SandraRosa Bryant: Library Associate

Name: SandraRosa Bryant

Age: 23

College & Majors/Minors: Major: English/Creative Writing. Minor: African American Studies.

Current Location: Baton Rouge, LA

Current Form of Employment: Library Associate

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I am currently a Library Associate at Louisiana State University. During my senior year of college, I created a magazine for the club I was president of at the time, the Black Student Union. I was in charge of editing and layout and marketing and recruiting. It was a big job, but I loved it.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life? 

I served as an officer (different positions) for the Black Student Union from my sophomore year to the senior year when I was in college. I was also on the Graduates of Color planning committee. I was an on-and-off memeber of a social justice organization called The Conversation. I also had an internship at a bookbindery in Seattle.

What all of these had in common in terms of preparing me for post-grad life was that they taught how to navigate in different settings. They taught me that not everybody thinks the same way and that if you want to connect with a person in as deep and as strong a way as possible, you're going to have to learn how to "speak their language" while still being genuine.

How did you find your current job?

When I graduated from college, my intention was to move to Detroit and find a job and live there for about 2 or 3 years so I could be near to my dad. Well, I did go to Detroit but I couldn't find a job. I had library experience and Detroit had recently shut down a lot of their libraries. When I realized that I needed a new plan, I started applying to library jobs all over the U.S. I didn't limit myself. After doing phone interviews with a few, LSU decided they'd like to hire me and I moved to Baton Rouge.

The application process for a lot of the jobs I applied to wasn't too bad but I was applying to a lot of places so at times it felt overwhelming. I had a generic but detailed cover letter that I tailored to each library I applied to. 

Most of the employers were looking for very library-specific skills. They wanted someone who had worked 1+ years in a library and knew how to use cataloging software and understood classification schemes and that sort of thing. Most of them wanted people who had done behind-the-scenes tech work as well as public services work.  

Since I was applying to a lot of out-of-state positions most of my interviews were phone-based. They were conference calls. Usually a group of 3-5 people would ask me questions about what my previous job was like, what I wanted to gain from the job I was applying for, and where I saw myself in five-ten years.

For the library jobs I applied for, no tests were involved but I did apply to work at a bookstore in Detroit and they had a test, but it wasn't a writing/editing test. They wanted to know if you could fit easily in a book store. They asked questions like "who wrote The Davinci Code" and "from the list below, which magazine would appeal more to men?" and "the register at the counter is broken and you don't have a calculator, a customer brought x and y for $13.98. They gave you a $50 bill. How much do you owe them?"  

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

I think Indeed.com is a pretty good website for looking for work. I also think the internet can be your best friend but you have to be creative with it. Look at blogs that people in the field you're interested in have written and learn from them. Post a question on Reddit about things you're nervous or hesitant or curious about. Find a forum where people in your field post frequently and ask them for advice.

When I was in the process of interviewing for jobs and was stuck between whether to go with the library that wanted me or to wait and hear back from the one I wanted to work at, I went on LiveJournal, found a community of library workers, and asked for their advice. And they gave really good advice and if I hadn't followed it, I'd probably be nowhere near as happy as I am right now.

Abi Humber: Non-Profit Communications Coordinator

Name: Abi Humber

Age: 22

College & Majors: Communication Arts (placed my own emphasis on writing)

Current Location: Chicago, IL

Current Form of Employment: Communications Coordinator at 826CHI (a creative writing non-profit)

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I work as the Communications Coordinator for 826CHI, a non-profit that brings totally-free creative writing programs to Chicago Public School students. I create content for the organization's web site, write our monthly e-newsletter, manage our Facebook and Twitter, and act as the Creative Director for the promotion of each of our signature events and fundraisers.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Well, for a really long time (like 7 years) I was a bi-weekly columnist for my hometown newspaper. I wrote about hiding in lockers from seniors, refusing to try cottage cheese, moving away from home, and Canadians. In college, I took a ton of expository writing classes, honing my ability to synthesize giant amounts of super-dense information and turn it into something readable. I thought I wanted to enter the world of journalism and felt really stuck when none of the news-related internship opportunities seemed interesting or inspiring to me. I stumbled upon 826CHI's web site one random afternoon and applied for an internship during the Fall of my senior year. I immediately fell in love with the organization and its mission—it was the perfect marriage of my love for written expression and inspiring/affirming the voice of young people. Thankfully, the love was mutual and I was hired into my current position about 2 months into my internship. I also spent a lot of time cat-and-plant sitting for my professors and trying to impress boys during dumb intramural sports tournaments. That last sentence very adeptly sums up my collegiate experience.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different). 

This is the part where I talk about how lucky I got. I was a Programming Intern at 826CHI in the Fall of 2012, working directly with our amazing students on a variety of writing projects. My supervisor sometimes had me work on copywriting or social media projects for the organization, because I understood its goofy, irreverent voice and worked quickly. At this point, I considered being on staff at 826CHI my "dream job." I planned on extending my internship into the spring semester, and was starting to look into entering the Americorpos VISTA program as a way to stick around even longer.

Then, out of nowhere, a staff member informed me that the organization's Communications Coordinator position was open and encouraged me to apply. Euphoric and frenzied (my quintessential self), I pulled together my resume, stumbled through a cover letter, and borrowed a blazer from my roommate. My interview was held in a busy coffee shop, where I sat surrounded by the organization's five other staffers who, just 10 minutes before, were my internship supervisors. They were mostly interested in my ability to work in a wildly collaborative environment, and the degree to which I understood and could convey the organization's culture and voice. The writing component of the interview involved writing a fake event listing and a few social media posts for a super quirky event...the rest is history, I guess, and now they let me make jokes on the internet all day.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree? 

You need real-world experience. I would suggest starting an internship—not matter how informal or infrequent—as early as your sophomore year. Some advice I got from a mentor: There is no such thing as a wasted internship. Even if your experience is miserable...well, now you know that's not something you want to pursue! Also, try not to be so focused on what you think you're looking for that you fail to recognize other opportunities as they arise. I found out about 826CHI via the "Chicago Artists Resource" blog when I was scouring the internet for journalism internships. I am so glad I clicked the link even though it initially seemed unrelated. Also! Find a mentor. Or two. Or three. Everyone who is currently a "real adult" or a "contributing member of society" was once just like us—wandering, unsure, scared. They didn't become their successful selves overnight, and it is really important to hear from people who have been where you are, but found ways to move forward.

Connect with Abi on LinkedIn. 

Robyn Broker: Proposal Writer

Name: Robyn Broker

Age: 25

College & Major: University of Puget Sound, English: Writing Rhetoric and Culture

Current Location: Seattle, WA

Current Form of Employment: Proposal Writer at Russell Investments

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I currently work for Russell Investments in Seattle, WA (soon to be remotely working from Denver, CO— life change!). My title is “Proposal Writer” and my job entails responding to RFPs (Request for Proposal) from prospective clients. My tasks range from writing and editing responses to questions, interviewing subject matter experts on various topics, coordinating communication between all involved parties, and lots of other project-management related duties. It’s a fun, busy job and it keeps me on my toes most of the time— which is something I always look for in my work life.

Previously, I worked for a magazine as Managing Editor and was responsible for just about anything and everything involved in editorial production. My tasks included writing copy, editing stories, helping design layout, proof-reading spreads, interviewing industry participants, and delegating tasks to my editorial and design staff.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

As an English major, the whole “writing and editing” skill set was sort of ingrained in me. During my senior year, I’m pretty sure I didn’t have any finals or tests— just papers to turn in. Gotta love liberal arts schools! By going through the creation/writing process over and over, I felt ready and prepared to take on any writing-related job or project, no matter the subject.

I also wrote and edited for my school’s newspaper, which fine-tuned my copy editing abilities. This was an experience I recommend to anyone considering a writing-related job post-grad, as it’s not only a good resume builder, but it’s also a great way to exercise your English major skills in a more professional environment.

Finally, during my senior year I had an internship at a magazine (which would ultimately become my first job). This is another opportunity I highly encourage English majors to go after. While there aren’t a ton of open full-time jobs in publishing, there are almost always internships available. Don’t see any listings on a site? Ask! I was fortunate that my own internship turned into a job, however you never know what can happen when you log intern hours. Again, it’s good for the resume and good for getting a taste of the industry.

Oh, and I edited SO many friends’ papers throughout school (they requested— but I was happy to help). That definitely helped my editorial eye. 

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

As stated above, my first job came from the magazine internship I had senior year. The interview for the internship was somewhat standard, but I remember feeling incredibly confident throughout the interview (not typical for me!), and my employer highlighted that this was one of the reasons I got the position.

Admittedly, I got pretty lucky as the magazine was a start up and in need of a full-time editor (in this case, even a bright-eyed 22 year old would do!). I worked at that magazine for just over 2 years, which is when I started my now-current job at Russell Investments. I found the job at Russell via LinkedIn, I want to say by searching for “writer” in the Seattle area.

This was a HUGE change. Not only was the job completely different, but it was a totally foreign industry to me. In fact, at the time I had no idea why they hired me. However, as my boss communicated to me from the get-go, he was more concerned with having someone who could write well in the role as opposed to someone who was merely well acquainted with finance. It goes to show that everyone needs writers, no matter the subject or industry.

In terms of the interview process, I had a phone interview with an HR representative and three in-person interviews. The first was with my current manager, the second was with the two people who are currently on my team, and the third was with my boss’s boss. I also had to come in for a “writing test” where I was given some informational articles on an investment subject and asked to summarize the topic in a comprehensive paragraph. The whole process took a while, but I did feel like all pieces of the interview process were necessary.

The thing I leveraged the most in my interviews (besides my writing/editing skills) were both my work ethic and my willingness to learn. I highlighted the fact that I was interested in an opportunity that allowed me to work hard and learn a lot (both true) and I think this spoke to exactly what my boss was looking for.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

My best advice to English majors is to expand your field of vision when looking for a job! Like I said earlier, writers and editors are needed in nearly every single industry, and I’ve found that you can tailor your English major skills to a wide variety of job types (marketing, editing, writing, social media, etc.). When I graduated, I never, ever would have thought that I’d be working in the finance industry for a huge corporate company. But, it was my English degree that got me here. It might not be my dream job (mainly because I don’t know what that is yet ), but it’s a great stepping stone and helps me capitalize on my degree. So, be realistic when you’re searching (straight up: print publications are hard to get into), but remember that your skills are incredibly valuable to just about any employer.

My other advice is to be yourself and be honest during the interview process. Real talk— most people that are considered for a position have near-identical resumes, so it’s really important to highlight what makes you, you. Plus, you want the people who are considering hiring you to get a well-rounded look at who you are— not just a walking and talking cover letter/resume. And on the note of interviews: come prepared with questions not just about the job, but about the workplace environment, etc. While you are the one vying for the position, it is equally responsible for the employer to sell themselves to you as well. And finally… do not be afraid to think before you speak! It is so easy in interviews to try and not miss a beat and ramble on and on until eventually you don’t even answer the question. It is always better to take a minute, collect your thoughts, and give a thoughtful response rather than act like you have an immediate answer no matter the question. And remember… breatheeee!

In terms of looking for jobs, I’ve found the most success with Indeed.com, LinkedIN, and perhaps more than anything… going to company websites! Lots of employers don’t list their jobs on the major job search sites, so it’s a great idea to go directly to the source and look for their “careers” or “employment” link. This is easily where I’ve found the most prospects. And while craigslist can be okay for freelance gigs… I’d steer in the direction of other resources more than relying on the CL.

Good luck! I’ve met so many English majors in various roles since I graduated, and it’s so fun to find kindred, book-loving and language snobby kindred spirits out there!

Sara Shepherd: Freelance Writer

Name: Sara Shepherd

Age: 26

College & Majors/Minors: English Creative Writing & Theater

Current Location: Portland, OR

Current Form of Employment: Freelance Writer

Where do you work and what is your current position? 

I am currently working as a freelance writer for a few companies. My “bread and butter” jobs are pretty uninspiring; I recently completed a job where I wrote 400-word pieces concerning the demographic information of different area codes. Not exactly the next greatest novel, but hey, I am making money with my writing and I am able to do it from my home. It's especially great because it allows me to stay with my eight-month-old daughter while continuing to build a professional career.

In the past I have held a couple of marketing positions, one for an engineering company and another through the Department of Defense while my husband was in the Army. In both of those positions I was responsible for turning technical information into readable and engaging content for the public.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job.

I found my first job through Craigslist while I was still in school. It was as a marketing and office assistant at an engineering firm in Seattle. The position was entry level, but I gained the marketing skills and experience that lead me to the freelance positions I hold today. The company was a small engineering firm in Seattle owned by some really nice people. They felt my personality was just as important as my skills, as well as my willingness to learn new tasks. The interview was far more personable than I expected. They were looking for someone who could help them create marketing materials as well as update their website, and were happy I knew a little bit of HTML, Photoshop, etc. That was a really great job. I ended up having to leave when my husband and I were moved to an Army base across the country.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

At Fort Stewart I worked as a clerk for the Department of Defense. It's not as exciting as it sounds– I was actually working at the front desk of a school-age childcare facility. The work could be downright dull at times, because I had to prepare a lot of government documents with very specific guidelines. Eventually a new manager was hired who recognized my skills in marketing and design, and I began taking on more creative assignments. I ended up designing the center's activity calendars, fliers, and I co-authored a 30 page customer handbook. The position taught me a lot about following strict guidelines, preparing official documents, and gave me a low-level security clearance which could have been applied to other jobs, had I pursued it.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

One of the most important activities I did while in college was work for the school paper. The job forced me to learn how to write on a tight deadline and made me more outgoing as I was always having to interview people I didn't know. I also picked up some very marketable skills like Adobe InDesign and Photoshop. Many freelance positions ask specifically for writers with news-writing and journalism experience, and I am continuing to write journalistic pieces for my own website.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

It took me a while to realize this, but writing is actually really hard for most people. I used to say “I should of gone to college for something practical, like a trade skill,” but writing IS a skill! Since entering the workforce, I have encountered some really terrible writing from folks who are professionals in other fields, but simply can't organize their thoughts on paper. As English majors, we have the education and experience to create high quality content that most people simply can't. We also the ingrained ability to think creatively. Don't sell yourself short – you do have a professional skill to offer, and every business needs someone who can write.

Visit Sara on her newly launched website, PvE Portland! It features nerdy businesses and individuals who live in and around Portland, Oregon. You can also connect with her via LinkedIn.

Andi Satterlund: Self-Employed Writer/Knitting Pattern Designer

Name: Andi Satterlund

Age: 24

Major: English Literature

Current Location: Seattle, WA

Current Form of Employment: Self-employed Writer/Knitting Pattern Designer

Where do you work and what is your current position?

The short version is that I’m a self-employed writer who specializes in knitting patterns and knitting related content, but like many self-employed writers, my current job is cobbled together from bits and pieces. I’m both a small business owner and freelance writer. I run a knitting blog and self-publish and sell knitting patterns through my business. On the freelance side of things, I’m a regular contributor of knitting articles and patterns for a tutorial website, and I also write articles and patterns for various knitting magazines.

I originally began writing about knitting while I was in college, and I continued to do it on the side while working another job. Prior to being self-employed full-time, I worked as an associate editor at a small cake decorating magazine where I both wrote and edited content. I spent a lot of time editing cake decorating tutorials and working on web content. Although cake decorating wasn’t a craft I did myself, the writing skills I had developed in college and through writing knitting content were useful no matter the topic.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

My hobbies in college led me to my current career path. I started writing a knitting blog just for fun, and I developed a bit of a following. My readers were enthusiastic about my work and encouraged me to start submitting it to publications. I had my first pattern published by a yarn company my junior year of college, and it was so exciting to be paid to do something I loved. I continued to do it just for fun until my senior year when I began to worry about finding a job after graduating. I began running my website more professionally and started to try to make more professional connections through social media. I went from treating my blog like a hobby to treating it like a part-time job.

Andi's work was featured in the 2013 Winter issue of Pom Pom Quarterly.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

Like almost all of my jobs, I found my first freelance job by networking, and I suspect I got it through having my blog because it’s like a giant portfolio. I was a member of a message board for knitting pattern writers, and someone posted about a yarn company’s new program to work with up-and-coming designers. I didn’t think much of the original post, but one of my blog readers encouraged me to submit a proposal, so I gave it a try. On my blog I had simple patterns I had written before, and I included a link to them in my proposal, which I think helped convince the company to take a chance on me. Having a wide variety of writing on my blog has always come in handy.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

Get experience while you’re still a student! Whether it’s an internship, working on a student paper, running a blog, or getting published— all of it is incredibly helpful when you’re trying to get hired. Your degree gets your foot in the door, but your experience is what gets you work, and it’s a lot easier to find the time and opportunities to get experience when you’re still a student.

My second bit of advice is for content creators looking to build a career online, and that is if someone is profiting from your work, you should, too. The “honor” of getting published by another website or company is not worth giving your work away for free. It can actually be damaging to your career because it’s hard to get rid of a reputation for working for free. It’s the 21st century, and you can get your work out there without a publisher, so don’t let someone take advantage of you. Your work has value. That’s why these places want to publish it. They’re just hoping you don’t recognize the value of your work, too.

Visit Andi on her knitting blog Untangling-Knots.com, follow her on twitter @AndiSatt and check out her knitting tutorials on Tuts+.
 

Melissa Pilgrim: Writer, Editor & Writing Coach

Name: Melissa Pilgrim

Age: 45

College & Majors/Minors: University of New Hampshire (1990). B.A. in English, Minor in Theatre. Graduate of The Institute of Children's Literature (1993).

Current Location: White Mountains, N.H.

Current Form of Employment: Writer, Editor, & Writing Coach

Where do you work and what is your current position?

For the past seven years, I have run my own writing, editing, and script/writing coaching service called Your Writing Muse from my home office (which started in Los Angeles, but is now in the White Mountains of N.H.). In the course of my career since leaving college in 1990, I worked all over the country for seventeen years in all mediums-- theatre, film, TV, and book publishing-- and based on all of those experiences I am now able to help others with their own writing goals.

You can see my full bio on my website, but in short I have had 16 plays produced, four screenplays optioned, one TV show optioned, one children's book and app published, have either edited or ghostwritten over twelve books (both in nonfiction and fiction genres), been a judge in two screenwriting contents, and have been hired by many producers, authors, and companies as a writer-for-hire on various projects (including Martin Sheen's ESP Productions). I also co-write songs as a lyricist with musicians. Besides doing all these types of creative writing projects/jobs, I also work on business websites helping clients with all their business-related writing and editing needs including their page content, blogs, articles, reports, and newsletters.

As a writer I've found it's great to be able to always stay both creative and versatile, for you never know what kind of writing someone may need help with! Working in all fields has kept me both marketable and employed, for when it's slow in one medium it's normally not in other ones. (Plus, it keeps life interesting!)

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Tell us about how you found your first job. 

My actual first job out of college was very hard to get, for when I graduated in 1990, the country was in a recession. I went all over Boston and N.Y.C. hoping to find work in theatre, film, or publishing, but no one was hiring. But, one interview in N.Y.C. led to a lead for an interview for a job as part of the "starting crew" of Universal Studios in Orlando, which I got. So I moved to Florida where I did a variety of things at Universal, including working in casting for one of Nickelodeon's TV shows. This experience showed me that I really wanted to work with kids more as well as write more. So I started sending out my resume and writing samples to different children's theatres that I knew of in the area, and I was soon hired by one of them.

I found that having great writing samples was very important to get the playwriting/directing job in children's theatre I was looking for, so I always kept writing and trying to improve my craft. It also helped to keep studying in the craft (especially within the children's writing market, specifically), so in the early '90s I also did The Institute of Children's Literature writing program to really learn how to write for every age group of children and teens. This knowledge has helped in many job interviews later on dealing with children's projects in all mediums, for clients can tell I know the field very well.

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What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

I have worked in different community theatres in several states with both children and adult groups, and not always, but most of the time writing the plays for each group basically "came with the job," and so I was very fortunate to be able to be paid for my writing skills as well as my directing and producing skills all at once. But I wouldn't have gotten hired just on my writing abilities alone in any of these theatre jobs. I found it was an asset to have a variety of skills to offer when interviewing for positions in the field of theatre. People who can handle many types of jobs and responsibilities are more likely to get a job in most small theatres. (But as you work your way up to bigger theatres, this changes and you can then be more specialized into doing only one job, or at least let one job be more of the focus overall.)

For instance, I really got into playwrighting even more when I spent five great years as the artistic director for The Sheil Park Players in the Wrigleyville area of Chicago where I wrote plays for the children and teen groups.  I also did writing workshops for adults to develop new plays out of it for the adult group and helped new playwrights’ original work get showcased.  Many of those workshopped plays went on to be produced in other theatres in Chicago, New York, and even London.

During this whole time I was also focused on evolving my writing in other areas— I started writing screenplays and sending them out to writing contests. One of them placed as a quarter-finalist in both the Nicholl's Fellowships and the Writer's Network Screenwriting Competition, as well as a semi-finalist in the Illinois/Chicago Screenwriting Competition. An agent from Beverly Hills then noticed it, and I moved to L.A. to start writing for film and TV. I went on a lot of what Hollywood calls "meet & greets" and got four of my screenplays optioned over time. I was hired to do a lot of rewrites, script coverage/critics, became a judge in two screenwriting contests, and helped many clients develop their own ideas into screenplays or book manuscripts.

The biggest break of these kinds of jobs came when I was hired to work for ESP Productions (Estevez-Sheen Productions), which is an independent production company in Los Angeles founded by Martin Sheen and his son Ramon Estevez. (It is now run by Ramon and his brother Charlie Sheen.) I worked for them as a writer when it was under Martin Sheen. They are a wonderful family and it was a fantastic experience when they hired me after reading one of my original TV series pilot scripts I had being pitched around Los Angeles at the time. I didn't sell that TV series (yet-- I'm still trying!), but it just shows you never know what is going to happen when you're showing your projects!

I learned early on in my various entertainment jobs that you always have to keep writing new projects all the time and keep pitching/showing your work. Perseverance is key when it comes to writing as a career, in all the mediums, and especially in book publishing... I have helped a lot of people with their book projects (in both nonfiction and fiction genres) over the years, and I really saw how long it took before many books became well known. This kept things in perspective for me as I created my first children's picture book, Animal Motions, which is a fun, easy-to-do, interactive book based on some of my made-up children's theatre improv

games.

After pitching Animal Motions many different places (to both big and small publishers), I finally found a great publisher, Indigo River Publishing, who understood the book's concept and importance to kids right away and I got a publishing contract with them. They found a wonderful illustrator, Ira V. Gates, and we all worked together on the book's creation, with me using my theatre background to "direct" the design of each page as the story unfolded. So once again, I learned how valuable it was to know how to do more than one thing when it came to working on a project like this. An app for the book (published by Authorly.com) was also created in this fashion and it is being launched in February 2014, which is very exciting!

Each of these experiences have all been very important in my career, and I hope they show all writers reading this that working on any and lots of different kinds of projects is possible-- you just have to stay focused and keep writing all the time (as well as bring as many other skills you can to the table/project). If one medium isn't working for you (or you just need a change from it), then do a different one. It's all up to you to keep writing and trying until the right project falls into place at the right time, then you can go on to the next one.

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What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

I always knew that I wanted to write in a variety of mediums one day, but my first love was the challenge of writing for the stage. I felt it was a great way to learn characterization, dialogue, and plot development skills that would then always help craft any other kind of writing to make it even tighter, better, and stronger overall. So I became an English major with a creative writing focus while I also minored in theatre to really learn as many theatre skills as I could. (Even back then I was advised that to work in theatre you should have several different kinds of jobs/skills to be marketable in the field.) At the time, the east coast had the best programs in writing, but there wasn't as much opportunity for learning about how to write for film and TV, which I knew I also wanted to do. So for my junior year I did an exchange program with San Diego State University to learn the craft of screenwriting out west, where the best training for that was offered. By the time I graduated, I felt I had covered all the mediums and was ready to work in any of them!

At the University of New Hampshire, I was involved with UNH's concert choir, drama groups, several different writing groups, UNH's Student Exchange Club, and SCOPE (a music/performance club that got professional people to come do shows and events at our school including rock groups like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Inxs, comedians like Jay Leno, filmmakers like Spike Lee, etc.). They were all fun and great activities, but SCOPE was the one that put me around professional people who were doing creative, writing-related types of careers for a living, and that inspired me to know it was possible for me to do it too.

Also keep in mind that just because you're out of college doesn't mean you shouldn't stop learning about or working on your craft. For instance, I always knew I wanted to write for children as well as adults, so I enrolled in The Institute of Children's Literature writing program and studied how to write for children and teens pretty soon after I graduated from UNH. Always look for ways you can keep improving in your craft so others will see you're highly skilled and valuable to their specific project/job.

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What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

My advice to anyone just starting out in the world of writing (beside perseverance, which I already mentioned) is to learn to have patience… things take a long time to get done in this whole "writing world," both the actual writing part and the trying to get it sold (and then hopefully produced) part. So patience is a big lesson in this field (along with a good sense of humor when a project you thought was all set to sell or go suddenly "falls apart")!

I'd also like to mention that it's important to always respect (and appreciate) other people's time and only pitch them something you feel is truly relevant to their own needs or goals (in all mediums, always). I can't tell you how many times I've worked for companies or people who say they only want to read romantic comedies at this particular time, yet get pitches for all genres anyway. Do your research before you pitch, always! For it only makes you look unprofessional if your project doesn't seem relevant to their current needs or tastes.

And lastly, if this is a career field you truly want to do for a living, then respect that it is an actual career choice and expect to get paid for it. Know that your skills--and eventually experience-- are worth being paid for. I see many "free/spec jobs" listed for writers all the time and it saddens me, for all forms of writing takes time, focus, and skill to do, and if someone is going to put all of that into a project they should also be paid for their time, focus, and skills. But for some reason people try to talk them into doing it for free or very little money. But I, like other professional writers I know, normally work on their own projects for free until they're ready to be pitched and sold. Working on other people's projects is then an actual job. Believe it will be for you, too.

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Visit Melissa on her professional website YourWritingMuse.com for more examples of her work and writing tips. You can also check out her latest project at AnimalMotions.com!

Erik Hanberg: Self-Employed/Writer

Name: Erik Hanberg

Age: 33

College & Majors/Minors: Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. English degree.

Current Location: Tacoma, WA

Current Form of Employment: Self-Employed/Writer

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I am a business owner (a marketing and design company I own with my wife) and a self-published writer with six books published (three mystery novels, two non-profit guidebooks, and one sci-fi novel).

My professional background has mostly been in non-profits, especially in communications and marketing. Every job I've had needed extensive writing skills. I wrote the tourism brochure for our county in marketing for one job, and edited a high school alumni magazine for another.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

I had one business internship, but my most helpful preparation for a professional career was temping in a big corporate office during the summer. I made pretty good money and I learned very quickly how a corporate environment works. I haven't worked in the corporate world since, but the professional experience was important.

I also worked during college at the Career Center, which gave me a good idea of the diversity of jobs available. There really is a lot you can do!

The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition

$6.93

By William Strunk Jr., E. B. White

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

I have volunteered my way into most jobs. I have a lot of experience in the non-profit sector, and in two cases, volunteered with an organization before getting hired. As to writing, I've never taken a writing test, but having a portfolio of work has been great. Keep magazines, letters, or any other piece of writing you're proud of in a folder. It will be helpful later.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree? 

First, you can get practically any job with practically any major. The key is talking about skills versus degree or title.

Second, EVERY business needs writers. If not writers, then communicators. I promise your skills are in high demand. Work for a nonprofit in marketing or development (fundraising) for awhile and you'll amass a good portfolio of writing. You can either move up the chain in nonprofits or find your experience will be valued in a better paying corporate gig as well. Strunk & White's book on writing, The Elements of Style, was a great help to me post-college. Writing an academic paper and writing a fundraising pitch are not the same things!

Visit Erik at erikhanberg.com, follow him on twitter and check out his books on Amazon!