Who Knew an English Minor in College Would Lead to Writing Online

Summary

An individual's decision to minor in English during college unexpectedly shaped their professional writing career, influencing their work in the US Army, blogging, and authoring a book.

Abstract

The author of the content reflects on their journey from disliking English in high school to pursuing an English minor in college, which proved to be a pivotal decision for their future. Initially taking mandatory English classes for an Architecture major, they switched to Political Science, where writing became a significant component. Choosing to minor in English, they focused on writing-centric courses, which later provided unexpected opportunities. After college, they served in the US Army in South Korea, where they wrote articles for a local Army newspaper, covering topics like KATUSAs, Army Emergency Relief, and the process for enlisted soldiers to attend Officer Candidate School. The English minor continued to be beneficial as they contributed to Army magazines and worked as an editor. In their personal life, the author applied their writing skills to blogging and collaborated with notable individuals in the field. Eventually, they published a book about their investment experiences in the Army. The author muses on the irony of how a once-despised subject in high school became a cornerstone of their career.

Opinions

The author initially disliked English classes in high school but grew to appreciate the subject in college, especially the writing aspect.
They believed that the English minor would be useful in the future, which was confirmed through various writing opportunities in the military and beyond.
Writing for the Army newspaper was both a personal interest and a strategic move for the author's career, particularly when writing about the Officer Candidate School process, which they were personally invested in.
The author values the practical application of their English minor, as it not only provided them with a creative outlet but also opened doors for professional growth and income generation through writing.
They express a sense of irony and amusement at how their perspective on English has evolved from disdain to appreciation and how it has significantly impacted their life and career.

Who Knew an English Minor in College Would Lead to Writing Online

Sometime during my stay in college after taking two mandatory English classes, I decided to go for a minor in English. I realized that four more additional English classes would give me a minor. I figured that minor would come in handy one day.

While in high school, I really hated English class. I had had enough of the different types of grammar class in school and really despised going to English.

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When I finished high school, I thought that was the end of English class but I was wrong. At college, I had to take two introductory English classes as part of my Architecture major which I ended up changing in my sophomore year.

After changing majors from Architecture to Political Science, I started to see that writing was a key component of my new major. I wasn’t designing houses, or trying to imagine new homes to build. Political Science was a lot of reading and writing.

I had the opportunity to express my opinion on paper and I was starting to like this. Then after looking at the school syllabus, I thought I could get an English minor. The best part was I could focus on writing instead of reading literature of the classics or modern age. I was able to take Creative Writing, Technical Writing, Advanced Composition, and other English classes geared toward writing.

Image: Pixaby

So after taking my six English classes, I had an English minor and little did I know where this would aid me in the future.

Upon graduating college, I entered the US Army and worked as an administrative assistant in South Korea. During my second year in the Army, I had the opportunity to write articles for a local Army newspaper. I wrote an article on the Korean soldiers, KATUSAs (Korean Augmentation to the US Army), who were worked with our units. I wrote an article on an annual fundraising campaign called AER or Army Emergency Relief. This program provides monetary loans to soldiers in need for emergency plane tickets and loans to cover their bills. Also I wrote an article on the regulations and formal process for enlisted soldiers planning to attend Officer Candidate School which is what I eventually did. You can say I had a specific reason for writing that article. Some of these articles I was asked to write, while others I decided to write them on my own and submit them to the newspaper. I guess the English minor I had in college was starting to pay off in a way I never imagined.

As I continued to move on to other units and assignments, I had the opportunity to write more articles for the local Army newspapers. After I joined an organization called Company Command, which was a forum where military officers voiced their concerns and shared ideas, I was offered the opportunity to use my English minor again and submit an article for a national Army magazine.

Thinking back over the various units and assignments, I have written over 10 articles in local military newspapers, two Army magazines, and also was a voluntary editor for an Army newspaper for five articles.

In my personal life, I was worked for a blogging platform and used my English minor to gain some income blogging which really wasn’t a whole lot. But the experience was helpful and allowed me to work with some interesting people in this field. One person in particular, Lawrence Tam, he shared with me several tips to help my writing in this particular sector.

Image: Pixaby

Then earlier this month I published a book that I wrote sharing my adventures with investing in different asset classes while in the Army.

Now almost 20 years later, it is kind of funny to think how an English minor could have such an impact on my life. We will have to see how far this English minor can take me in the future. I look forward to what is on the horizon in this area that I used to despise not so long ago, in high school.

Where there classes you despised in school and now you work in that field?