If you think having an English degree doesn’t pay off, think again. There are some wildly successful English majors out there, after all. Here are just a few of them.
Conan O’Brien. – Believe it or not, Conan O’Brien was both a history and an English major when he went to Harvard University. The self-deprecating TV host has his roots in classic literature, and wrote his senior thesis about the use of children as symbols in the work of William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor.
Grant Tinker. – Now, you might not have heard of Grant Tinker, but you’ve undoubtedly seen his legacy. The former CEO of NBC and television producer got his English degree at Dartmouth College on the G.I. bill following the Second World War. He initially started studying there, but had to delay his studies for three years because of the war. Then, at 23, he got a job as a management trainee at NCB, and worked his way up. During his five years as CEO of NBC, profits skyrocketed from $48 million to $400 million.
Barbara Watlers. – Barbara Walters might be a famous journalist, but it was English that she studied at Sarah Lawrence College. She first got into journalism as an assistant to a publicity director of a TV station. She continued honing her writing chops with the Today show, and as a correspondent for ABC News’ 20/20.
If there’s one thing to take away from this, it’s that having your English degree, and working hard pays off. You don’t even necessarily have to go to one of the best English major colleges. You just need to be a hard worker, who loves literature and the written word.
If you know of any other famous people who have an English degree, feel free to share in the comments.