English majors can become columnists

The argument

Majoring in English confers an unmatched advantage in closely reading and analyzing text, and in taking that analysis to shape the student's own conception of writing and of relaying information. Journalism is always presented as a viable career option for English majors, and there are good reasons for that — the two disciplines demand the same underlying skill. The overlap is in the work itself. Columnists must research relevant information and data, combing through a variety of quotes, articles and reports in order to decide which of them bears on the point being made and which merely surrounds it. That is exactly what an English major does in sharpening their skills in literary analysis: reading a large quantity of material closely, identifying what is load-bearing in it, and constructing an argument that others can follow. The subject matter differs; the operation performed on it does not. The claim is not made only from the inside. The Stanford University English Department states, "An English major will teach you the skills of close reading and advanced writing. English majors very often seek out careers in publishing, public relations, advertising, media, or teaching," and cites "columnist" among the occupational possibilities. The two capacities it names — close reading and advanced writing — are precisely the two halves of a columnist's job: working out what a body of material actually shows, and then putting it in a form that holds a reader's attention. English and journalism are therefore necessarily intertwined rather than adjacent. An English major considering what to do with the degree should always consider a professional move into the world of columnists, since the training already develops the skills the work requires.

Premises

Counter-arguments

English majors and columnists do share many common skills, but those skills are not necessarily identical. Journalism simply requires a writing style that is different from the classic literary analysis that all English majors must undergo. Creative writing can also fall under the category of "English degree," and, for many, journalism and creative writing are on two opposite ends of the writing spectrum because journalism is traditionally concerned with facts and the collection of knowledge or information, while creative writing deals with fiction and originality. Therefore, English majors and columnists should not be as closely lumped together as this argument suggests.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] The columnist occupation requires many of the skills that English majors are taught, but there are other aspects of journalism that do not specifically fall under the literary analysis of English majors, including unique journalistic writing style and synthesis of analysis. [Rejecting P3] English majors and columnists do not necessarily go hand in hand.