Majoring in English feels like finally gaining a certificate in a skillset I have been dealt at birth and developed throughout my entire life. It feels like finally reaching a blackbelt in karate. Reading, writing, and discussing, have been things that I’ve loved to do from the moment I was taught how. My natural inclination towards language has only blossomed with the support of educators who saw this within me–a healthy mix of nurture and nature. Taking these natural abilities and developing them into something “viable” is why we pursue an education in English. Without any direction, I feel it would be easy for an English-oriented mind to get lost in the world of language.

With that being said, English majors are constantly faced with the question, “How can you use that in the real world?” The practicality of an English degree is typically questioned because it is not directly linked to one certain career (besides being an English teacher). We English majors can clearly and confidently list the practical skills we’ve developed throughout our degree—critical thinking likely being at the top of the list. But what does critical thinking actually mean?

US Department of Education Standards for Critical Thinking defines critical thinking by the following standards: clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth & breadth, logic, significance, and fairness.

In Amanda Hiner’s article, “The Viability of the English Major in the Current Economy,” she offers a great interpretation of these standards, “At its core, critical thinking can be defined as metacognitive thinking that is self-conscious, self-reflective, and self-correcting; that relies on standards and criteria of logic; that uses questions to reason things out; and that produces an authentic belief in the validity of the reasoning” (Amanda Hiner, The Viability of the English Major in the Current Economy). I think that this perfectly captures the essence of what the process of critical thinking looks like. These cognitive and metacognitive skills are things that come very naturally to English majors, and most individuals in the Humanities fields.

While reflecting upon the projects that I’ve worked on over the past four years there are a few that stand out. The first project asked that I explore key terms relevant to the theory and practice of my personal writing. I included this image because much of my project described the ingredients that makeup language comprehension. Something I noticed throughout the project was the balance and tension between the “abstract” and the “concrete.”

We live in a world of abstract concepts, thoughts, and ideas. It takes a very refined group of skills and tools to turn abstract concepts into concrete thoughts. Developing these thoughts and communicating them effectively is another layer entirely and ties back into the previous description of critical thinking. It requires you to be clear, accurate, relevant, consider breadth or depth, and to be logical

In another project, that I did in an English Education class through the Education department, we were asked to write about and discuss our teaching philosophy. Capturing the essence of why English is so valuable was natural for me. Explaining how and why I would be a successful teacher allowed me to spend time reflecting on the values of an English education. In the book Sensemaking, Christian Madsbjerg identifies terms like the way Humanities-trained people can: “encounter other worlds,” “imagine other worlds,” “have an acute perception of our own world” and can “recognize patterns to generate insights.” I agree, and these descriptions concisely articulate my six-page teaching philosophy.

Lastly, I believe that projects that all English majors are no stranger to—the literary analysis paper—seemingly useless in the “real world,” are actually the highest form of critical thinking. To be specific, one of my favorite papers to write, a literary Analysis of The Odyssey, required me to closely meet the standards of critical thinking: clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth & breadth, logic, significance, and fairness. Additionally, I had to clearly and effectively communicate abstract ideas and turn them into concrete points.     

As an individual entering the world of sales and business commerce, I know that my English skillset is not only transferrable in the business world but both valuable and viable. I’ve learned that sometimes it’s not about the content I’m working with but the ability to become completely consumed by an interest in learning and sharing what I’ve learned. This ability is essential in a sales profession and is termed “product knowledge.” Learning about new products (for me specifically, medical devices) uses the same passion and skillset as becoming engrossed in a novel, poem, or essay.

Throughout each paper I’ve written, from literary analysis of Pope essays to Young Adult fiction novels, the common thread is clearly articulating my interpretation of the content and persuading others to believe and adopt my perspective.