How to Gain Employment with a BA in English?
As a current job-hunter with an English BA, this topic on Helium.com jumped out at me.
The biggest challenge facing those of us with a BA in English isn't the lack of direct marketability so much as our lack of proactivity. To that, I plead guilty. (Of course, the closed-mindedness of many employers, fellow graduates, and society in general makes the challenge tougher.) I still have little clue what profession I want.
But we who completed a degree in English and loved it knew we were best suited for the degree, even if we felt unequipped for the working world beyond it. This tells me, despite our many complaints, that earning our BA in English was the right decision.
The question remains: "Now what?"
The best solution to the marketability issue is not necessarily to do what's expected of us and go back for a Master's, teach, throw ourselves blindly into the cutthroat competition of publishing, or shrug and assume we'll never get to do what we really want to do, whatever that is. It's to use our skills and insight gained through our English studies, which we knowingly pursued for its fit, to discern what kind of work we do want--and to go for it.
After some thought, I boiled down a career strategy into three key areas.
Self-knowledge:
* Develop a proactive, principled center
* Foster self-confidence
* Be patient
* Seek unconditional support from family and friends
* Take self-assessments
* Focus on passions
* Analyze fit with common and not-so-common fields/professions
* Choose career goal
* Prepare to take some or many steps toward goal
* Think outside the box and move outside comfort zone
Research:
* Internet
* Informational interviews
* Career services
* Library
* Trade publications
* Life experiences
Action Plan:
* Pursue continuing education through jobs, volunteer experiences, classes
* Tailor ongoing education to career goals
* Network--wherever you are
* Impress current employers, coworkers, clients/customers, fellow volunteers, etc.
* Get referrals
* Write cover letters that leap off the page
* Tailor resumes to specific employers, displaying best strengths and utilizing research
* Follow-up all applications
* Interview articulately with honed listening skills
* Follow-up assertively and close the deal
Ideally, we should choose our career field and desired profession while in college so we can focus our internships and/or volunteer experiences in that direction. Speaking for myself, however, career discernment can go hand in hand with the processes of growth, healing, and self-discovery. Try as we might, we can't rush that process.
Fortunately, some internships exist for recent college graduates, and volunteer possibilities are endless. We can also plan for getting our foot in the door of a certain company and working our way up. We just need to determine our goal, do the research, ask for help/support, follow through, and pay it forward.
We of all people should be ready, willing, and able to think outside the box. The key to our futures is squarely in our hands because we're not confined by a job title, but that also means our work is cut out for us. Let's rise to the challenge and show the world what English grads are made of.
The biggest challenge facing those of us with a BA in English isn't the lack of direct marketability so much as our lack of proactivity. To that, I plead guilty. (Of course, the closed-mindedness of many employers, fellow graduates, and society in general makes the challenge tougher.) I still have little clue what profession I want.
But we who completed a degree in English and loved it knew we were best suited for the degree, even if we felt unequipped for the working world beyond it. This tells me, despite our many complaints, that earning our BA in English was the right decision.
The question remains: "Now what?"
The best solution to the marketability issue is not necessarily to do what's expected of us and go back for a Master's, teach, throw ourselves blindly into the cutthroat competition of publishing, or shrug and assume we'll never get to do what we really want to do, whatever that is. It's to use our skills and insight gained through our English studies, which we knowingly pursued for its fit, to discern what kind of work we do want--and to go for it.
After some thought, I boiled down a career strategy into three key areas.
Self-knowledge:
* Develop a proactive, principled center
* Foster self-confidence
* Be patient
* Seek unconditional support from family and friends
* Take self-assessments
* Focus on passions
* Analyze fit with common and not-so-common fields/professions
* Choose career goal
* Prepare to take some or many steps toward goal
* Think outside the box and move outside comfort zone
Research:
* Internet
* Informational interviews
* Career services
* Library
* Trade publications
* Life experiences
Action Plan:
* Pursue continuing education through jobs, volunteer experiences, classes
* Tailor ongoing education to career goals
* Network--wherever you are
* Impress current employers, coworkers, clients/customers, fellow volunteers, etc.
* Get referrals
* Write cover letters that leap off the page
* Tailor resumes to specific employers, displaying best strengths and utilizing research
* Follow-up all applications
* Interview articulately with honed listening skills
* Follow-up assertively and close the deal
Ideally, we should choose our career field and desired profession while in college so we can focus our internships and/or volunteer experiences in that direction. Speaking for myself, however, career discernment can go hand in hand with the processes of growth, healing, and self-discovery. Try as we might, we can't rush that process.
Fortunately, some internships exist for recent college graduates, and volunteer possibilities are endless. We can also plan for getting our foot in the door of a certain company and working our way up. We just need to determine our goal, do the research, ask for help/support, follow through, and pay it forward.
We of all people should be ready, willing, and able to think outside the box. The key to our futures is squarely in our hands because we're not confined by a job title, but that also means our work is cut out for us. Let's rise to the challenge and show the world what English grads are made of.