Just within the past couple of weeks I have really been thinking about what is going to happen after I graduate. And things that were once just a dream to me have the potential to become my reality very quickly. I have really been learning the importance of having a degree, especially in the career path that I plan on taking. I have been learning and taking advantage of all of the opportunities that I have been given, as a creative writing major.
With that said, the other day I was on twitter and came across this tweet.
English Major = "Would you like a side of fries with that?" 🍟 Pick something that will give you enough money to write what you want.
- Diana Gabaldon, @Writer_DG (3/10/2017)
If you do not know who Diana Gabaldon is, she is the famous author of the "Outlander" series. She is also one of the reasons that I am so obsessed with Scotland (seriously obsessed). The entire time I was writing this piece all I could hear was the outlander theme song and see Jamie Frasers gorgeous face.
I am genuinely a fan of her work and admit that she has constructed a impressive world with intricate characters.
But as you can guess, this offended a lot of people- the majority being English majors but also, food service workers. I can't speak for the food industry but I will speak for myself; as an English major.
It was really hard to read it and not be offended, I admit I lost some respect for her in that moment. To hear my entire degree summed up in such a negative light was not easy. Although, I look back on all of the hard years, late nights, and long hours put into my degree and ultimately I don’t regret a thing. I have never worked harder and I will never be less proud of my achievements just because someone holds a different opinion.
Although, she has since apologized to all English majors that she offended and wrote a larger piece about her reasoning behind her tweet -- because believe it or not, 140 characters is not enough space to apologize to a group writers (we like to read, A LOT). I will link her reasoning here, if you are interested.
To sum it up, two of her three children have English degrees. The quote "want fries with that?" is a direct quote from her daughter, who obtained her English degree but is now a RN. Her son has also received an English degree and is now a novelist and a comic book writer. Diana says that "what you do in college is usually not the huge, life-defining, forever-after moment that most college-bound kids think it is." She has three different degrees herself, and doesn't "use" any of them.
The tweet was directed towards the overarching question that is; Do you need an English degree to write for a living? Her response; a simple heck no. I completely agree with this assessment, but that is not what her original tweet said or hinted towards. It will take me some time.. but I will, one day, get over it.
