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English Literature Major: Career Paths and Future Prospects 17 Sep 2024

English Literature Major and Its Career Prospects

Maybe many people still don't know that majoring in English literature is not just about learning the language. However, in this major you will also learn English from the perspective of linguistics, literature, and of course cultural studies. Here you will learn many things, starting from studying dictionaries, regional languages, literary works, films, and even media.

Meanwhile, to find out more about English literature and its career prospects, see the discussion below until the end.

What is the English Literature Major?

The English Literature Major is a study program in higher education that focuses on the study of English and English literature. If you choose this major, you will later study various aspects related to English, including language structure, linguistics, literature, including literary works from English authors.

This major includes literary analysis, literary history, literary theory, and the development of speaking and writing skills in English. The English Literature study program will also help students develop a deep understanding of the language, as well as strong analytical, critical, and communication skills. If you are interested in literature and culture, English Literature is a good choice

English Literature Major Courses

Taking the step to choose the English Literature Major, will invite you to learn all about written works, in the form of novels, scripts, poetry, and dramas that are indeed wrapped in English. In addition, what courses will be studied in the English Literature Major? Here are some courses that you will take to get a literature degree, namely:

  • English, this science is certainly the most important thing that needs to be studied in the English Literature Major.

  • English Phonetics and Phonology in the English Literature Major is a science that explains the physical aspects of sound, how sound is produced and perceived. And explains the formation of phonemes in a particular language. Learning activities are generally carried out individually and in group discussions.

  • English Morphology in the English Literature Major is a science that aims to build and improve the capacity of learners to construct the structure of English words.

  • English Syntax in the English Literature Major is a course that aims to build and develop students' knowledge to construct English sentences. Developing basic sentences, nouns and pronouns.

  • Study of English Prose in the English Literature Department is a study of English Drama, Study of English Poetry.

Career Prospects for English Literature Graduates and Their Salaries

Translator

Graduates of English literature have a better understanding of the rules and structures of language as well as effective communication skills. This ability is needed when becoming a text translator or interpreter with spoken language. The average salary that can be earned from the profession as a translator also varies depending on the field and location of work. Average salary: IDR 60 million per year.

Content writer

Content writer is one of the jobs that is currently in high demand for language majors, including English literature. The profession as a content writer is now in great demand because businesses have now begun to understand the importance of good and quality content.

Writing narratives on social media, news scripts, blogs, copyrights, and so on can be an option for English literature graduates to start a career as a content writer. Content writers can also improve their skills in SEO technical writing to increase website visibility and ranking. Average salary: IDR 72 million per year.

Journalist

The next career prospect for English literature graduates is in journalism. This is a more challenging type of job with a competitive work climate and career ladder. Journalists can work anywhere, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and online media. If you like activities related to investigation, interviews, and writing and reporting news, then you can start a career as a reporter. Average salary: IDR 66 million per year.

Public Relations

Public relations or also known as public relations (PR) acts as a bridge of communication with various parties, so people are needed who can establish good relationships and develop effective communication strategies. An English degree makes it easier for PR to work in terms of publication, communication, and many others. The average salary is IDR 62 million per year.

Diplomat

Who says that being a diplomat is only for students who graduate from the International Relations department? For those of you who graduate from English Literature, you can also become a diplomat. Becoming a diplomat is certainly not an easy job, you have to represent Indonesia to conduct diplomacy with various countries, as well as be a representative of the country when there is a meeting.

With the English skills that have been learned when entering the English Literature department, you can get a great opportunity to become a diplomat because one of the requirements to become a diplomat is to have very good English skills. The salary you get is also extraordinary, you can get a performance allowance of IDR 4 million to IDR 11 million per month.

Tour Guide

Many people underestimate the job of being a tour guide, even though you can get high profits. A tour guide is a tour guide worker who explains and guides foreigners while traveling in the country, while abroad you can also be a Tour Guide for people in Indonesia who need help in English and become a tour guide.

Tour Guides can earn salaries ranging from IDR 1 million to IDR 5 million per day. Not to mention the tips that are generally given by foreigners which tend to be large.

Well, those are some of the career prospects for English literature graduates. In addition to some of the career prospects for English literature and their salaries as mentioned above, there are still many other career opportunities that also require English literature majors.

As long as there are opportunities for a career and self-development, you don't need to limit your choices to certain fields of work and industries. You can still choose other professions out there that require English language proficiency as their main skill.