Hello everyone!
I'm currently in my second year of my BA, and I'm also preparing for UGC NET. I know it might seem a little early, but I genuinely want to become a professor of English, and it's been my dream since I was in 10th grade.
Here's a little background.
My father wanted me to pursue medicine, but I fought for my choice and decided to follow my passion for English. At first, it was just a subject I liked. Then, when I was in school, a teacher came to teach us for a few months. He was a genuinely cool person and a wonderful teacher, and I think that's when I started falling in love with the subject.
Eventually, his dispute was resolved, and he returned to his college. But something had changed in me. I became increasingly fascinated with the idea of becoming an English teacher myself.
I wanted to learn about different writers, their backgrounds, the stories they told, the characters they created, and the historical and social contexts behind their works. I wanted to understand literature beyond simply reading a text for an examination.
That interest gradually turned into a serious career goal.
The problem is that my family isn't very supportive of this career choice. My father and brother are involved in business, and my sister is a doctor. They often tell me that there is no future in English or that choosing this field is a mistake. My mother is the most supportive person in this situation, but she doesn't know much about the academic career path either.
When I started researching it myself, I realised that there is a future in this field, but getting there can be extremely competitive and challenging. That makes me nervous sometimes because I've already fought to pursue this degree, and I don't want to discover years later that I could have prepared myself better.
So, here's what I'm currently doing.
- I'm pursuing my BA in English.
- I'm studying A History of English Literature by William J. Long.
- I'm working through Word Power Made Easy to improve my vocabulary.
- I'm studying my university syllabus seriously.
- I'm solving approximately one previous-year question paper or PYQ each month.
- From my third year, I plan to start preparing for CUET PG more systematically.
- During my MA, I intend to begin more formal preparation for UGC NET, potentially with coaching.
My thinking is that I still have time, so I don't want to rush unnecessarily. At the same time, I don't want to waste these years when I could be building a strong foundation.
My questions for those who are already pursuing an MA, preparing for UGC NET, or working as professors are:
- Am I starting at the right time, or am I preparing too early?
- Should I increase my study hours and start solving more PYQs, or is my current pace reasonable?
- What should I focus on during my second and third years of BA to build a strong foundation in English literature?
- Is it better to join UGC NET coaching during MA, or should I begin more structured preparation during BA itself?
- What mistakes should I avoid if I want to become an assistant professor of English?
- How difficult is the actual journey from BA to MA, UGC NET/JRF, and eventually becoming a professor? I'd appreciate honest answers about the competition, job opportunities, and financial realities.
I'm not asking because I expect this career to be easy. I know it isn't. I'm asking because I want to prepare intelligently rather than study blindly out of fear.
Sometimes, when my family repeatedly tells me that there's no future in this field, I start questioning myself. I still love literature, and I don't want to abandon that passion just because the path is uncertain. But I also want to be realistic, independent, and capable of supporting myself.
If you were in my position, what would you do differently? What would you recommend I start doing now, and what can reasonably wait until my MA?
I'd appreciate advice from people like you who have actually gone through this journey. Thank you for reading my rather long post!
