Don’t discount the English major: How Shakespeare and Keats stand to impact business

Business leaders like (L to R) Anne Mulcahy, Hank Paulson, Judy McGrath and Michael Eisner are all English majors. Graphic: TBS

Mitt Romney. Hank Paulson. Judy McGrath. Michael Eisner. From Bain Capital to Disney, to the U.S. Treasury Department, the echoes of the literary classics ring subtle but true. Yet, despite the clout of those names attached to it, the English major isn't the obvious choice for budding professionals looking to cut their teeth in fields like finance and corporate development.

At the national level, the popularity of the English major has been in steady decline since its peak in 2007, with an eye-popping 23% drop-off between 2013 and 2018 figures. In 2023, The New Yorker officially dubbed it "the end of the English major," pointing to a particularly sharp decline in English degrees earned at Arizona State University. 

English majors also tend to garner some less-than-positive stereotypes — think 'grammar police or 'BPB' (short for 'bound for parents' basement'). As an undergrad at Dartmouth, even my English professors themselves would joke that my additional Economics coursework was a "very wise choice" given the major it was paired with. 

Yet what surprised me more than my professors' quips was the fact that, for the most part, I was the only one in the classroom looking to trade writing papers on Oscar Wilde's relationship to the decadent movement with a career in business. 

But in an economic landscape bogged down by complex conversations about rate cuts and overused headlines on 'the rise of AI,' the language analysis skills gained from studying literature are key for breaking through the noisy jargon — whether that's in service of building a financial model or coming up with a new entrepreneurial venture. Knowing how to write well isn't a negative skill either, as investors, marketers, fundraisers, and Fortune 500 CEOs alike rely on rapid and clear dissemination of information. 

As for upper-level management skills like persuasion and narrative crafting, the English major couldn't be a better preparer. Throughout his time building Apple and Pixar, Steve Jobs often harkened back to one simple message: "The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. They set the vision, value, and agenda of an entire generation to come." 

Coca-Cola CEO Roberto Críspulo Goizueta didn't stray far, calling effective communication "the only task you cannot delegate."

But despite their importance, there's still a serious lack of conversation around the need for these kinds of skills in a business context, both within academia and the corporate world. Anxious undergrads — many of whom come into college with a love for reading and writing — are left feeling as though accounting, business administration, and other more 'technical' fields of study are their only way into business-oriented professions. 

With the rising cost of college coinciding with an increasingly competitive labour market, breaking away from traditional business majors can also feel like too much of a financial risk for students to take. 

While not an outright supporter of the English major specifically, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon got just about as close as we've seen from a high-ranking corporate executive, saying it "almost doesn't matter" what your college major is, if you want to get a job at a bank like his. 

But even he walked that statement back slightly, noting the added benefit of knowing some basic business technicals, which, from a man as impactful as Dimon, is enough to send a college student back to the registrar's office with regret. 

Would it be naive to say a few added economics and accounting courses didn't help an English major like me land an internship in finance? The way it stands today, absolutely. 

Is an English major the ideal choice for every aspiring entrepreneur or CEO? Absolutely not. But signing up for Modern American Drama instead of Finance 101 is anything but a step in the wrong direction. 

I'd take it a step further than the 'anything goes' Dimon argument and say that studying English has the potential to accelerate a business career in a unique and nuanced way, whether that's at an ad agency, investment bank, or seed-stage startup. 

There's plenty of time to learn the rest on the job. 

Celeste Graham is a Dartmouth College grad (English Major), former Bain Capital employee, and current Content Marketing Consultant for finance/tech firms + a Freelance Writer.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.