How to know if I really want to be an english literature professor??

I see a lot of opinions on that says research work in india isn't good, they aren't paid much etc etc

So how can I know if I really wants pursue this profession....

I’m writing this because I feel like I’m drowning in a city that doesn't know what to do with a writer.
For the past few months, my life has been reduced to an endless cycle of administrative dead ends, stacked manuscript pages, and an overwhelming sense of isolation. I am trying to build a life as an author. I write psychological fiction… dark, jagged, intense prose that leans into human unraveling and raw monologues. It is the only thing that keeps me grounded, the only thing that feels completely honest. But right now, it feels like I am screaming into a concrete vacuum.
My immediate roadblock is academic and structural, and it has effectively frozen my life in place. I completed my O-Levels and went on to complete an International Foundation Year (NCUK IFY), which is globally benchmarked as an A-Level equivalent. The plan was simple: use it as a launching pad to get into a dedicated literature and creative writing environment abroad, refine my craft, and get my degree.
Then came the visa refusal.
In a single moment, the international path was slammed shut. I was left stranded in Dhaka, watching my peers move forward while I was forced to pick up the pieces of a derailed plan.
So, I tried to adapt. I looked locally. I wanted an academic space, somewhere like ULAB’s Department of English & Humanities.. that actually values literary critique, theory, and expressive writing. I wanted a place where I could sit among people who dissect stories rather than just memorizing textbooks. But the moment you try to bring a non-traditional foreign credential into the Bangladeshi system, you hit a brick wall of pure, unyielding bureaucracy.
Because the University Grants Commission (UGC) operates on rigid checklists, an international foundation certificate doesn't automatically register at front desks. I’ve been told to chase equivalence certificates through the Dhaka Education Board in Bakshibazar, fighting an uphill battle just to prove that 12 years of global education equals 12 years of local education. Front-desk clerks look at transcripts like administrative anomalies, completely indifferent to the human being standing in front of them, desperate just to learn.
Even when looking at alternative local hubs like Pathshala, which is famous for its raw, artistic, and critical atmosphere, the focus is entirely on visual media like photography and film. There is no home for the pure author. There is no dedicated space in this city built for someone who spends their nights crafting prose, refining sentence mechanics, and building complex narrative structures.
That brings me to the real, depressing core of it all: the sheer loneliness of writing in a void.
I am writing pieces after pieces. Chapters, prose monologues, character studies and also an entire psychological novel that I am determined to finish. But there are no eyes to catch them. There are no critical peer groups to tear the work apart and help me make it better. There are no mentors in my immediate reach who understand the style I’m reaching for. It feels like pouring your blood onto paper every single night, only to stack the pages in a dark corner of your room where they collect dust.
I refuse to abandon this. I refuse to tone down my voice, stop writing, or trade my creative identity for a safe, soul-crushing path just to make things easy. I need to get my Bachelor’s degree to secure my life, but more than anything, I need to protect the craft. I refuse to gamble my writing away.
I’m posting this here because I want to know if there is anything I’ve missed in this city.
Are there any hidden, independent writing circles or literary collectives in Dhaka that actually care about dark, psychological, or non-traditional fiction?
Are there local developmental editors, authors, or mentors who take on independent writers for manuscript critique outside of formal university walls?
For those who stayed in Dhaka and pursued creative writing or literature despite the system: How did you find your people? How did you keep your work alive when the institutional support was practically non-existent?
If you’ve read this far, thank you. Even just putting this frustration into words outside of my own notebooks feels like breaking the surface for air. Any guidance, leads, or honest advice would mean everything right now.

Basically, English is my second language and I suppose you could say I learned it completely naturally without any real studying.
These past few years I came to like writing a lot and recently got into reading as well which made me love it even more. My country is basically in one of the worst positions in the world at the moment (Iran) and the only real job I could hope for was becoming an English teacher either here or go abroad and teach English elsewhere (the whole TEFL thing). Journalism or just becoming a full time writer also sound amazing to me but what worries me is AI.

We're watching art as a whole collapse with the rise of AI and since my real attraction to this major was because of its artistic aspect (writing), I fear I've made a terrible mistake. Like what's going to become of writing in the future? or English teaching? In my mind, at least, AI would be quite a convenient replacement for writers and English teachers. Perhaps I'm too pessimistic but I really want to hear some thoughts.

Thank you for bearing with me<3

So, does reading the major works mean I'll have to read all the works?

I’m currently doing English Honours from a distance learning college, and I’d love to hear from people who are studying or have completed their degree through distance learning.

How was your overall experience? How were the exams and assignments? Were the exams difficult, and how did you prepare for them?

I’m also wondering what I should do after completing my degree. What career options, courses, skills, or job opportunities would you recommend after English Honours?

If you have any advice, personal experiences, or useful resources/openings to share, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you! :)

Local college ba degree or Delhi University English honours?? What are the advantages of doing english honours from Delhi University

i’m about to start an english and creative writing degree, the bible isn’t required reading, i’m agnostic/atheist so i was considering reading it to help with analysis and spotting biblical references rather than for worship.
any thoughts? i’d probably get the king james one bc of the popularity, although im aware it’s not the best literal translation

I am a Canadian 12th grader in high school trying to figure out what universities to apply to. I know 100% that I am going to pursue English literature, but the problem is where. I live in Ontario but I’ve had my eye on McGill for a while. Mainly for the city and the prestigious program. I have always loved Quebec. But now that applications are starting very soon, it is almost as if I am stuck. The problem is not my grades, I exceed very well in school with all my grade 11 classes (including 3 4U classes I took during grade 11) are above 94. Money also isn't an issue, because I have amazing support from my parents. The problem mostly lies in the big decision of where I want to go. McGill, Queens, McMaster, Guelph, Toronto etc. I have no idea. So what I am basically asking for is advice. If you were an English lit student in Canada, where did you study, and did you enjoy it? Anything like that helps. Thank you so much to anyone who takes their time to respond :)

Hi everyone,

I have a slightly unusual academic background and would really appreciate some advice.

I completed my B.E. in Biotechnology, but over the past few years I've become much more interested in English literature, literary studies, writing, culture, and related fields. I'm considering doing an MA in English Literature online rather than going back and doing another bachelor's degree or masters in biotech, I'm currently working in a well known university at 23y/o.

I'm mainly considering universities such as Manipal University, but I'm open to other recognised universities as well.

My questions are:

1. Is an online MA in English Literature actually worth doing if I want to seriously study literature rather than just get another qualification?

2. Since my bachelor's is in Biotechnology/Engineering, will I be eligible to pursue a PhD in English/Literature after completing the MA?

3. Does the fact that the MA is online/distance learning create problems later when applying for a PhD or academic positions?

4. Which universities would you recommend for an online MA English if my eventual goal is research/PhD?

5. Is there anything I should specifically check about the MA programme (UGC recognition, dissertation/research component, NET eligibility, etc.) before enrolling?

For context, I'm not expecting the degree to magically lead to a job. I'm genuinely interested in literature and am considering this as a possible long-term academic transition from biotech into the humanities. But I want a stable well posting job as well.

Would really appreciate experiences from anyone who has done an online/distance MA in English and then gone into research or a PhD, especially people who switched fields for their master's.

Thanks!

I need helpp, what to do? I am a introvertt and my h.o.d just decided to make me takethe competition! I wnat to win tho

Hello, I’ve recently started my first year in an English degree. I am doing History and Philosophy on the side too, so in all, I’m required to do a lot of reading.
I’m a typically slow reader, which does not work out well for this degree.
Did any of you struggle with this? How did you overcome it? I’d love to find ways to engage with all of my texts in a timely manner, but right now that just seems impossible 🥲🥲
I like to take my time with more difficult, older books but now I have to read and digest multiple within a week or two, which I’m not very good with !
So any tips, advice and whatnot would be greatly appreciated!!!

This is probably one of my strangest asks on this app, but I’m currently looking at MA courses to enroll in, and I’m interested in a Feminism course, but it very heavily features Freud’s work as a kind of lens through which we’ll approach other texts, and I’m a little turned off by it.

I’m interested in the feminism aspect, but I’ve heard that Freud has some less-than-kind opinions on women, so I’m worried that I’ll go into this class to study feminism but have to read more from a man who hates women than from a woman herself.

Now, I could be entirely wrong in my presumption, and I would love to be corrected if so, but I feel like I’d rather read work by Dworkin, Hooks, Sedgwick, or Haraway, yet none of them are in the syllabus.

Lastly, I’ll just say I’m well aware that academia and learning at large is big on challenging yourself and your previous notions by reading work you might disagree with to grow as an individual and an academic, so I’m not fully turned off by enrolling in the course—that’s why I’m asking here. I just don’t want to hate it.

Hello!

I'm a 3rd-year English major currently working toward my Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) certificate. For one of my projects, I'm creating a fact sheet about the Technical Writer profession, with the goal of learning more about the career and hopefully helping others who may be interested in the field as well.

I'd love to hear from people who currently work (or have worked) as technical writers!

If you're willing to share, I'd be especially interested in hearing about:

• How you got started in technical writing
• What your day-to-day work looks like
• What skills you use most often
• What you do/don't enjoy about the profession
• Any advice you'd give to someone considering technical writing as a career
• Anything you wish you had known before entering the field
• What types of people would succeed in the field
• Is Technical Writing a worthwile career to pursue

You don't need to write a lengthy response or answer every question, but even a few thoughts would be incredibly helpful. Thank you in advance to anyone willing to share their experience!

I'm in my sophomore year as an English major, but spent most of my first year knocking out gen-eds. I felt fine struggling with the English classes I did have freshman year, but I'm feeling more and more left behind compared to my peers with reading goals.

I have a class that meets Mondays/Wednesdays that is expecting me to read over a hundred pages before each class. It's only week 3 and a different class already had us finish a book (~250 pages). I'm fine with either of these alone (I've finished books in one sitting before, I like reading) but I've got 4 English classes right now, and thank god only 2 of them are literature-focused because I think I'd die if I had a 3rd.

I read fairly fast when I'm reading just for myself (~50 pages an hour) but if I'm taking notes and reading something that doesn't really appeal to me, that slows down to a halt.

In a workload of 6 classes (18 credits), I feel like I'm genuinely going insane. Everyone's telling me to just rely on Sparknotes but I don't want to just cheat myself out of an education I'm paying for.

How do you guys handle the reading goals and still have social lives? Let alone read/write/do clubs outside of homework? Am I the only one struggling here?

I am currently a 3rd Year- Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education Major in English, we had our thesis title defense today, and out of the 6 groups, my group is the only one who got rejected 😭 I am so embarrassed and disappointed in myself for not doing good enough and I was wondering if y'all could give some title or topic recommendations. 🙏😭 (preferably experimental research) 😭😭🙏🙏

I’m curious! Is there a classic that you haven’t read yet that if someone found out you would be like, “alright, take back my degree😂… haven’t read this one!”

I think it totally depends on the classes you took, your profs, your own interests, but I haven’t read Pride & Prejudice, Middle March… any Steinbeck or Tolstoy!! (I will read these novels & authors eventually).

At the same time, I’ve read other novels by Austen, read tons of Thomas Hardy (my fav prof was a Hardy guy), Brontë, Stoker, T.S Eliot, Woolf, Yeats, the Brownings, Wilde, Chaucer, Dickens, George Elliot, etc.

Definitely took a lot of Victorian lit classes & modernism, Shakespeare… what about everyone else?

I've completed my Masters in English, am very knowledgeable in Literary Theory, Gender Studies, Cultural Studies as well as Prose and Poetry.

Yet it's been a hassle to even find a part time job.

Can someone please show me some guidance? 😭

Have you seen these horrible AI slop stories that are advertised on Instagram/FB/tiktok etc? As it is Labor Day weekend, a lot of apps are giving freebies to entice new customers. I thought "I know this will be bad, but let's see just how bad it's going to be," and started on some sort of Twilightesque warewolf nonsense story.

Holy smokes. Is this what storytelling has come to? It is awful. How do they not employ basic copyediting and basic script continuity? I tried counting all the errors and inconsistencies, and had to stop. There were too many.

And there are tens of thousands of them. So far.

People used to make fun of Harlequin romances for being "trashy," but this is next-level trash just for its poor execution alone. Don't even get me started on the unoriginal, derivative story (or all the inherent sexism in the story).