Long-Term Prospects

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Job Satisfaction

General quality of life statement

Many different paths are open in this field, so it's hard to generalize. The thing about comp lit is that it sets you up to do so many diverse things. This makes it hard to predict what your prospects will be. It depends what your interests are and how strategic you can be in pursuing your particular career goals.

It's definitely a good idea to have a sense of your goals in mind before you go ahead and declare comp lit your major. Given the wide range of careers comp lit makes accessible, you'll want to spend some time thinking what sorts of things you should focus your studies on. Specialization tends to get you jobs a little more readily than being a jack-of-all-trades. No matter how cool that sounds.

That's the stereotype of the comp lit major we haven't mentioned: in addition to the elbow-patch-wearing prof-in-training, there's the noncommittal trust fund kid whose path is wide open because (s)he's not facing real career pressure.

While there's some truth to both stereotypes (maybe), it's also true, as we've emphasized, that those who are smart and savvy can find their way from comp lit into a remarkable number of positions.

You could be anything from a marketing director to the Mid East correspondent for a newspaper.

The long and short of it is that, with comp lit, a lot's left up to you. Making your high school ex feel inadequate at the reunion by speaking Italian comes inherently with the degree, but pointing yourself down a lucrative career path…that's up to you.

25th Percentile Salary

Median Salary

75th Percentile Salary

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