content Writer

Finally, content writing is one of the most well-known and sought-after jobs for English majors these days! A content writer is responsible for researching topics and writing helpful, informative content for the company. A content writer will also adhere to SEO rules to ensure accuracy and good traffic for the company!

In order to be a good content writer, there are some skills you have to adopt, including time management, problem-solving, editing, creative writing, SEO, and the ability to work under pressure. Content writers are responsible for the company's image because they will also play a huge role in advertising!

The average salary of a content writer is $71,867 a year; this can go higher depending on experience and education. Many universities offer amazing programmes for writing, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and the University of Oxford.

Now that you have all the information you need about these jobs, you’ll be able to successfully choose what’s right for you and what will suit you the most! If you’re an international student and want to know where to study English, check out our blog, “Best UK Universities to Study English Literature”, to learn more!

Casita is also here to help you if you need student accommodation. Check out our website and choose what suits you best!

It’s also crucial to read more and talk to people who already work in these fields and have an English degree; they’ll be able to give you better advice that will shape your mind and provide you with insights to help you make the right choice. Good luck!