As a New Grad am I Simply an Expendable Commodity ?

As new grads we have been very vocal on WTD about our struggle to find meaningful employment in the current market. As you are aware WTD is voiced by three female twenty-something English Masters. One of us is headed back into the Academic Arena in the fall for her PhD, one of us is working full time as an administrative assistant doing freelance work nights and weekends and one of us is fully devoting her time to content writing and freelance work. It hasn’t been a cake walk for any of us and none of us are completely happy or satisfied with our current position (only temporarily for one of us - so happy and excited for our future professor!) being out of school and looking for work has been hard, trying, testing and intimidating for all of us.

Source: We Heart It

Working as a freelancer and trying to carve out a space in the bustling metropolis that is the internet has been extremely difficult for us. Especially after studying English. Who knew I'd be more valuable with a one year marketing college degree than I am with an M.A. after my signature? I’ve been paid dirt for my writing and slighted more than once by big businesses and generally feel like what I have to offer is pretty worthless. Want to discuss theory, anyone? I have some really interesting thoughts on the New Historians! I’d also love nothing more than to write a really engaging piece of SEO content on Austen! Ha-ha, yeah, right. Instead, I’m learning about strategic development and human resources terminology. I'm realizing that I need to understand how the internet works and what makes content go viral.  I'm writing about industries and sectors I'd never even imagined knowing about. But I research these topics, learn and become an expert on them because that is the content the client wants and needs and my job is to deliver.

Most recently, I got slighted by a small company that I started talking to through the recommendation of close family friend. Based on our first conversation the work was mine if I wanted it. It was outside of my field but directly related to writing and we both felt confident that I could do it (and do it well, in my opinion). The following week the CEO of the small business decided it would be best if I sat in on a meeting to observe some of the language and terminology and to get comfortable with their business. I thought this was totally understandable and reasonable and (even better) she would pay me for the training. Following the meeting she decided I better do a “trial run” just to confirm that we would both be happy with the work I produce. Following the trial run I heard nothing from her for a week.  I finally followed up and we’ve been playing telephone tag for a couple days since.

Yesterday, I saw a job posting for the position online. 

I saw the posting and I immediately felt affronted with feelings of hurt, betrayal and embarrassment. I asked myself: why am I an expendable commodity as a new grad? Why did our verbal agreement that I was going to do the work mean nothing? This employer has met me, knows a friend of my family and knows that she had given me the work (I was supposed to start today) yet still doesn’t have the common courtesy to let me know hey, this isn’t going to work, i'm going to find someone else with more experience.

I took time away from my other more lucrative employment to immerse myself in the training for this upcoming gig. The work paid less but I was excited to work with this woman and learn from her. I felt like she would be an amazing future reference.  I will literally do anything to gain experience and add to my resume and portfolio. Even if it means taking half of my regular wage, working irregular hours and giving up my benefits.  I want to write professionally and there is very little I wouldn’t do for my future career. What a double-edged sword this dedication to writing has become! I realized that my obsession and drive is exactly why I am an expendable commodity in the market as a new grad. I, we, will do anything for very little with the glimmering hope of a career that somewhat relates to what we studied in Unversity.

I am exceptionally open to criticism. I would say that an academic’s ability to accept criticism (not unwarranted criticism of course but that from a figure like a professor or employer) is one of the most valuable assets I gained from my degrees and something that I think other non-academics lack in their training. If you don’t like how I’m writing for you I can easily transform what I’ve prepared into something entirely different that suits your needs. Why can I do that? Because I know how to write. I know how to manipulate the English language into something that suits any company’s needs. I know how to argue form a standpoint I don’t believe in. I know how to not only read something but how to interpret and engage with that material. I am a critical thinking ninja.  I can understand information that is outside of my “comfort zone” and make it into something meaningful because if I can understand Chaucer I can understand anything.

So why can’t I do this work? What went so wrong in my trial run that I couldn’t change or improve on? Preferably, this employer would give me a chance to learn and grow and prove myself. I am highly adaptable and enthusiastic beyond measure about my work. I would never submit anything I wasn't proud to call my own.

And if it really wasn’t going to work why couldn’t she have at least told me so?

I won’t get discouraged though. I will move on to the next and continue on my job search because I want to write and that is all I want to do. It won’t be easy to establish a career and I know no one is going to hand it to me. I’ll just have to keep trying and keep going until I can finally prove that I am a valuable commodity.

Source: We Heart It

Liar Liar...English Hire?!

So a couple of weeks ago, something incredible happened. My heart was pounding, my eyes widened as my sense of hope elevated and my mouth seemed frozen open as though stuck on the "O" of "O-M-G". No, I didn't see my true love at first site, and no, it wasn't really good porn. It was a simple article on Facebook, entitled "Why English Majors are the hot new hires" which I have posted here for your viewing pleasure.
https://www.openforum.com/articles/why-english-majors-are-the-hot-new-hires/

My reaction to the article occurred in stages. First, was the excitement at seeing the title and thinking "Yes! Someone is finally realizing my worth! Employment here I come!" Then I actually started reading the article. Bruna Martinuzzi, the author of the article, makes some valid points about the often underrated qualities and qualifications that English majors bring to the table. Things like excellent communication and writing skills, and a strong hand in critical thinking. While I would argue, slightly biased of course, that English majors undergo the most rigorous training in critical thinking of all the liberal arts majors, the reality is that critical thinking, along with the other skills Martinuzzi lists, is not limited to the English major alone. In fact, the entire arts spectrum underscores the importance of logical argumentation and clear, concise communication, so the article's claims for English majors could as easily be made for History, Philosophy, Sociology and Political Science as well. Furthermore, the social science disciplines actually have one-up on us arts students in the research department, as they are required to take statistics courses which only augment employers' confidence in their ability to research and analyze material.

And here's another kicker (and where my original excitement downspirals into cynicism). Any of the jobs I have applied to that list "excellent written and oral skills" or "editing and proofreading" among its ideal applicant's key qualifications second these skills to a very specific education, often including a degree in Communications or Journalism; even a Business Administration degree is requested for the most menial of jobs! The skill set Martinuzzi lists appears after these very specific qualifications, which leads one to wonder which of the two will be considered more favorably by the employer. Will it be enough that I am an excellent communicator with years of experience editing and writing for professionals, but I'm also an English major? Or would they rather have a Business Admin degree, even if that means having to look over every article produced to ensure our dependable business student used the correct "there" in their writing?

What's worse is the reality that it does not necessarily have to be one or the other anymore. Nowadays, good writing practices are being more emphasized across the social sciences and even outside the liberal arts discipline. Many science students are required to take an English Literature course and, having served as a teaching assistant for one of those courses recently, I can attest to the fact that despite a science or engineering background, many non-arts students write with the capability of those of us who specialize in the art of communication and argumentation. An English major alone is rarely enough to satisfy. Those job postings that require "excellent communication and written skill" always come with an additional caveat that run-of-the-mill English majors may not be able to fulfill. Want to edit stories for the news? You need excellent communication skills AND a degree in television broadcasting. Want to work as a research assistant? You need thorough research skills AND demonstrated experience in statistics. An English major alone is realistically insufficient.

Ultimately, it saddens me to say that Martinuzzi's article fails to answer the "why" question. Why hire an English major, specifically, when there are all sorts of other disciplines out there that arm students with similar skills and qualifications? The dreamer in me wants to believe that she is right, that there is something special and unique about those of us who study literature, with which other arts programs simply cannot compare. But the truth of the matter is, the title of the article could just have easily read "why arts majors are the hot new hires", hitting home the reality that despite any corporate move towards the arts, we still have an outrageous number of equally qualified candidates to compete against for the ever decreasing number of jobs available.

In the mean time, we struggle onwards with the hope of finding employment that will motivate us to get up every morning and do our best, while maintaining the reassurance that even if we are "merely" English majors, at least we have one hell of a library.

Eleven years later: a thank you note to English teachers

I've had a long-cherished daydream that one day, I'll write a novel and it'll get published.  Inside, the dedication: along with the usual to family and friends, one special person whom I haven't seen in decade(s)... my seventh-grade English teacher.
But it's already been 11 years and I'm no closer to being published now as I was then.  And I want to say "thank you" before it's too late.
So lasso that Christmas spirit, pull out your fancy gel pens, and put your thoughts on paper; you might not get another chance.
This is the letter that I sent to the English teacher who changed my life:

Dear Mr. L--,

I was a student in your seventh-grade English class at E-- Middle School in 2002.  You were a fantastic teacher and I have always remembered you.

This month, I graduated from --- University with an MA in English Language and Literature, and I would like to thank you for your part in setting me on the path toward my passion.  I have often thought of writing you to say “thanks”, but I wanted to wait until I had accomplished this so you could really know what a difference you have made in my life and the lives of your students.

I always loved English and wasn’t an all-star at other subjects, like math.  But my 12-year-old self’s understanding of the world was that the one thing I was good at was not “real” or valuable.  My memory might have exaggerated over the years, but in my mind, you are the person who told me that “writing IS a real job” and I have never forgotten.  I so vividly remember biking home from school after our conversation that day more light-hearted, more hopeful, and more confident in myself than I had ever been before.  Since then, I have never put down my pens or my books. 

I’m sure that you continue to inspire, counsel and encourage hundreds of students; I hope you know how your kindness, teaching, and impact is treasured, and with what fondness you are remembered.

Thank you!

Yours,

JEM Colborne   

He's the person who told me one could study English, one could write for a living.  I spent the rest of my middle and high school career buried in notebooks, cooking up novels, toting around a thesaurus heavier than any of my other textbooks and dreaming of the day I'd see my novel in Chapters.  And now here I am, 11 years later, six of those spent directly studying Literature, now a "master".  If I didn't say "thank you" now, I might never get a better opportunity.

So seize the day, fellow bibliophiles!  Life is short.  Love is strong.  The time is now.

xoxo

JEM