Media & Creative
What you can do with English
Develop strong writing, analysis, and communication that transfer to many fields.
- Careers
- 11
- Early career
- $48,000
- Mid-career
- $76,000
- Growing fast
- 1 of 11
How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 11 careers an English degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.
The New York Fed does not report English on its own. Its early and mid-career figures here are for English Language, the broader group it places this major in.
46% of people with this degree go on to a graduate degree, so the higher-paying careers below usually mean more school after the bachelor's.
1 of 11 careers this degree leads to is projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034. Of those, Public Relations Specialist has the most openings, about 27,600 a year.
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11 careers this degree leads to
Lawyer / Attorney
$159,670Advise and represent clients in legal matters, prepare legal documents, and argue cases.
- Middle half of workers
- $102,990 to $221,370
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 31,500
Work-life35Remote45Satisfaction70- Legal Research
- Writing
- Oral Advocacy
- Critical Thinking
Technical Writer
$90,390Write technical content such as equipment manuals, appendices, operating instructions, and software documentation.
- Middle half of workers
- $70,880 to $115,510
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 4,500
Work-life78Remote90Satisfaction70- Technical Writing
- Documentation Tools
- Information Architecture
- Editing
Editor
$77,920Shape written work from draft to publication: plan coverage, sharpen copy, and decide what runs.
- Middle half of workers
- $57,300 to $106,100
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 9,800
Work-life66Remote75- Editing
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Judgment
Writer / Author
$76,910Write the scripts, stories, articles, and copy that inform and entertain, in staff roles or as an independent author.
- Middle half of workers
- $58,230 to $101,950
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 13,400
Work-life54Remote26- Writing
- Storytelling
- Editing
- Research
Public Relations Specialist
$74,750Create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent.
- Middle half of workers
- $56,260 to $100,370
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 27,600
Work-life52Remote62Satisfaction68- Media Relations
- Writing
- Social Media Management
- Crisis Communication
Librarian
$68,270Curate collections and connect people with information, from public libraries to schools and research institutions.
- Middle half of workers
- $56,310 to $84,480
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 13,500
Work-life72Remote3- Collection Management
- Research Assistance
- Information Literacy
- Reading Comprehension
Middle School Teacher
$64,370Teach subject-focused classes to students in the pivotal middle grades between elementary and high school.
- Middle half of workers
- $58,530 to $80,490
- Growth
- Declining
- Openings a year
- 40,500
Work-life59Remote52- Subject Instruction
- Learning Strategies
- Classroom Management
- Active Listening
Paralegal
$62,890Do the legal legwork behind every case: research precedent, draft documents, and keep matters moving for attorneys.
- Middle half of workers
- $50,340 to $80,080
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 39,300
Work-life69Remote66- Legal Research
- Document Drafting
- Writing
- Organization
Journalist / Reporter
$62,200Report and tell the stories that keep the public informed, across print, broadcast, and digital newsrooms.
- Middle half of workers
- $45,370 to $98,450
- Growth
- Declining
- Openings a year
- 4,100
- Reporting
- Interviewing
- Writing
- Fact-Checking
Adult Education / ESL Instructor
$61,540Teach adults the literacy, language, and high-school-equivalency skills that reopen doors.
- Middle half of workers
- $49,100 to $77,690
- Growth
- Declining
- Openings a year
- 3,900
Work-life85Remote61- Adult Learning Strategies
- ESL Instruction
- Curriculum Adaptation
- Cultural Competence
Interpreter / Translator
$60,170Carry meaning across languages in real time or in writing, from courtrooms and hospitals to publishing.
- Middle half of workers
- $46,530 to $80,830
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 6,900
Work-life67Remote13- Fluency in Two or More Languages
- Interpretation
- Translation
- Active Listening
Related majors
Set on English?
Save it as your major and PlanexAI will shape your dashboard, career matches, and study plan around it.
Where these pay figures come from
Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.