LEC052012. Aparna Reghunathan. "Job Opportunities after MA (English)"
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
AFTER MA (ENGLISH)
The past decades have witnessed an unprecedented spike in the employment possibilities of an English language graduate in India. Ushered in by British colonisers and later necessitated by rampant globalisation, English language is no longer alien to the Indian soil. Today, procuring a Masters degree in English language opens up a world of opportunities for young Indians. This surge in job opportunities for an MA English graduate can be essentially traced to the identification of English as a vehicle to the world stage. Analysing the far reaching opportunities offered by English language proficiency will confirm it as a resistance to linguistic as well as capitalist hegemony and a sturdy attempt at occupying the world stage.
English language had held a precarious position in India
before gaining acceptance from its people. It first found its way to India in
the 18th century with the arrival of the East India Company. As
India fell into the colonial yoke, English language education became a
necessary tool for wholesome subjugation and optimum exploitation. In his Minute on Education, British politician Thomas Babington Macaulay writes
that the purpose of English education is to “form a class who may be
interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons,
Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and
in intellect.” Most Indians bore visceral disdain for the coloniser’s native
tongue, identifying it as an imperial weapon. However, post independence,
English language survived in India through the twentieth century as a marker of
the affectations of the indigenous elite. As waves of globalization made way
into the Indian subcontinent in the 1990s, Indians began considering knowledge
of English language necessary to tap into the global economy.
Beginning with call-centers, India has been outsourcing services in all fields to global clients. Such jobs demand graduates proficient in English language. Globalization also invigorated the publishing industry, opening up plethora of opportunities for language graduates. The posts of editors, reporters and translators are mainly occupied by individuals who have procured a masters degree in the language. Today, with the world being excessively linked in the digital space, platforms for earning have burgeoned in unexpected locales like social media platforms. They now offer employment to a good section of language graduates, utilizing their skills for achieving visibility, business and profits. The entertainment industry has also been contributing openings for creative writers and language experts.
Today, the English language is an integral part of the curriculum at all levels of education. It is also accepted as the medium of instruction in many institutions. The academic sphere of English language studies in India has developed significantly, contributing voluminously to the field of education and research. The teaching sector is yet another significant employer of language graduates, who are offered opportunities to teach and research at various levels.
The world has alchemized into a luring den of possibilities that await skilled individuals. India has rightly refused to remain linguistically subalternized, and have utilized the possibilities that English language education can provide. India has effectively turned the coloniser’s tool for subjugation into one for decolonisation, progress and liberation.
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