Career Resources & Job Outcomes

Students should also regularly utilize the resources available through the Student Experience and Talent site at UWM. The center is about more than resume preparation. The career professionals there can help you identify your professional goals and teach you techniques (like informational interviewing and shadowing) to learn more about professional careers. They can also help you develop your job search strategy, help you locate an internship, or connect you with UWM alumni who may be able to provide you with information or advice in a particular industry or career.

All links below here point to external sites.

From research labs to corporate suites, courthouses to publishing houses, whatever field you’re aiming for, an English degree sets you apart! An English major is excellent preparation for a variety of jobs and careers. Read below for more information, but for a quick update, see Paul Corrigan’s April 2019 summary, “English Majors Get Jobs” and the Modern Language Association’s 2024 “Report on English Majors’ Career Preparation and Outcomes.”

Why are such a wide range of careers open to English majors?

Unlike many college graduates, their abilities to critically engage and solve problems aren’t limited to discipline-specific applications. In other words, English majors have transferable skills in oral and written communication, analytic research, and collaborative learning that are highly sought after in the dynamic and ever-changing 21st-century job market.

Data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers echo other studies. While liberal arts graduates may begin behind computer scientists and engineers in starting salary, they soon equal or surpass them.

What kind of characteristics are looked for?

When surveyed, employers say they are looking for the characteristics typical of an English major:

“Four of the top five traits were hallmarks of a traditional liberal-arts education: teamwork, clear writing, problem-solving aptitude and strong oral communications. Mindful of those longer-term needs, some employers end up hiring humanities and social-sciences graduates, even if such majors aren’t explicitly singled out when recruiting.” (Vault)

Learn more.

Learn more about your options and potential careers by visiting the UWM Center for Student Experience & Talent.

Sample jobs of our English alumni

A sampling of jobs that our English alumni have held include the following. Some professions require a graduate degree.

Grant Writer, Milwaukee Public Schools
Multiple published fiction and non-fiction authors
Program Director, Sharp Literacy, Inc.
Study Abroad Coordinator, University of Michigan
Staff Specialist, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Marketing Writer, Epic Systems
Reporter, BizTimes Media
Copywriter, Kohl’s
Editor, Klambach Publishing
Human Resources Recruiter, WaterStone Bank
Copywriter, Cramer-Krasselt
Attorney, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, S.C.
Instructional Designer, Aurora Healthcare
Archivist, Washington State Historical Society
Communications Coordinator, Allstate
Grant Writer, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Technical Writer, GE Healthcare
Public Relations Specialist, Cardinal Stritch University
Human Resources Coordinator, GMR Marketing
Editor, National Geographic
Staff Writer, Cision Software
Communications Director, Medical College of Wisconsin
Business Analyst, United Health Group
Planning Director, Milwaukee Tool
Proposal Specialist, BDO USA
Event Marketer, Rockwell Automation
Technical Writer, Northwestern Mutual
Technical Writer, Curt G. Joa, Inc.
Game Designer, Zynga
Public Relations Assistant, Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Business Analyst, Standard Process, Inc.
Technical Writer, FedEx

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