What to do with an English Degree?

These two-a-days may remain. Some days I'm busy, some days I'm a procrastinator. I didn't post yesterday due to a number of factors relating to school and procrastination, however I've got a great idea for my first blog post of the day; careers in English literature with just a B.A.

By the way, if you've just now begun to read my blog, check out my introduction to learn a little bit more about me: Technically...

As I have almost fully exhausted my graduate school search, I have decided to take a different approach to my English degree. No one ever said I have to either go to grad school or work as an HR rep. I don't have to do either of those things.

i really want to be a professor

Instead I could pursue a career with my English degree that does not require me to go to grad school. (Granted, I really want to be a professor and teach in academia and doing otherwise would only be a last resort) I could go into a number of different fields with my background in English literature.

What can I do, really?
1. Publishing
2. Editing (my original career goal)
3. Journalism
4. Teaching (ideal at the college level)
5. Public Relations
6. Library & Information Services
7. Administration
8. Tons of other unrelated careers

Of course, teaching at the college level is ideal, however I am not opposed to teaching high school, AP (advanced placement) English. My junior year in high school I had a great teacher who probably sparked my interest in critical thinking in terms of literature. I would love to get my Ph.D. so that I can teach college level and not just intro courses. I want to teach a feminist literature class and classes in criticism. I am very interested in English criticism and how to effectively criticize a novel.

I don't have to teach to publish papers...and publishing papers is what I want to do. I don't care that there's not much money involved in that. I just want someone to recognize a brilliant (or moderately illuminating) idea of mine and repeat it to someone else. I don't have a problem thinking critically, I just need more training in it.

Editing is also something that I am very interested in. I love editing peers papers, but what I really wish I could do is give them better ideas. Not that my peers don't have great ideas, but sometimes their ideas spark ideas within me that would be a great addition to their papers/creative works. Editing would give me the chance to do that. Let me specify, though, that I don't mean copy writing work. I mean true fiction editing, working with authors to create great novels.

I guess editing goes hand in hand with publishing. I wanted to open my own publishing company, but with the invention of the Kindle and Nook, I'm a little worried that publishing hard copies is dwindling. Electronic publishing is so simple that almost anyone can do it, so it really makes no sense to start my life off with that. Working for a publisher, and eventually gaining a top position is something that I would love to do, definitely something I'd consider.

Journalism isn't for me. I'm too self centered.

I really don't think PR is right for me either. It's too business related and I really hate that.

The whole "library science" field seems a bit too boring and administration = nah!

A Question for my Readers

Do any of you have English degrees and are working outside of academia? If so, do you have any advice?