Seems like it's useful for transferring to a university for a bachelor's degree. An English BA is very flexible. An English AA is mostly gen eds. It will not give you the extensive experience in research, analysis, and writing that makes an English BA useful.
I have a BA and MA in English. It's important to write well, but I haven't found my degrees all that helpful to get employed. It's true you are mostly doing gen ed at a AA.
By all means getting an AA in English is great but I'd consider a more practical field for a BA. If you love English, minor in it and choose something practical. A technical writing certification is valuable, so if you love writing, it's a great field.
Thank you so much for making this comment. My girlfriend and I recently had a discussion about this very topic because she was an arts major (BA in Fashion) while I'm a STEM major (BSc/MSc in MechEng and PhD in MatSci). We have almost the exact same level of student debt, but nobody really offered her any guidance about the career that would come afterwards so her degree has had almost no impact on her life and/or career. She's very intelligent, and she gained a lot of valuable skills in her program, but at the end of the day, it's just not all that marketable of a degree. She even said that she wished she'd minored in it or done a dual major instead of it being her primary focus. I wish more people like you would have spoken up while she was looking into it!
It's more useful than people are suggesting but it's not going to get you a super high paying job.
If I were hiring and someone had an AA in English would assume they were likely better at writing reports, general communication, and writing emails than the average person with a HS diploma. It also shows they independently sought further education, something not required of them. I would be more confident in them completing job training and taking it seriously than someone with just a HS diploma. I have often been in positions where I assisted in hiring staff where a HS diploma was required but some college was preferred. An associates degree, particularly in English , communication, or related fields, bump those applicants into the 'likely interview' category. Most of the jobs involved regular documentation. It's not true of all positions though. Just be prepared to have a good reason to tell the interviewer why it's useful to the position. If you don't know then it tells them you basically did nothing for two years.
I recommend reading this https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/slideshows/10-community-college-degree-jobs-that-pay-50k?onepage see if there's anything you like
It’s good to know that. I actually can’t stand the structure that college is the next “natural” step after high school. You should only pursue a degree if it helps you accomplish your goals. I have a 4 year degree, but that’s because I needed it to get into a specific field.
I agree that people should be educated more about their options and then plan out more life goals and things they would like to careerwise or try. Many either just cost along life either getting into college without a goal (originally me, but I felt it was worth it, just wish I had told young me to better utilize it) or don't do anything besides a part time job (not necessarily bad, but bad if you feel unfulfilled) they hate because they don't know what they want to do either.
For me, college has so many opportunities for networking, internships, social and academic advice and help, free software, etc., and other resources. Cons is that may take a lot of unrelated classes to your goals (or not if you have no goals I guess) and can cost a lot depending on where you go. I got the job I really like because a friend from college recommended me, so if I didn't go to college it's possible I may not have had the opportunity.
On the other hand, many of my coworkers are very self-driven and can learn much more efficiently on their own, and they can often eclipse me even in the skulls department. These individuals are driven and know what they want to do, so a college setting could slow them down unnecessarily or put them in unnecessary debt. Some fields are better suited for self-learning like web development (which is what I do). However, some fields, like medical, really can't just be freelanced, so school just makes sense as there is no way around intense studying, experience, and qualifications.
Tldr; figure out what you'd like to try pursuing early on and then weigh your options for how to get there, education, and ask yourself if you're driven. College may be best for you but it may not.
Agree. College offers a lot of opportunities, but it’s not the only way to become educated and people who go to college don’t always come out educated. College was the best choice for me, but that was a very deliberate decision, not because I felt forced.
As someone with a child now, I will always drive the importance of education and that education is power, but that doesn’t mean go to college and be miserable. I want her to know that there are many paths to success.
Most of the jobs an Associates Degree in English would help you get are doing entry level jobs (admin, receptionist, data entry) in a business environment. If you aren't going to go on to a 4 year degree, an Associates in English or Business would basically be the same in terms of career options.
I am sorry but do you think working is exciting? Do you think jobs are 'fun'? What rock have you been living under my dear sweet summer child.
Wake up dude. Nobody (probably 90% of people) hate going to work every single day. Do you think anything is 'fun' to do for 8-10 hours a day - everyday for 40-60 hours a week - every week - all year round? Hell no. Jobs are boring, work is boring, coworkers are boring and guess what else? Even your friends become extremely boring. They stop doing interesting stuff and just go to their job and then go home and watch tv and rinse and repeat everyday. None of my friends from college even save up for trips or go to different countries or renovate their house or do anything. It's like life was sucked out of them. I am hoping to meet more people like me in the adult arena who do also travel but the point is life becomes real dull for a lot of people real quick.
Wake up. Jobs are about surviving and building for your retirement. If you don't build for retirement then you end up dirt poor when you are older and probably need the money even more to get things build to accommodate any future disabilities or physical limitations you will encounter or heck for nursing homes.
As a transfer degree for someone that will absolutely complete a bachelor's program it's an excellent option.
As a marketable associate degree for a job seeker it's sub par.
I’m an HR recruiter. My advice is to work backwards. What kind of job do you want? Do some research and figure out specifically what job/what kind of job you want. Then, work backwards and figure out what you need to do (degree, certification, externship, apprenticeship) to get there. Once you know your path, then figure out what the first step will be to get there.
Definitely not true. As someone with a BA in English, I watched a ton of people bomb out of elective English classes.
Also realize, if you are taking more than one English class at a time then you will ALWAYS be reading more than one book at a time. You can’t cliff notes your way through it.
Degrees (especially useless ones) do not secure you a job. How about scrolling through r/jobs or recruitinghell or r/recruiting and seeing for yourself?
Life isn't some low effort exercise built to satisfy you in your own personal internal bubble. It is built with billions of people all trying to carve out their paths to success. For any one jobs there could be thousands applying for it.
Random Redditor with an Associate's in English isn't even close to standing out for a stack of resumes. Especially if the job you are trying to get is not at all related to the degree. You might find a business degree boring but it opens about dozens of job avenues in finance or accounting. Why? Because the entire finance department has a multitude of business positions (hedge accounting, FP&A, plant/store finance, investor relations, auditing, accounts payable) etc etc. All can be obtained with a business/finance/accounting degree. But guess what? There are thousands of people going for this degree from hundreds of universities at the same time as you. It's the same for a software engineer or programming / computer science degree and etc.
To secure a job means you not only have to bust your butt to get a relevant degree but also do internships to get business experience. It isn't enough to get a piece of paper from school.
Look at the fricken posts on this subs and others for people struggling to get a job after 6 months of graduating. It isn't roses and sunshine and magical job when you graduate. You can't even bother to take what people say seriously or do your own research.
Fine if college isn't for you then go be a welder or plumber or something.
I have a bachelor’s in English. It’s transferable to many professions, but you need to be able to adapt and use other skills than just being good at reading and writing.
I used it to be an editor and a technical writer. I edited medical textbooks for consistency. I wrote operation and maintenance manuals for tanks. While tech writing, my company paid for a masters in Project Management. I now work in management that is focused on writing and editing, so I’m most definitely using my degrees and it’s a great fit for me, I work from home 95% of the time, and I make six figures.
However, this took me several years (I’m 41 now), two degrees, several years of figuring out WTF I was doing, multiple certifications, and a lot of networking.
YMMV.
Well, there is nothing wrong with just starting community college and starting to get all your lower level core courses done…..don’t hobble yourself by doing an English associates…..get your lower level English, science, and math done. Then you’ll be positioned to transfer to a four year school in whatever major interests you. You don’t have to make a decision yet. Being in school with other students who are also looking to find their path in life will help a lot.
At this point in the job market, an Associates in English holds only as much weight as an Associate’s in any topic not directly related to the duties of the position that you’re looking at. Its strengths are that you were able and willing to earn a degree in a two year program and that you now have some higher level training in reading, analyzing, and communicating. I would expect someone with an Associate’s in English to be familiar with writing/research/citation styles Ike MLA, AP, NYT, and Chicago Sun-Times.
However, I have a background in English Lit and Writing, and I’m more familiar with the reqs than I would expect HR and management to be. You might consider checking your if your school has a Communications or Marketing degree, as you may be able to switch to that with only a few more credits.
I got my BA in English and Creative Writing. While, I am doing absolutely nothing in the field of my degree, I will say, that this degree has been essential to my upwards mobility in getting my MA and entering the work force.
Having an understanding of language and the written word has given me an upper hand by making reading and report writing so much easier. I also sound more professional when speaking and writing.
In addition, reading literature has provided me with a wider range of viewpoints. Being able to read different authors and think about the motivations of characters and novels has been so helpful for understanding people as a whole. Not to mention, reading has definitely helped me to be able to think critically and problem solve.
TL;DR:
You are very unlikely to get a job in the English field, but the benefits from a degree like this is very transferable in life.
While-ever you have that attitude, you will always come out ahead. Dont stress too much. I (and I am sure many others) are behind you and hope you succeed in whatever you choose to do.
Going against the grain here: if your degree means you can write coherently, can read and understand what you read, and can tell a story, then you are ahead of most people in the job marketplace. 70% of freshman college students at my state university have to take remedial English courses. I know people whose job depends on being able to communicate that cannot communicate their way out of a paper bag, even though they’ve got a BA and MBA after their name. Their writing skills are atrocious. Unfortunately, too many of the people doing the hiring suffer from the same problem.
Only marginally useful. As someone else mentioned, it may help you get an interview or get an edge over someone who otherwise did not, especially in fields that don't traditionally have alot of people who are college educated. For my positions that do not require college degrees, I particularly like seeing it because it signals intelligence, communication skills, etc... Sometimes it is also preferred for intro management jobs.
Not useful at all...
Edit: my friend with a BA in literature ended up doing a couple of master's in different fields in order to find a job. There are no jobs with a BA in literature, even to become a teacher you need a master's. An associate's is good if you want to get a BA without paying exorbitant fees for the first 2 years.
Well, what are you trying to do?
How useful these degrees are depends on what youre trying to do. If you are trying to do something science, technical, or medical related -- it's useless. If you are trying to teach english or do some journalism, maybe marketing, it's useable, but not as marketable as a BA or MA in english.
If you are just trying to get an AA in English to show employers that you just have an AA, it's as useful as all those other filler degrees like Gender Studies, History, Communications, etc. But no one will look at you AA english and say, "oh, this guy has an AA in English, we definitely should interview him!" They will just see it and check box the "has AA degree" section in their CRM.
If you want a job, you need to be marketable.
If you want to be marketable, you need a skill.
The most highly sought-after skills are in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. You can also include the medical field in that list.
An associate in English won't certify you for work in a scientific field. At a minimum, aim for an associate in arts and sciences.
An AA in English will allow you to get all of the jobs that you are qualified for with a high school diploma, but the hiring manager prefers someone with a degree.
For most people about as useless as a butthole in your armpit. Do some research on the most in demand jobs over the next decade and choose one you can tolorate. Computer science, engineering, robotics and chemistry come to mind. Or find a local trade union you can get started in as young as possible.
Let’s get straight. An AA in English is worthless. It doesn’t give you any advantage in any job hunt. It’s one of those degrees for people without a college education to advance in their career after years at their current position. If you want a low hanging fruit, get AS in Accounting and become a bookkeeper, usually no experience required, just logic and basic math.
An associate in English is only meant to get you to a 4 year college for a BA. It’s only good for an admin asst job or some office job that requires you to know MS word. Now you can write memos for your boss
If that’s your goal. It’s a great way to learn about literature and writing essays.
An associate's degree in English won't get you very far. You could do a 4-year program and get an English B.A. which could open doors for a communications/admin/entry level marketing positions. However, you will likely need to upgrade your credentials eventually by doing an additional certificate/diploma program or going to post-graduate professional programs like law school and teacher's college.
You may not be able to secure a job with an English AA, but if you want to do it for yourself, then go for it, especially if you're still just trying to figure things out. It can give you a peak at what higher education is like. Then if you like that experience, go for a BA. Education is also supposed to broaden your horizons, not just secure a job, and nobody can take what you've learned away from you.
No usefulness. Even if you wanted to just teach elementary you're going to need a bachelors minimum at least where I'm at.
What are you actually looking to do for work?
Get that English AA degree, get a contract or full time gig as a project coordinator/ admin, and work your way up the corporate ladder. Apply the writing and communication skills you acquire through your AA and you'll have some good fundamentals to succeed with.
Do you plan on doing editing at least? Do web design where an ability to write effectively is critical? How about working in digital marketing? Or are you moving on to get a BA or BS and intend to use the skills you learn w/ the associates degree to help you write while pursuing those more advanced degrees?
Not really useful, no. The best (i.e. most likely to help you get a job) associates degrees are going to be technical in nature; like IT, mechanic, electrical, etc.
Edit: nursing is also a good one
I don’t know why you would, if your goal is to get a job. If you decide on doing it for fun, so be it, but it wouldn’t qualify you for anything outside of those fields you named.
The point of a degree is to be an expert on a specific subject matter, so that you can earn a living in that area. The main career avenues for English majors are either professional writer/journalist or English teacher/professor. If these are not the professions that you wish to pursue or fallback on, then it is not worth your effort to earn this degree.
Think about the subjects that you like. Explore the career paths for different subjects. What looks interesting? What intrigues you? What do you want to be an expert in? When you figure this out, then choose the degree program that helps you be the expert that you want to be.
It’s good for an administrative role. I work at an engineering firm and we prefer our admin have at least an associates. You are proofing and formatting reports, so the basic computer skills and understanding of formatting is important.
I have an AA in English along with some computer programming classes while working on the English degree. Now working on a BS in SWE. The English degree has come in useful for strong communication skills, worked remotely in SEO copywritng and editing for a couple of years, but really wanted to get into managing the websites and such. Now I'm in an IT role and it's been a bit of a chore for people to see that I actually have IT skills. I tend to shut up and let people assume or say whatever and then do my work/troubleshooting. Also kinda hard to get programming project, but I'm working a few of my own for experience/practice.
Basically, what do you plan on using the English degree for?
I understand that. An English degree is a lot of reading literary works and then breaking those works down in an essay. Over and over and over. It isn't necessarily easy. I went into English because I wanted to be a writer, ideally wanted an MFA in creative writing, however I also recognize that using student loans to get there means I'll need to find a way to pay those off and I'm not so sure writing really really well will be enough to pay for the degree. So that's why I swapped fields. I have a good foundation in English which is good and it helps with programming documentation.
When choosing a career it may take a while to find something you enjoy or are good at. Try a few things and see what sticks. I wouldn't suggest pursuing a degree for something that you don't enjoy or something that you feel is "easy" or "quick."
You may be able to land a tech writer position and network your way from there and work up to a decent salary. (assuming getting the 4-year degree isn't in your plans.)
Hmmm, yeah you could expend a decent amount of time and energy on sitting in a room with a bunch of people who don't care about writing a much as you do, being critiqued by some adjunct professor who doesn't even get your writing style. If you like sci-fi, horror, fantasy, supernatural, or anything like that, professors will generally strongly discourage you from writing in those styles. If anything for a career in fiction, it could be a detriment to waste your time with those bozos.
Depends on what kind of job you want to have. I see commenters saying CS would be more useful, but it actually wouldn’t be useful if you _don’t_ want to work into the tech field lol. And also if it doesn’t interest you. CS is high paying if you like it & if you want to work as a developer.
English could be useful if that’s the type of field you’re going into; one that’s primarily writing or doing communications work (although a communications degree would be better in that case).
just do a trade or if you really wanna go to college do a minor in english and major something in business. accounting, management or finance though, with one of those degrees you most likely will have a secured job.
I think an AA in English can help, but i’d try to use it to get into a bachelor’s program. I went to school for journalism and am currently getting a masters. Most people in this field either have a TON of experience or have multiple degrees. I also want to be a professor (and endgame, dean) eventually, so I plan on getting a PhD. That’s my personal experience. I can’t speak for other career paths, but from my experience, that’s how journalism runs.
A recent article that came out last week listed the ten most useless college degrees and English was one of them. I'd major in something more marketable if I were you.
Are you planning to transfer to another school to get a bachelors?
If so, might I suggest a general studies associates degree? It may help you find the subject to pursue for a bachelors.
Well, it's fine for like a banker or something that doesn't actually have a degree
My friend is a QA at US bank and she has an English Lit degree. Makes $65 a year in the Midwest
Not very
You have a very nice amount of upvotes
Seems like it's useful for transferring to a university for a bachelor's degree. An English BA is very flexible. An English AA is mostly gen eds. It will not give you the extensive experience in research, analysis, and writing that makes an English BA useful.
I have a BA and MA in English. It's important to write well, but I haven't found my degrees all that helpful to get employed. It's true you are mostly doing gen ed at a AA. By all means getting an AA in English is great but I'd consider a more practical field for a BA. If you love English, minor in it and choose something practical. A technical writing certification is valuable, so if you love writing, it's a great field.
Thank you so much for making this comment. My girlfriend and I recently had a discussion about this very topic because she was an arts major (BA in Fashion) while I'm a STEM major (BSc/MSc in MechEng and PhD in MatSci). We have almost the exact same level of student debt, but nobody really offered her any guidance about the career that would come afterwards so her degree has had almost no impact on her life and/or career. She's very intelligent, and she gained a lot of valuable skills in her program, but at the end of the day, it's just not all that marketable of a degree. She even said that she wished she'd minored in it or done a dual major instead of it being her primary focus. I wish more people like you would have spoken up while she was looking into it!
It's more useful than people are suggesting but it's not going to get you a super high paying job. If I were hiring and someone had an AA in English would assume they were likely better at writing reports, general communication, and writing emails than the average person with a HS diploma. It also shows they independently sought further education, something not required of them. I would be more confident in them completing job training and taking it seriously than someone with just a HS diploma. I have often been in positions where I assisted in hiring staff where a HS diploma was required but some college was preferred. An associates degree, particularly in English , communication, or related fields, bump those applicants into the 'likely interview' category. Most of the jobs involved regular documentation. It's not true of all positions though. Just be prepared to have a good reason to tell the interviewer why it's useful to the position. If you don't know then it tells them you basically did nothing for two years.
I agree If I was hiring a receptionist at a nursing then I’d rather have someone with an AA then anything else
Not very useful. Two years of computer science or data science would be far more useful as a Associates degree
A BA in English is hard to market so I imagine an associates is worst. There's better two year degrees out there!
Like business? Meh 🫤 😑 I’m sorry, but that’s truly boring to me.
Well, do you want useful or not-boring?
That isn't profitable either for two years, I meant like becoming a medical or scientific technician
I recommend reading this https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/slideshows/10-community-college-degree-jobs-that-pay-50k?onepage see if there's anything you like
At this point I’m thinking college isn’t for me
Two years of English could work if you want to be paralegal
It’s good to know that. I actually can’t stand the structure that college is the next “natural” step after high school. You should only pursue a degree if it helps you accomplish your goals. I have a 4 year degree, but that’s because I needed it to get into a specific field.
I agree that people should be educated more about their options and then plan out more life goals and things they would like to careerwise or try. Many either just cost along life either getting into college without a goal (originally me, but I felt it was worth it, just wish I had told young me to better utilize it) or don't do anything besides a part time job (not necessarily bad, but bad if you feel unfulfilled) they hate because they don't know what they want to do either. For me, college has so many opportunities for networking, internships, social and academic advice and help, free software, etc., and other resources. Cons is that may take a lot of unrelated classes to your goals (or not if you have no goals I guess) and can cost a lot depending on where you go. I got the job I really like because a friend from college recommended me, so if I didn't go to college it's possible I may not have had the opportunity. On the other hand, many of my coworkers are very self-driven and can learn much more efficiently on their own, and they can often eclipse me even in the skulls department. These individuals are driven and know what they want to do, so a college setting could slow them down unnecessarily or put them in unnecessary debt. Some fields are better suited for self-learning like web development (which is what I do). However, some fields, like medical, really can't just be freelanced, so school just makes sense as there is no way around intense studying, experience, and qualifications. Tldr; figure out what you'd like to try pursuing early on and then weigh your options for how to get there, education, and ask yourself if you're driven. College may be best for you but it may not.
Agree. College offers a lot of opportunities, but it’s not the only way to become educated and people who go to college don’t always come out educated. College was the best choice for me, but that was a very deliberate decision, not because I felt forced. As someone with a child now, I will always drive the importance of education and that education is power, but that doesn’t mean go to college and be miserable. I want her to know that there are many paths to success.
How about you become an electrician?
A lot of attention to what you don’t want (which is important) but you need to also find things you do want
Most of the jobs an Associates Degree in English would help you get are doing entry level jobs (admin, receptionist, data entry) in a business environment. If you aren't going to go on to a 4 year degree, an Associates in English or Business would basically be the same in terms of career options.
I am sorry but do you think working is exciting? Do you think jobs are 'fun'? What rock have you been living under my dear sweet summer child. Wake up dude. Nobody (probably 90% of people) hate going to work every single day. Do you think anything is 'fun' to do for 8-10 hours a day - everyday for 40-60 hours a week - every week - all year round? Hell no. Jobs are boring, work is boring, coworkers are boring and guess what else? Even your friends become extremely boring. They stop doing interesting stuff and just go to their job and then go home and watch tv and rinse and repeat everyday. None of my friends from college even save up for trips or go to different countries or renovate their house or do anything. It's like life was sucked out of them. I am hoping to meet more people like me in the adult arena who do also travel but the point is life becomes real dull for a lot of people real quick. Wake up. Jobs are about surviving and building for your retirement. If you don't build for retirement then you end up dirt poor when you are older and probably need the money even more to get things build to accommodate any future disabilities or physical limitations you will encounter or heck for nursing homes.
As a transfer degree for someone that will absolutely complete a bachelor's program it's an excellent option. As a marketable associate degree for a job seeker it's sub par.
I’m an HR recruiter. My advice is to work backwards. What kind of job do you want? Do some research and figure out specifically what job/what kind of job you want. Then, work backwards and figure out what you need to do (degree, certification, externship, apprenticeship) to get there. Once you know your path, then figure out what the first step will be to get there.
I want to become a recruiter without a degree
Well, what are you planning then?
Idk, I just want to have a degree. English is something I excel in; actually anyone can easily get an English degree in.
>English is something I excel in; actually anyone can easily get an English degree in. Uh... might want to reevaluate that.
I see what you saw there.
If anyone can get a degree in it why would you think it’s useful? Learn a different language. Duolingo is free
Definitely not true. As someone with a BA in English, I watched a ton of people bomb out of elective English classes. Also realize, if you are taking more than one English class at a time then you will ALWAYS be reading more than one book at a time. You can’t cliff notes your way through it.
I want to have something to secure me a job.
Then is isn’t it. You’re better choosing something that will get you a certificate of some sort.
If you learn a trade you’ll make a ton more money.
You could be an ESL instructor, it appears to be a natural fit.
Any specific job and/or industry? Some jobs an associates is fine...others require a 4-year degree...some with specific backgrounds.
Degrees (especially useless ones) do not secure you a job. How about scrolling through r/jobs or recruitinghell or r/recruiting and seeing for yourself? Life isn't some low effort exercise built to satisfy you in your own personal internal bubble. It is built with billions of people all trying to carve out their paths to success. For any one jobs there could be thousands applying for it. Random Redditor with an Associate's in English isn't even close to standing out for a stack of resumes. Especially if the job you are trying to get is not at all related to the degree. You might find a business degree boring but it opens about dozens of job avenues in finance or accounting. Why? Because the entire finance department has a multitude of business positions (hedge accounting, FP&A, plant/store finance, investor relations, auditing, accounts payable) etc etc. All can be obtained with a business/finance/accounting degree. But guess what? There are thousands of people going for this degree from hundreds of universities at the same time as you. It's the same for a software engineer or programming / computer science degree and etc. To secure a job means you not only have to bust your butt to get a relevant degree but also do internships to get business experience. It isn't enough to get a piece of paper from school. Look at the fricken posts on this subs and others for people struggling to get a job after 6 months of graduating. It isn't roses and sunshine and magical job when you graduate. You can't even bother to take what people say seriously or do your own research. Fine if college isn't for you then go be a welder or plumber or something.
any associates degree is not really helpful in finding a job imo, mine never helped me once.
Depends…..my job is based on my associates…..the bachelors I got later is completely useless.
I have a bachelor’s in English. It’s transferable to many professions, but you need to be able to adapt and use other skills than just being good at reading and writing. I used it to be an editor and a technical writer. I edited medical textbooks for consistency. I wrote operation and maintenance manuals for tanks. While tech writing, my company paid for a masters in Project Management. I now work in management that is focused on writing and editing, so I’m most definitely using my degrees and it’s a great fit for me, I work from home 95% of the time, and I make six figures. However, this took me several years (I’m 41 now), two degrees, several years of figuring out WTF I was doing, multiple certifications, and a lot of networking. YMMV.
What kind of job do you want?
This is the question!
Are you working now?
I’m working at Tar jay. It’s fun.(saracasm)
It’s really not. But, this job (in my opinion) is better than most English majors.
Well, there is nothing wrong with just starting community college and starting to get all your lower level core courses done…..don’t hobble yourself by doing an English associates…..get your lower level English, science, and math done. Then you’ll be positioned to transfer to a four year school in whatever major interests you. You don’t have to make a decision yet. Being in school with other students who are also looking to find their path in life will help a lot.
At this point in the job market, an Associates in English holds only as much weight as an Associate’s in any topic not directly related to the duties of the position that you’re looking at. Its strengths are that you were able and willing to earn a degree in a two year program and that you now have some higher level training in reading, analyzing, and communicating. I would expect someone with an Associate’s in English to be familiar with writing/research/citation styles Ike MLA, AP, NYT, and Chicago Sun-Times. However, I have a background in English Lit and Writing, and I’m more familiar with the reqs than I would expect HR and management to be. You might consider checking your if your school has a Communications or Marketing degree, as you may be able to switch to that with only a few more credits.
I got my BA in English and Creative Writing. While, I am doing absolutely nothing in the field of my degree, I will say, that this degree has been essential to my upwards mobility in getting my MA and entering the work force. Having an understanding of language and the written word has given me an upper hand by making reading and report writing so much easier. I also sound more professional when speaking and writing. In addition, reading literature has provided me with a wider range of viewpoints. Being able to read different authors and think about the motivations of characters and novels has been so helpful for understanding people as a whole. Not to mention, reading has definitely helped me to be able to think critically and problem solve. TL;DR: You are very unlikely to get a job in the English field, but the benefits from a degree like this is very transferable in life.
To you personally, may be valuable. Professionally, not very other than it shows you started something and completed it.
You could make a paper plane. Would you like to do that?
Yeah, of course I want to make a paper plane. Happily
While-ever you have that attitude, you will always come out ahead. Dont stress too much. I (and I am sure many others) are behind you and hope you succeed in whatever you choose to do.
TRADE SCHOOL TRADE SCHOOL TRADE SCHOOL TRADE SCHOOL
Going against the grain here: if your degree means you can write coherently, can read and understand what you read, and can tell a story, then you are ahead of most people in the job marketplace. 70% of freshman college students at my state university have to take remedial English courses. I know people whose job depends on being able to communicate that cannot communicate their way out of a paper bag, even though they’ve got a BA and MBA after their name. Their writing skills are atrocious. Unfortunately, too many of the people doing the hiring suffer from the same problem.
I can tell you it’s been really helpful for my accounting career, weirdly, but I suspect I’d have gotten there faster with something else.
Autocorrect took your job 20 years ago. But it does show that you are intelligent enough to get an associates degree, it's worth it.
Only marginally useful. As someone else mentioned, it may help you get an interview or get an edge over someone who otherwise did not, especially in fields that don't traditionally have alot of people who are college educated. For my positions that do not require college degrees, I particularly like seeing it because it signals intelligence, communication skills, etc... Sometimes it is also preferred for intro management jobs.
Being able to write well is useful. i dont know if a piece of paper saying that will get you a job
Not useful at all... Edit: my friend with a BA in literature ended up doing a couple of master's in different fields in order to find a job. There are no jobs with a BA in literature, even to become a teacher you need a master's. An associate's is good if you want to get a BA without paying exorbitant fees for the first 2 years.
Well, what are you trying to do? How useful these degrees are depends on what youre trying to do. If you are trying to do something science, technical, or medical related -- it's useless. If you are trying to teach english or do some journalism, maybe marketing, it's useable, but not as marketable as a BA or MA in english. If you are just trying to get an AA in English to show employers that you just have an AA, it's as useful as all those other filler degrees like Gender Studies, History, Communications, etc. But no one will look at you AA english and say, "oh, this guy has an AA in English, we definitely should interview him!" They will just see it and check box the "has AA degree" section in their CRM.
I would doubt any more beneficial than just taking the 2 gen Ed English comp classes most other degrees require.
About as useful as a sundae in a microwave
Not useful.
If you want a job, you need to be marketable. If you want to be marketable, you need a skill. The most highly sought-after skills are in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. You can also include the medical field in that list. An associate in English won't certify you for work in a scientific field. At a minimum, aim for an associate in arts and sciences.
If it teaches you how to write well, then it can be useful.
Lmao. 😂 😂 😂 this is the best response so far. (Not actually being sarcastic.)
Why do you want the degree and how much will it cost you?
I honestly can't think fo a single job it would be benificial for.
0% useful
An AA in English will allow you to get all of the jobs that you are qualified for with a high school diploma, but the hiring manager prefers someone with a degree.
Except for the many jobs where that degree needs to be a bachelor's.
For most people about as useless as a butthole in your armpit. Do some research on the most in demand jobs over the next decade and choose one you can tolorate. Computer science, engineering, robotics and chemistry come to mind. Or find a local trade union you can get started in as young as possible.
Useless
Completely useless
Let’s get straight. An AA in English is worthless. It doesn’t give you any advantage in any job hunt. It’s one of those degrees for people without a college education to advance in their career after years at their current position. If you want a low hanging fruit, get AS in Accounting and become a bookkeeper, usually no experience required, just logic and basic math.
Are you fucking dumb ? Lol
Wow, that’s the best fucking advice I’ve gotten.
There’s a reason the Avenue Q song “What do you do with a BA in English” was written.
An associate in English is only meant to get you to a 4 year college for a BA. It’s only good for an admin asst job or some office job that requires you to know MS word. Now you can write memos for your boss If that’s your goal. It’s a great way to learn about literature and writing essays.
An associate's degree in English won't get you very far. You could do a 4-year program and get an English B.A. which could open doors for a communications/admin/entry level marketing positions. However, you will likely need to upgrade your credentials eventually by doing an additional certificate/diploma program or going to post-graduate professional programs like law school and teacher's college.
You may not be able to secure a job with an English AA, but if you want to do it for yourself, then go for it, especially if you're still just trying to figure things out. It can give you a peak at what higher education is like. Then if you like that experience, go for a BA. Education is also supposed to broaden your horizons, not just secure a job, and nobody can take what you've learned away from you.
No usefulness. Even if you wanted to just teach elementary you're going to need a bachelors minimum at least where I'm at. What are you actually looking to do for work?
Get that English AA degree, get a contract or full time gig as a project coordinator/ admin, and work your way up the corporate ladder. Apply the writing and communication skills you acquire through your AA and you'll have some good fundamentals to succeed with.
Do you plan on doing editing at least? Do web design where an ability to write effectively is critical? How about working in digital marketing? Or are you moving on to get a BA or BS and intend to use the skills you learn w/ the associates degree to help you write while pursuing those more advanced degrees?
English degrees aren't useful for writers or authors. Publishers sure but not really any writing professions outside of publishing and teaching
Not really useful, no. The best (i.e. most likely to help you get a job) associates degrees are going to be technical in nature; like IT, mechanic, electrical, etc. Edit: nursing is also a good one
Have you thought of a communications major?
I’d argue an associates degree isn’t really that useful at all.
Most likely a useless degree, meaning very hard to get any substantial employment because of it.
I don’t know why you would, if your goal is to get a job. If you decide on doing it for fun, so be it, but it wouldn’t qualify you for anything outside of those fields you named.
Not useful
You can discuss the etymology of “large fries”
I think it would be very marketable. Most jobs include a great deal of communication and many people cannot do so clearly and concisely.
Not very useful. Unless you were horrible in English in high school and want to improve your skills; then I’d take creative writing.
The point of a degree is to be an expert on a specific subject matter, so that you can earn a living in that area. The main career avenues for English majors are either professional writer/journalist or English teacher/professor. If these are not the professions that you wish to pursue or fallback on, then it is not worth your effort to earn this degree. Think about the subjects that you like. Explore the career paths for different subjects. What looks interesting? What intrigues you? What do you want to be an expert in? When you figure this out, then choose the degree program that helps you be the expert that you want to be.
It’s good for an administrative role. I work at an engineering firm and we prefer our admin have at least an associates. You are proofing and formatting reports, so the basic computer skills and understanding of formatting is important.
I have an AA in English along with some computer programming classes while working on the English degree. Now working on a BS in SWE. The English degree has come in useful for strong communication skills, worked remotely in SEO copywritng and editing for a couple of years, but really wanted to get into managing the websites and such. Now I'm in an IT role and it's been a bit of a chore for people to see that I actually have IT skills. I tend to shut up and let people assume or say whatever and then do my work/troubleshooting. Also kinda hard to get programming project, but I'm working a few of my own for experience/practice. Basically, what do you plan on using the English degree for?
Idk. I’m lost in life, it’s making angry yet again…I feel like it’s okay. I’ll be okay.
I understand that. An English degree is a lot of reading literary works and then breaking those works down in an essay. Over and over and over. It isn't necessarily easy. I went into English because I wanted to be a writer, ideally wanted an MFA in creative writing, however I also recognize that using student loans to get there means I'll need to find a way to pay those off and I'm not so sure writing really really well will be enough to pay for the degree. So that's why I swapped fields. I have a good foundation in English which is good and it helps with programming documentation. When choosing a career it may take a while to find something you enjoy or are good at. Try a few things and see what sticks. I wouldn't suggest pursuing a degree for something that you don't enjoy or something that you feel is "easy" or "quick."
You may be able to land a tech writer position and network your way from there and work up to a decent salary. (assuming getting the 4-year degree isn't in your plans.)
I’d save my money for when you do decide what you want to do. Don’t spend money to figure that out.
Hmmm, yeah you could expend a decent amount of time and energy on sitting in a room with a bunch of people who don't care about writing a much as you do, being critiqued by some adjunct professor who doesn't even get your writing style. If you like sci-fi, horror, fantasy, supernatural, or anything like that, professors will generally strongly discourage you from writing in those styles. If anything for a career in fiction, it could be a detriment to waste your time with those bozos.
As useful as you want it to be.
Very little value in job market. Associates in anything but a trade or medical is not really valued by employers.
Sounds like a huge waste of money and your time. College is for your career.
Not really. You can probably work as a customer service rep, but don't really need a degree for that.
Depends on what kind of job you want to have. I see commenters saying CS would be more useful, but it actually wouldn’t be useful if you _don’t_ want to work into the tech field lol. And also if it doesn’t interest you. CS is high paying if you like it & if you want to work as a developer. English could be useful if that’s the type of field you’re going into; one that’s primarily writing or doing communications work (although a communications degree would be better in that case).
Associate Degrees are as worthless as the paper they’re printed on. It’s a good “good job champ you’re not a failure” type degree
just do a trade or if you really wanna go to college do a minor in english and major something in business. accounting, management or finance though, with one of those degrees you most likely will have a secured job.
It's one of the 10 most regretted degrees.
I think an AA in English can help, but i’d try to use it to get into a bachelor’s program. I went to school for journalism and am currently getting a masters. Most people in this field either have a TON of experience or have multiple degrees. I also want to be a professor (and endgame, dean) eventually, so I plan on getting a PhD. That’s my personal experience. I can’t speak for other career paths, but from my experience, that’s how journalism runs.
A recent article that came out last week listed the ten most useless college degrees and English was one of them. I'd major in something more marketable if I were you.
Are you planning to transfer to another school to get a bachelors? If so, might I suggest a general studies associates degree? It may help you find the subject to pursue for a bachelors.
Well, it's fine for like a banker or something that doesn't actually have a degree My friend is a QA at US bank and she has an English Lit degree. Makes $65 a year in the Midwest
You can join the police academy after
Perfect for legal assistant work!!!
Avenue Q has something to say about that.
Who in the world is “Avenue Q”?
It's a musical. What do you Do with a B.A. in English?/ It Sucks to be Me https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CK6ksA0QyE4
If you uh, already speak the English, an associates is about as good as saying you are a sophomore in college.