You can certainly become a writer without an English degree.
That wasn't my point; you have to be careful what you declare worthless. I've been a technical writer for many years, I don't have an English degree, but I'm thankful for the English classes I did complete (I dropped one!). What I will say on the subject is that a liberal arts degree requires a certain amount of talent and hard work before you can be a successful practitioner. But that's true of the Sciences as well. Not everyone can write code or solder wires. It just isn't in them.