Jobs & Internships

by Hope Dorman

We’ve all probably been asked if we want to be teachers once we tell people that we’re English majors. To those who ask, English is a limited career field, but we know it to be so much more. There are many viable options for English majors, though it might be hard for someone else to see how. To provide some inspiration, here are some real job postings that need English majors, and some of them may surprise you.

Technical Writing
Beaverton, OR

Writing is of course a huge part of the English major, and many companies need people to write technical manuals or copy. Huron Consulting Group is a financial and operational consulting firm based in Beaverton and they need someone to develop “documentation and training targeted at a wide range of medical researchers.” They’re looking for someone with a degree in Writing, Education, Journalism, or English. Check out the listing here.

Contracts Administrator
Fairfax, VA

The Columbia Group was looking for a Contracts Administrator, which is a position in logistics management and administers and coordinates contracts, agreements, and documents, using databases and electronic tracking systems. They need someone who has a familiarity with writing formal contracts, as well as good communication and accuracy skills. Initially, “logistics management” sounds more fitting for an Operations and Technology Management major, but they want someone with a degree in English, Writing, or Communications. More info is on the job posting here 

Lead Manager of Communications
New York, NY

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is looking for someone to handle outward communications about the industry, through many different forms such as presentations, blogs, videos, social media, and articles. It’s great to know that a totally different industry, such as finance, values the communication skills and knows that the English major is a great way to learn them. This job is ideal for someone already in the work force with at least seven years’ experience in corporate communications, but it demonstrates that at all levels of business, there is a need for people who can communicate well. Review more here.

Copy Editor
Carlsbad, CA

Editing is something we all should know well (and if you don’t, just wait until you write your capstone). Four years of essay writing prepares those with an English degree to proofread, revise, and edit pieces of writing – a perfect skill for this job. Arbor Scientia is a medical education agency looking for someone who can proofread, fact-check, articulate the usability of products, and work with many other departments on general communication needs. They want someone with a Bachelor’s degree in English, some background knowledge of the medical industry and 1-2 years of copy editing experience, which you could definitely claim with your four years of essay writing. Review more, or graduating seniors, apply here!

Head of Content Marketing
Atlanta, GA

Marketing is an excellent field for those with an English degree, so long as they pick up additional business skills. Salesloft is a company that sells a platform for sales development teams and they are looking for someone who can oversee content marketing initiatives. This position involves content creation, supervising writers, message creation, and requires familiarity with the business world and business software such as Google Analytics and Adobe Creative Suite. This position demonstrates that English is a great base education, especially when rounded off with other skills and familiarity with different fields. See more of what the company is looking for here.

So there you have it – five jobs that prove that English majors are not all destined to be teachers or baristas. For those of you who have some time left in your undergraduate career, take this post as a sign to be confident in your choice of major and to pick up skills in other areas to round out your experience. For those of you beginning the job hunt soon, don’t be afraid to cast your net a little wider. As the end of the semester approaches, know that the world has lots of opportunities for those who hold a degree in English.

by Danielle Childs 

This Monday, March 30th at 5:45 PM in Franz 025, is UP English Department’s Alumni Panel where current English majors can come and learn from actual real life human beings about some of the options available to them with a degree in English. In the flesh! I know we’ve all sat in class and listened to our teachers tell us how diverse the English degree is; that those before us have gone on to hold a variety of jobs in many different fields. Still, it’s hard not to feel a bit removed from those allusions to successful graduates. This event is designed to put a face and a name to that success our teachers assure us it is possible to find. If you’d like a more concrete idea of the professional opportunities your future holds, make sure to attend this panel.

As a sort of teaser for the panel, we have interviewed Bridget Flaherty who is the Assistant Director of International Students & Scholars at Lewis & Clark College.

Before you graduated, what did you do to prepare for a career after college?

Honestly, not much. I worked throughout college, on campus during the school year and at home in Montana each summer, but I didn’t do any internships or seek out jobs that might relate to a future career. I was unsure what I wanted to do after college, so I applied for the JET Program during my senior year.   I was fortunate to be accepted, and could graduate with the knowledge that the next one to three years of my post-college life were planned. If I were to be in school today, rather than ten years ago, I’m sure that I would be doing more to prepare for a career. I did work with the career services staff on campus to learn how to put together my resume and prepare for interviews, which was helpful when applying for the JET Program.

What was one of the biggest difficulties you faced finding a job after college?

The biggest challenge I had was figuring out what I wanted to do. After spending a year teaching English in Japan, I spent eight months working in various temporary positions. These positions were valuable in helping me figure out what I definitely did not want to do, as well as giving me time to focus my interests.

How did you find out about/receive your current position?

After teaching in Japan and working in an administrative position at the Art Institute of Portland, I realized that a career in international education appealed to me. I did informational interviews with people who worked in study abroad and international student services at colleges and organizations in the Portland area, which eventually led me to graduate school. I earned a masters degree in Communication Studies with a focus on Intercultural Communication. Eventually, I ended up in my current position working with international students at Lewis & Clark College.

How has what you learned from studying English at U.P. helped to prepare you for your current position?

Studying English at UP taught me to look beyond initial thoughts and interpretations, and to see the variety of underlying viewpoints or explanations. While this related to novels and poems in school, it translates well to my work with students from around the world. On a practical level, I learned how to manage my time and balance multiple assignments and jobs, as well as how to set deadlines and have patience when working on a semester-long project like my thesis. Also, learning how to communicate clearly in writing and verbally is a skill that should not be underestimated.

What is the best advice you can give to a current English major anxious about job-hunting in the future?

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to find the “right” job after graduation, as your first job won’t define your future career. Be open to trying new fields or living in a new place if it means getting experience that will help your career. And remember that no job is a waste of time; learning what you don’t like to do is a valuable part of figuring out what you want to do.

by Hope Dorman 

Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to become an author. I read voraciously and wrote many uncompleted short stories, waiting for the “big idea” to come along which would propel me to being on par with my favorite, J.K. Rowling. As I got older I still had the dream of being a writer, but knew that it would most likely take a different form than being a novelist.

After I became an English major, I submitted creative writing to literary journals across the nation to no avail. I tried many rounds of that, and still nothing. I was beginning to get discouraged because I knew I was a good writer, but had nothing to show for it.

Over winter break, I looked into getting a second job because I knew I would have more time than last semester. After not finding anything on the student job board, I actually turned to Craigslist. I didn’t find anything that worked with my schedule on the normal list, but I looked to the writing section under “Gigs”. Most were unpaid, up-and-coming blogs or things of that sort, but luckily I found one that seemed promising. It called for contributors writing for a lifestyle blog aimed at women age 35 and up. I almost didn’t go for it as I am nowhere close to 35, but they had different topics that I knew I was qualified to write about, so I sent an email to the blog coordinator.

I presented myself as a junior English major, but claimed that “my knowledge about the different subjects is objective and applicable to all age groups” as an attempt to convince the blog coordinator that I would be worth considering. She emailed back very promptly and asked for a sample article. I was excited just to have a chance to prove myself and immediately started writing an article about running for beginners. To my surprise, she responded the next day and said I was welcome to join the team! I will now be contributing to the fitness section on www.reallyamazingwomen.com.

I am very lucky to have found a chance to be paid to do what I love on a website run by an established media group, and to have been considered with just the credentials of being an English major. I strongly urge anyone who struggles with finding a way in to their chosen field – especially writing – to simply search for what is out there, and sell yourself as capable and qualified. It can be a frustrating process, but it is worth the time and effort once you get recognized for your skill!

Wondering what to do with your writing and analytical skills after graduation? Check out this great opportunity to earn good money by helping young people develop their reading skills.

by Erika Murphy 

Despite the fact that I have a reassuring advisor and a relaxed father, I caught the contagious what-am-I-doing-with-my-life anxiety early on last year. Weekly internship updates had started coming. New to the English major, I suddenly felt pressure to determine the path from sophomore year to ultimate career. And so, I did what they tell us to: I headed to Career Services straightaway to make an appointment. It turns out I could have just called, but I didn’t mind the extra few steps; fall in Portland is invigorating, an aspect of the Pacific Northwest that I miss here in Spain.

I met with Amanda Wheaton, our past CAS Internship Coordinator. I have yet to meet Elizabeth Ostapeck, our new coordinator, but I expect we’ll get to know each other well come spring. As much as I want to allow the wind to blow me where it may, I am just not that person. I started planning for college in fourth grade and I haven’t stopped mentally arranging the future since. Amanda and I met each week, Friday mornings. Neither mid-term exams nor flooding stopped us– thanks to Amanda’s graciousness, my anxieties, and the library study rooms. Each week I had a list of goals, both short-term and long-term. Not to worry, I’ve since realized that this degree of preparation is unnecessary and indeed excessive. The thing about job boards is that they scroll continuously. Just as I’d feel relief as I neared the list’s end, the site would load a dozen more entries. I realized that there are as many potential jobs as there are minutes to peruse.

As an English and Spanish double major, I will never struggle from the confines of a too-narrow field. This is why I felt pulled from the School of Education toward CAS. However, the responsibility has fallen on me to discover what lends value to the world and what value I can contribute to it. The time I spent on job boards, instead of with Richard II for Dr. Asarnow’s Shakespeare class, for example, was well worth it because I was allowed room to think constructively about my future. Rather than wait for the perfect job to jump out, I brainstormed. Under Amanda’s guidance, I bulleted the skills I hoped to gain. With list in hand, which always makes me feel more confident, I rejected and selected applications with more ease.

Six months later, I ultimately opted for an internship never entered on a board, indeed the best kind. I committed to the Interns for Justice program through the Moreau Center. Lindie Burgess is a phenomenal lady who coordinates the service-learning internship, using private funding, for a small cohort of students. We independently chose our placement sites and committed to at least eight weeks of hands-on service. In addition, we composed weekly blog posts, read books and articles, and created a final presentation to wrap it all up. It was admittedly a significant time commitment. I began the day after the semester finished, a fact I regretted about three weeks in. The flip side to the exhaustion, however, was deep fulfillment.

I spent my summer at Roosevelt High School, home to an outdated reputation of students destined to fail. The community rightly worries about their students because the majority has experienced undue familial hardship. Although I could provide various job descriptions to summarize my time, my primary focus was mentorship. I led excursions and instructed workshops in writing, Adobe, and publishing, but none of that is what I wrote about in my blog. Instead, Lindie wanted to know about sitting on the couch in the writing center, and sifting through neurology books with a student in Powell’s. These moments might be considered unproductive in the average internship, but here my goal was to build relationship. Rather than stand in front of the class, I sat in it. I sought solidarity. I got some comments about being white and young (who knew?) but I felt welcomed into a community that first week.

From the experience, I’ve carried forward a single element present throughout the year that is indeed unnecessary: the stress. I fretted to secure the internship, and continued to feel the pressure within it. Anxiety tends to increase exponentially. I regret the energy lent to worry. There is no right internship, nor a right path to find one. Rather, there is balance. As I begin the search anew, I seek equilibrium between challenge and fulfillment.