I still can't sleep. One of my favorite things to do is read in the tub, so that's what I was just doing. Because my life seems to only have one theme right now ("Finding a Job"), I was reading one of the books my sister's boyfriend bought me (as a Graduation gift).
I found this particular passage to be, shall we say...eerily accurate--From that perennial classic, I'M AN ENGLISH MAJOR---NOW WHAT? (page 214):
I find that there are two kinds of people who sing the praises of the English major the most: English majors who are secure in a job, and non-English majors who are secure in a job. It's very easy when you're got a job--especially one that puts an English major's talents to use--to talk about how flexible and versatile and tremendously valuable is the major in English.
I suspect that this enthusiasm is not shared by the English majors working as security guards or in an industry they dislike.
Wow, suddenly I don't feel so alone anymore.
4 comments:
Is this little quotoid a subtle stab at your former instructor?
No, not really. I was focusing on how this guy's seemed to single out "security" as a job for English majors on the skids. He could have said any number of things (like working in a bookstore), but somehow--this guy KNEW (me, Murph, the guy who wrote THE LIFE OF PI).
Spider Robinson, who is a prominent SF writer, worked as a rent a donut before he hit his first publications. There is a lot to recommend it IF you have the right assignment.
I suspect I'll be doing that sort of work this summer again. Unless I can shake something out of the National Park Service.
Respects,
Murph
Lee's Summit, Missouri
Have you given teaching any more thought? Apparently that Teach for America program has just a 6 week training program, and then you can get a job teaching English. I don't know, you might fall in love with it and want to teach forever and ever! :)
Post a Comment