On March 31, the Department of English hosted a panel and networking event, “What Can’t you do with an English Degree?” The panel consisted of four WCU alumni who graduated with an English degree and hold careers in a broad spectrum of fields, proving that an English degree has the potential to place graduates in diverse fields of work. Current English majors were encouraged to network with the panelists after the presentation.
“You may find yourself in a new industry where you won’t need to cite Shakespeare, and you can’t be afraid to get into a new comfort zone. You have to keep challenging yourself,” said panelist Sandra Farley.
Farley started as an editorial assistant in a medical publication, but became bored of working from a cubical. She then moved to advertising where she priced items and wrote proposals before finding a career as a Publication Operations Lead at the company Bristol-Myers Squibb. She currently supports herself, her husband, and two children.
“Don’t close doors; keep exploring. As soon as you think something’s possible, it becomes more attainable,” she explained.
Farley ended up attending graduate school for a Business M.A. after she spent some time exploring her career options. She would have gone for an English M.A. had she gone immediately to graduate school after graduating from West Chester.
Farley said she found that the unseen part of an English degree is gaining the skills in becoming a good listener and working with others. The biggest question for an English major is, “What is a meaningful way of communicating?” Her English degree helped her find her niche in the professional world beyond only writing at a desk.
Another panelist, Cara Schmidt, began in a cubicle too. She didn’t like her line of work and switched to teaching preschool special education after earning an emergency certificate so that she could teach right away. She assisted new teachers and substituted for a total of three years before she burned out. Schmidt realized that she missed the intellectual stimulation English majors crave.
Schmidt went online in search of a job and was hired as a Development Officer at the Camphill Special School.
“I snap a photo, use a filter, and write a clever 140-character paragraph. I’m still doing poetry in some strange way,” she said.
Beyond being the social media manager of her company, she is also the treasurer and grant writer. Additionally, she is a freelancer of grant proposals.
In a similar pattern, panelist Kim Haemmerle began as a proofreader working in a cubicle. After realizing it wasn’t for her, she returned to school at University of Pittsburgh to become a librarian. She had interned at the Francis Harvey Green Library as an undergraduate student and had loved that line of work. Haemmerle applied to universities for library reference jobs after completing her degree. She then worked as a prospect analyst for Villanova University.
However, she received a call from eBay for a new position they were trying out, Talent Market Intelligence, and she took it. Essentially, she assisted eBay in deciding what cities from which they are going to recruit employees by looking at data such as salary expectations, levels of education, and willingness to move. After her trial period of five months, she was hired full-time.
“There are so many options. You don’t have to be a writer as an English major or be a librarian as a library school grad,” said Haemmerle.
Elise C. Glunz, a Certified Paralegal, graduated in 2010 and was employed by 2013 after earning her paralegal certificate. Her English degree helped her in her career by providing her skills in accurate citation, research, drafting, and analyzing a body of work.
“A paralegal is an assistant to an attorney who does substantial research to make his or her job easier,” said Glunz.
The field requires a bachelor’s degree, and more commonly today, a paralegal certificate. Paralegals work in the government, corporations, or law firms. Glunz is employed in a tax and employment law office. Since law is so textually oriented, it is the perfect position for an English major.
Amanda Mitchell of the Career Development Center said, “A common question is, ‘I don’t want to teach, so what are my other options?’” These four panelists gave a glimpse into the large pool of career options that are open to English majors, proving that teaching isn’t the only option an English degree carries.
Colleen Cummings is a fourth-year student majoring in English. She can be reached at CC763510@wcupa.edu.