I think I always knew I was going to be an English major — even though I deviated for a semester into International Relations. Even beyond my love for reading and writing, studying English gave me the chance to explore worlds and participate in literary conversations linked to larger social commentary. In the Creative Writing track, I fell in love with the precision of language and deepening of craft; the tightness of poetry and well-rounded short story. Finding my way into publishing seemed natural — I was a writer who loved to read, critique, and discover new works of literature. I got lucky with my first (and current) job as the Financial Assistant at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, based in NYC. I had interned there in the summer of 2014 and continued to work for one of the agents remotely in the winter and then again this summer when I returned to NYC for good. A position opened up in late July and my old intern supervisor emailed me, wondering if I'd like to come in for an interview ... and the rest, as they say, is history.
I am, surprisingly, the only writer in my team of fifteen agents and my degree in Creative Writing has proved useful in terms of an editorial eye and scoping out the bones of a story. As an analytical thinker and poet (both thanks to my English degree), attention to detail and thinking about the larger picture have been invaluable skills at my new job. I never thought I would end up working with numbers, but the opportunities with DGLM have already been incredible.
Indeed, the resilience and creativity displayed by English majors make us ideal candidates for many jobs. Truth be told, our job opportunities are much larger because of our flexibility. Every business needs analytical thinkers, good writers, and people who know how to tell a good story. Talk to everyone who might be able to offer advice, connections, and support: professors, alumni, your peers. Someone always knows someone else who can help. Seek out internships as soon as you can; at least in publishing, that's how many (if not most) graduates get a job. Besides that, they offer useful life experience and job skills. And perhaps the biggest lesson I've learned is to not limit yourself to only things that you think you can do. Chances are, there's a whole lot more out there waiting for you to go and discover it.