Careers and Internships

Many English majors go on to graduate and law school, and the rich and varied undergraduate education they receive at Dominican is the perfect starting point for graduate education.

Perhaps the classic career path for English majors is to become teachers after graduation. Many do—that’s why Dominican offers the concentration in English Secondary Education, precisely tailored to get Dominican graduates into the classroom as quickly as possible.

But English majors who learn how to emphasize the many “transferable skills” they gained during their time at Dominican—being able to think clearly and critically, learn quickly, write well and see both the larger context and fine details—will find employers in many fields who welcome them.

English majors have a competitive edge in the current market largely because of their skills in analysis and writing. Steve Strauss, entrepreneur and contributor to the Huffington Post and USA Today, loves to hire English majors: “Whether it is a blog, an email to a client, an e-newsletter post, or an analysis of a problem, English majors win, hands down.”

A Forbes Magazine columnist will tell you about 14 jobs for English majors that pay at least $60,000. Possibilities include technical writers ($69,700), editorial directors (92,000), and web producers ($69,900).

USA Today published this article about “Why Entrepreneurs Should Hire English Majors” and noted that businesses “need folks who can jump in, quickly see the issue, think critically and solve the problem...sort of like someone who was given some dense literary passage and had to read it, analyze it, and write intelligently about it in 45 minutes.” 

The Wall Street Journal joined the conversation with “Hunting for Soft Skills, Companies Scoop up English Majors”

What gives English majors a competitive edge? Their close readings of text and their ability to craft compelling narratives. English majors are especially qualified for careers as:

  • Archivists
  • Arts Administrators
  • Content Writers and Copywriters (digital and print)
  • Dramaturgs
  • Editorial Staff (at magazines and publishing houses)
  • English as a foreign language teacher
  • Grants writers
  • Literary talent agents and editors
  • Magazine and newspaper journalists and editors
  • Marketing Managers
  • Publicists (for corporations, nonprofit organizations, political campaigns and institutions of higher learning)
  • Publishers
  • Proofreaders
  • Social Media Managers
  • Speechwriters/Press Secretaries
  • Technical Writers
  • Theatrical Literary Management
  • Translators
  • Web Content Manager

Some jobs held by recent Dominican English graduates include:

  • City Year mentor and tutor
  • Director of Print and Multimedia Publications, Chicago History Museum
  • English professor/administrator at Triton College
  • English teacher in Japan
  • Marketing Coordinator, Heritage Prairie Farm
  • Quality Assurance Specialist at Groupon
  • Studs Terkel archivist at WBEZ radio station
  • Video game writer and creator
  • Executive Assistant, The Poetry Foundation
  • Content Creator, GrubHub

Some internships available for current Dominican English majors include:

  • Archivist and Research Assistant, Ed Paschke Arts Center
  • Creative Intern, Leo Burnett
  • Editorial Intern, Chicago Reader
  • Marketing and Development, the Gift Theatre Company
  • Community and Audience Outreach, 16th Street Theater
  • Writing Tutor, Oak Park Public Library
  • Editorial and Marketing, The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park
  • Poetry Ambassador, The Poetry Foundation
  • Literacy Intern, Open Books