It has been a tradition for the English Department to hold discussions to help English majors ponder about their future, said Joseph Plicka, associate professor in the Faculty of Arts & Letters.
He said there is a lot of rhetoric about which degrees are more useful and which degrees aren’t productive. “I think that the idea that one major is more employable than the other is mostly false.”
This discussion was held on Feb. 25, 2022, and a panel of professors discussed their career paths after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English.
The panel included Caryn Lesuma, Stephanie Robertson, Aaron Shumway and Scott Springer.
Being adaptable
Caryn Lesuma, an associate professor in the Faculty of Arts & Letters, said an English degree can lead to many career opportunities and it’s important to trust in the Lord to guide you to where you’re supposed to be.
While attending school in California, Lesuma shared, her goal was to become a writer for a science magazine. Upon transferring to University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH Manoa), she landed an internship at the Honolulu Star Advertiser working as a journalist and reporter, she said.
Despite lacking journalism experience, she said, she was hired because she was a good writer and showcased flexibility in completing required tasks such as using a camera and updating news websites.
“An important trait is that you have to be able to wear a lot of hats,” Lesuma shared. “Be open to learning new skills and developing other traits that you might need … that can really help you to be valuable to your employer.”
When she and her husband moved back to the mainland, Lesuma said, she became a tutor at a Korean after-school program. It was there she knew she enjoyed teaching and pursued her master's in English at BYU in Provo followed by her doctorate, she said.
“Where I started … is totally the complete opposite of where I thought I’d end up but I’m really, really happy. I think part of that was just trusting that the Lord would guide me to where I’m supposed to be.”
Lesuma said freelancing is a good opportunity to build a portfolio with the goal to become a multimedia journalist. Other than writing, she added, a person would need experience in using videography, photography and social media.
Autumn Barraclough, a senior from Washington, D.C., majoring in English and information technology, said Lesuma’s advice on freelancing helped resolve her concerns about finding a job incorporating both her computer and writing skills.
“How much information technology has made its way into English and has modernized that field … was something I hadn’t previously considered.”
Cara Gentry, a junior from Texas majoring in English, said she liked how there are many career opportunities available for English majors.
Her goal, she shared, is to return to Texas to teach middle and high school. Upon listening to the professors, she added, she realized there is more she is capable of doing than just teaching.
One foot in front of the other
Stephanie Robertson, an assistant professor and outreach librarian at the Joseph F. Smith Library, said her goals included starting a family and working towards a job related to an English major.
She knew her goals but was unsure how she could pursue them, she shared. “I just would always prefer to put one foot in front of the other and take the next step.”
As a student at BYU-Hawaii, Robertson said, she worked as an editor for Ke Alakai and as a tutor at the Reading and Writing Center.
She then became a tutor at BYU–Idaho and worked as a copy editor for technical writing and creative pieces, she explained. Eventually she would enjoy taking up an internship at BYUH, Robertson shared.
Robertson expressed one of her goals was to start working as a full-time librarian and got her master’s in library and information science at UH Manoa. She said her degree is versatile and works with both her experience as a librarian and teacher at BYUH.
At one point, Robertson shared, she found herself feeling an overwhelming sense that BYUH was where she needed to be. “If you feel any sort of confirmation, just write it down. Trust in that step … and take every opportunity that you can.”
Robertson shared how majoring in English equipped her to run a program for children with developmental disabilities. Her responsibilities included reporting on mental health and progress, she added, which required having good writing skills and using specific language skills. She said the Department of Health felt confident in her ability to execute these duties.
Loving the Lord and the law
Associate Professor and Director of Religious Education Aaron Shumway said as an English major, there is beauty in the written and spoken word. While attending BYUH, he said he decided to go to law school when he was attending a devotional at BYU in Provo by President Rex Lee, the Solicitor General of the United States.
Shumway said President Lee said he admired the law so much he had his wife read him Supreme Court cases when he was sick and in the hospital. President Lee, he shared, was friends with his father and had asked him what he planned to do after graduating from college.
Shumway said he attended Washington University of Law in Virginia and shared how studying at BYUH helped prepare him to study law. Law school requires a lot of reading and writing, he shared.
“Being an English major helped me learn how to think, how to organize, how to structure, how to prioritize arguments.” He shared he became a transactional, business and real estate lawyer responsible for drafting contracts and sales agreements.
“If there’s one thing I love more than the law and practicing the law, it’s teaching the gospel,” said Shumway. He said he didn’t know there wasn’t any education required to become a Seminary teacher.
He was offered a position teaching Seminary and taught for nine years before teaching at BYUH. He said having an English degree helps instill thinking, reading and writing while studying the scriptures. “Where I am now is way better than [where] I thought I’d be.”
Shumway advised students to put their trust in the Lord and prioritize God in all they do. The Lord understands the strengths, capabilities and personality of each person and will magnify those characteristics, he said.
Pros and cons of publishing
Scott Springer, associate professor in the Faculty of Business & Government, shared various pros and cons of the publishing industry. Prior to teaching at BYUH, he was a global director in the academic publishing industry for 15 years, he shared. He currently serves on the global board of the BYU Management Society in Provo, Utah.
His education includes a doctorate in higher education administration from Northeastern University, an MBA in leadership and organizational changes from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and Spanish from Utah State University.
Pros
- There are a lot of entry level positions, such as an editorial assistant, production editor, copy editor or social media assistant. An editorial assistant coordinates tasks dealing with books and manuscripts. A production editor oversees the entire production process at a publishing company. A copy editor checks for grammar errors and edits content in a body of text. A social media assistant posts content for social media channels.
- Publishing is needed everywhere, no matter where you are.
- There are a lot of freelance positions available.
- Publishing is a business with the focus of sharing knowledge, words and information.
Cons
- One of these positions may receive thousands of applicants, as most would be qualified, and it could be difficult to be spotted or noticed. He said applicants with publishing experience will increase their chances of getting the job.
- Major publishing companies are based in major cities and it could be expensive to live in those cities.
- Copy editing is being outsourced and full-time jobs are difficult to find.
- It is difficult to make money as a freelancer, as one is responsible for creating their own paycheck.
- Publishing is a business and requires one to be knowledgeable of how a business functions. He recommended students minor in business to help them gain that understanding.
Charles Bradshaw, an associate professor in the Faculty of Arts & Letters, said each of the speakers demonstrated how flexible and adaptable they were in pursuing their careers. Flexibility and adaptability, he said, are important traits in today’s job market.
Plicka said he admired how the panelists shared their stories in an informal discussion. He said he and Bradshaw chose the panelists based on his knowledge of them and their reputation. In the future, he said they would want a more diverse group of people to come and share their advice and experience to students.