Help in making a decision that will greatly impact my future!!?

Question

Ok, so right now i'm working towards learning Old English. HOWEVER, what are some jobs i can get once i've learned it? Like, will I be someone that stares at old manuscripts in a museum somewhere? o.o

Answer 1

Yes you could end up like that.... But there's also the option of:



1.) A college professor English/Literature - Let's face it, with a background in Old English you'd be very valuable in the the English department! Not to mention a rare find. Classic books like Beowulf would be a snap for you to read in their ORIGINAL format. So your knowledge of something like that as an educator toward students would be indespensable. So it would be important for you to study a lot and really know your stuff right from the gecko. Then you could easily be in high demand for.... I don't know Harvard or Yale!



2.) Something in the religious field, especially if you translate Bible's and scriptures. Your knowledge of Old English would obviosly be a huge advantage in this field. Becoming a ministor, priest, or pastor would allow you to preach the world more throughly, since you could travel the world and read various old texts. People would respect the fact that obviously you really know what your talking about.



3.) Language Teacher - Like Latin, this is considered by most people a dead language. So any school that is interested prep schools, boarding schools, private, or religious would probably love to have you teach their up and coming kids Old English. Not many parents can boast that their son/daughter goes to a school were it's even offered!



4.) Finally, just because you love Old English doesn't mean you have to make a career out of it. Keep learning it by all means, but do what you really what to do regardless. From your original statement, yoy seem to cringe at the idea of being associated with the "old" part of the Old English. Maybe have a side job or hobby that allows you to practice your Old Englsih skills like writing a book, teaching, translating, or just enjoy reading things in Old English!

Answer 2

An interesting skill, but, ummmmmm.... yes, your career options would be somewhat limited if you're banking your future on that skill. I believe you'd largely be limited to studying/translating Chaucer and some other few manuscripts still lying around. It'd probably make you pretty conversant with Shakespeare, tho, or at least moreso than most, and there's some value in that. But I'd say you'd either end up a professor/academic.



Bottom line: it clearly interests you, so you shouldn't abandon it. But if you don't want to become a pure academic, don't bet on Olde English to bankroll your future.

Answer 3

You can get jobs interpreting Old English into modern English. You can teach it. You can research writings in it. You can work at some of the finest Universities in the world. You can work at some of the finest museums in the world!



You can get any job that a linguist can have! People will come to you with jobs because you will have a rare talent/skill! ;-)

Answer 4

Learning Old English is, well, actually sorta limiting if you're using that as your primary focus. Something broader -- Old English, along with studies of the medieval era in general, some history-- could turn into lots of interesting stuff. Not particularly lucrative, but if you enjoy your job, and don't act stupid with your money, who cares?



People have already pointed out a few uses for that knowledge. If you combine it with something very different, you can get even more possibilities... heck, Tolkien wasn't exactly a low-profile guy and he turned his knowledge of Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, etc into Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion, Children of Hurin, etc. Or whoever the guy was in Monty Python... I forget the name.. who wrote the script for the Holy Grail. That guy's actually well-known amongst the medievalist circles as a respectable scholar! There's reputedly a ton of obscure jokes hidden away in there that only medievalists get. There's even some music artist (I forget who), relatively well-known who bases alot of his material off medieval poetry, and even sings some of it in wahtever language. Oh, yeah. And there's Benjamin Bagby, who tours the country, singing Beowulf in Old English for audiences accompanied by an Anglo-Saxon harp(which he plays). Apparently is doing quite well off it, as well as having one heckuva job! Even has a DVD out.

And Wagner. Not exactly the greatest role-model, but still... His medieval-legend operas made him more than a little famous.



Anyway, enough with annoying you with my little tirade. Bottom line, I would suggest learn it, but make sure to keep a broad field of study anyways (something people keep telling me to do....)

It's great fun (I'm just starting to teach myself Old English in my senior year of high school with a teach-yourself curriculum I bought for waaaay too much money.)



You might be interested in this guy's blog, too. He's a medievalist professor. Might give you some idea what it's be like to base your life around medieval studies

http://unlocked-wordhoard.blogspot.com/



Good luck, whatever you decide!

Answer 5

I think what you should do is work out first where this can get you. You might find that you love to study this however when applying it to a job you may hate it. So if someone does give you an answer on where you can get a job, I would be trying to find out if you could do some work there either as a volunteer or whatever to first find out if you like it in that situation.

Answer 6

You'll most likely be doing research or something like that. Remember the number of books written in Middle English are finite. You're going to need to use this education as part of another occupation most likely. Kinda like what Indiana Jones did.



By the way, you might also consider Latin- not instead but in addition to. Besides- there are more texts and tablets written in it.

Answer 7

I honestly have no idea what you'd be doing with Old English. But, you should learn what you love. Don't focus on making a gazillion dollars. Focus on being happy. Listen to YOUR heart, it will never lie to you or steer you in the wrong direction. You're going to have almost everyone in your life telling you what they think you should do. Feh! It's your life...

Answer 8

A teacher of Old English? Many today can't even speak current English.

Answer 9

I have no idea. You might have a job working with old manuscripts, but the market isn't exactly a large and/or lucrative one.

Answer 10

you might work doing research. or at a museum or library. or a teacher...that's all i can think of. i majored in regular English, as in writing professionally, and there are many more opportunities

Answer 11

it would be pretty hard 2 get a job unless you want to be a shakespearian actor or something else shakespear related

Answer 12

They'll need you for plays and for movies based on ancient times. You can become an actress!!! Isn't that grateful, awesome!

Answer 13

yesss

Answer 14

Yawn ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzz

Answer 15

lol and you trust us? Well you can be one of those people on street corners yelling out bs idk