Graduate scheme application season is upon us folks! If you’re a recent graduate or a final year student, it’s more than likely you’ve heard peers, colleagues, friends and family asking questions about your plans post-graduation. More often than not, for English students, this question is dreaded.
It’s hard to know exact what you want to do when you study a non-vocational subject like English and especially when you know that you don’t want to do publishing, teaching or any other ‘traditional’ route associated with the subject. English graduates benefit, however, from a wide range of versatile and transferable skills which can be used for lots of careers that we often don’t realise!
The access and reach you have with an English degree is incredibly varied; here are some ideas!
- UX Writing/Content Design
- UX Writer: Crafting concise, user-friendly content for apps, websites, and digital products, focusing on user experience.
- Content Designer: Shaping digital experiences through writing that aligns with user journeys, collaborating with designers and developers.
- Tech and Startups
- Technical Writer: Translating complex technical information into clear guides, manuals, and documentation for software or hardware products.
- Product Evangelist: Creating narratives and presentations to promote new technologies or innovations in startups, bridging the gap between tech and audience.
- Gaming Industry
- Narrative Designer: Developing storylines, dialogue, and character development for video games.
- Localization Specialist: Adapting stories, dialogue, or in-game content for different languages and cultures.
- Data Analysis and Storytelling
- Data Storyteller: Using data to create compelling narratives for businesses or organizations, interpreting trends and presenting them through engaging reports.
- Data Journalist: Combining journalism and data analysis to uncover and explain complex stories using data visualizations and insights.
- Ethical Hacking/Social Engineering
- Social Engineer: Using language, psychology, and research to ethically test and expose weaknesses in companies’ cybersecurity by persuading employees to reveal confidential information.
- Event Design and Management
- Event Curator: Crafting immersive, narrative-driven experiences for cultural, corporate, or artistic events, using storytelling to connect with the audience.
- Festival Organizer: Shaping the creative vision and experience of literary or artistic festivals, blending project management and creativity.
- Voiceover Work and Audiobook Narration
- Audiobook Narrator: Recording audiobooks for publishers, making use of performance skills to bring stories to life.
- Voiceover Artist: Lending your voice to characters in video games, animations, or commercials.
- Cultural and Museum Work
- Exhibit Storyteller: Crafting the narrative and educational content for museum exhibits or historical sites.
- Cultural Consultant: Advising media productions (film, TV, or advertising) on accurate cultural and historical storytelling.
- Travel Writing and Experience Design
- Travel Writer/Blogger: Creating narrative-driven travel content for online platforms, magazines, or travel companies.
- Experience Designer: Developing unique travel or hospitality experiences that engage visitors through storytelling (e.g., themed hotels, guided immersive tours).
- Entrepreneurship in Creative Fields
- Creative Entrepreneur: Starting a business in publishing, media, or content creation, such as running a niche digital magazine or podcast production company.
- Freelance Content Consultant: Offering strategic content services to startups and companies on a project basis.