A Degree in English?!

There are many movies, songs, and theatrical productions that make us feel like we are not alone. That is one of the many reasons we spend countless dollars on tickets to our favorite concerts, musicals, and movie showings – these people get us! I had a very similar experience when I listened to the original cast recording of the Broadway musical “Avenue Q” the other day. I first heard this album years ago, but it has since gained new meaning in my life. One of the songs is titled “What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?” It is a quick song that introduces the next musical number “It Sucks To Be Me.” I feel they chose this particular order on purpose. Here is a quick look at the rest of the song.

“What do you do with a B.A in English?
What is my life going to be?
Four years of college, and plenty of knowledge
Have earned me this useless degree
I can’t pay the bills yet, cause I have no skills yet
The world is a big scary place
But somehow I can’t shake the feeling I might make
A difference to the human race.”

Listening to this song through my headphones while walking to class, I felt like I was being spoken to. I then went through all of the questions that pop in a person’s head when they begin to doubt their entire career path. Why did I choose to major in English? What a stupid degree! Am I ever going to get a job? These questions turn into bigger ones such as: Will I live at home forever and end up working at McDonalds? I spend all of my class time discussing the characters of novels and symbolism. How the hell is that going to get me a job? My roommates are learning about business writing in order to work in Public Relations, journalistic techniques in order to become a reporter, art techniques in order to become an art teacher, and social behaviors in order to become a social worker. I’m learning how to…read, write, analyze a text? I already knew how to do all those things! You can really mess yourself up when you begin to question your life decisions.

That being said (and a panic attack coming on), I think the ending of this song is really important. I can’t tell you why, but I feel like I’m supposed to do something big with my life, and if that something changes one life for the better, then I will be satisfied. I have no idea which career path is right for me, and I have no idea if my degree will end up hurting me in the end because, let’s face it, it’s not very practical. What I do know is that I am driven and confident in my abilities. Perhaps, that is enough to send me on my way to that next big thing? We shall see.

<3 Happy Cinco De Mayo Everyone! <3