I read Laura Townsend’s March 20 article “Creative-writing students not prepared for post-grad life” with some considerable pride. After all, who wouldn’t be pleased to see one of our students writing with such verve and on an issue of such importance? Since universities first started awarding degrees in the arts and humanities, a chorus of parents and peers has stood ready to ask, “What are you going to do with that?” Such questions are still more urgent in an age of rising student debt.
Precisely because Townsend lays out her case so well, I’d like to point to a few resources that might help answer the concerns of her and students similar to her. But first I think it is worth noting that there are often good reasons for excluding vocational instruction from the classroom. Undergraduate chemistry classes typically focus on mastering foundational skills and knowledge rather than encouraging students to start their own labs or apply for major research grants, and the same thing is true in most arts and humanities classes.
However, we also recognize the need to learn about career opportunities and job-search strategies, which is why the English Department offers a one-hour class called “English@Work” to focus very explicitly on these areas. I’m teaching it this semester, and my students will leave with polished résumés and sample cover letters in hand.
More immediately useful to humanities students across the university, English@Work brings in regular speakers to talk about how they turned their humanities degrees into careers. These talks are open to everyone, and they are all posted on the “News and Events” section of the English Department’s website. Coming up, we have visits from the LA Times columnist Meghan Daum, the memoirist Jerald Walker, and Hancher Director of Communications Rob Cline. These discussions offer useful insights into the path from a degree in the arts to a first job, and they show that your degree and the first job you land with it is usually only the first step in a process of discovery that lasts a lifetime.
We’ve also recently teamed up with the Mission Creek Festival and the Magid Center for Undergrad Writing to host a panel for undergraduates to discuss careers in publishing with editors from some very exciting literary presses. This session will be at 3 p.m. on April 7 at FilmScene, and we’re even providing snacks, in addition to sage job advice, to motivate students from across campus to attend.
A career in writing and the humanities is often not a straight line. You may find yourself behind the scenes at a bookshop, behind an espresso machine, or behind an executive desk. You may end up back in grad school, or law school, or med school. And you will almost certainly find that these paths are not mutually exclusive. That’s the greatest and most exciting lesson I’ve learned from teaching English@Work — and it’s one I’m looking forward to sharing with everyone who attends these upcoming events.
– Blaine Greteman is a UI associate professor and the director of Undergraduate Studies in English.
