Disadvantages of Studying English Literature
📌 Much of the academic knowledge gained in English Literature, such as poetry/prose analysis and linguistics, is categorized as knowledge, not transferable skills, making it less directly applicable in the job market.
🔎 Interviews rarely inquire about literary analysis or historical knowledge; employers primarily focus on tangible skills like writing, speaking, listening, reading, and translation abilities.
📚 The coursework prioritized theoretical analysis over practical production, such as failing to teach students how to write novels or short stories, focusing instead on analysis for the final thesis.

Thesis and Practical Application Issues
📜 The required final thesis often serves only as a graduation prerequisite, becoming unused information afterward, which the speaker noted even a professor suggested should be replaced by producing literary works.
🎓 The speaker expressed envy toward education majors whose thesis topics (e.g., curriculum development) involved tangible, real-world subjects, unlike literary analysis of forgotten works.

Skill Gaps and Career Readiness
📉 The program failed to provide adequate technical skills, and the few relevant applied courses (like Business English or translation) had very few credits (SKS).
🏢 The speaker struggled to find relevant internships because the department was unsure where to place students lacking concrete, applicable skills, leading to unrelated freelance work like graphic design.
🇬🇧 Pursuing an English Literature degree is unnecessary if the sole goal is English proficiency, as external English courses can often provide superior language skills compared to literature graduates.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Rigorously self-evaluate your skills and the shortcomings of your university program *before* entering the workforce to identify necessary areas for external learning.
➡️ Focus on acquiring technical skills (e.g., digital marketing, graphic design, practical translation) to supplement theoretical knowledge gained in liberal arts degrees.
➡️ Do not rely solely on a degree for language proficiency; seek specialized courses to ensure your English skills are competitive against non-literature majors.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Dec 03, 2025, 14:05 UTC