The Top 4 Jobs for English Majors and How to Land Them

Not sure what jobs you can get with an English major? Well, you’re in luck as, despite the stereotype, English majors often lead to some very well-paying careers.

Careers for English majors go far beyond the classroom, often leading to jobs in fields as diverse as marketing, tech, publishing, and corporate communications. If you can write tight prose, target an audience, and make complex ideas sound simple, you are in demand. You just need to know where to look.

1. Copywriter

Copywriting is one of the most reliable and well-paying careers an English major can go into, with average salaries typically landing in the $60-70K range. Copywriters typically write ads, product pages, email campaigns, social captions, and brand slogans. If you know how to match a tone and write persuasively, then you already have the skills for this job.

The path to employment is also fairly simple. Before you apply, you’ll need to put together a portfolio. That means writing some samples to show off your skill set. Make sure to target it at a specific niche so it’s easy for hiring managers to see how you’d be a good fit. After all, there’s no use writing a sales pitch for a clothing line if you’re applying to work for a tech company.

If you can, it helps to get some practical experience under your belt. Internships and freelancing look great in a portfolio as they show that you’ve worked in real-world contexts and that you have the independence to find work for yourself.

2. UX Writer

If you’re into the tech side of things, then you might strongly consider becoming a UX writer. With salaries ranging from $80K all the way up into six-figure numbers, UX writers are some of the best-paid English majors working today, and their role is vital to modern software product design.

The phrase UX stands for user experience, and it’s all about naturally guiding the user through a piece of software in a way that feels intuitive. As such, the job involves writing a lot of error messages, button labels, and other workflow-crucial text.

UX writers spend less time crafting lengthy essays and more time trying to perfect short phrases. If you have a knack for being concise, then this is definitely one to check out.

3. Technical Writer

Technical writing is the best-paid writing job you can land in 2026, but it comes with a steep learning curve. With salaries often climbing into six figures, it’s certainly a competitive field, but to break into it, you’ll need to be more than just a writer.

You’ll need to be as concise as a UX writer and as clear as a copywriter while also working with highly niche technical information. Technical writers spend most of their time working on documentation for both hardware and software. If you want to break in, you’ll need to be able to demonstrate expertise in a relevant field.

A good starting point is writing docs for open source projects. These make for great portfolio pieces while also contributing to popular and commonly used tools.

While technical writing is certainly challenging, it can also be highly rewarding. It’s a great fit for anyone who loves to spend their time researching and learning new things.

4. Editor

Of course, it’s not all about writing. A good editor can often be just as important as a good writer, especially when it comes to longer-form pieces of content. From magazines and journalism to full-length books, editors use their skills to shape structure, tighten language, apply style guides for consistency, and ensure that the reader is guided through the text.

Sadly, a portfolio alone isn’t usually enough to cut it. If you want to make your way into editing, you’ll almost certainly need to do an internship at a publishing house or corporate content team, as employers need to see that you can work well with other people’s writing. Freelance work is also an excellent way to build up experience.