Director of Content

When did you graduate from BYU?

BA English 2012

What is your job/position? And how would you describe what you do in that job/position?

Director of Content at TD Ameritrade/Charles Schwab. My team creates educational content (videos, online courses, articles, etc.) that helps everyday people learn about financial markets and investing. In terms of professional fields, it's a mix of content marketing, instructional design, and customer engagement.

Describe the path that you took from your BYU English degree to your current career, highlighting the important realizations and turning points that paved the path for you.

Through an on-campus job in the School of Education I was introduced to instructional design (a field focused on using technology to create effective educational experiences informed by the science of how people learn). That led to another on-campus job at the Center for Teaching and Learning where I got some more hands-on experience with the field. Toward the end of my degree I also audited a graduate course in instructional design. During that class I learned about an instructional design company in Salt Lake that recruits heavily from the BYU English Department, and I started working there as a contractor after graduating. After a few months that job turned into a full-time position, where I worked for a couple years designing online training for Fortune 500 clients before moving to my current company where I've been for about 8 years. Over time my job has shifted away from instructional design and more towards content marketing and general management. Although my English degree didn't lead directly to my career, it definitely offered some valuable and formative experiences:

• I took an English class with Gideon Burton about digital media that got me interested in blogging and social media. That class helped me get an internship at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History through Washington Seminar. While that internship didn't turn into a job, it was A) very cool B) valuable experience working in a professional environment and creating content for large audiences.
• In addition to my coursework, opportunities like working as a research assistant for Frank Christianson and presenting a paper at the Cormac McCarthy Society Conference with Phil Snyder allowed me to explore the professional academic world. Although I didn't end up pursuing that path, those experiences were, like my internship, A) very cool B) valuable experience in more professional settings.

What are the specific skills that you cultivated as an English major that you now use in your professional life? And how do you use those skills in ways that set you apart from your colleagues?

I've built a career on creating content, so the writing and communication skills I honed as an English major have been the foundation of my success. I also think the empathy, thoughtfulness, and critical thinking that studying literature cultivates have helped me excel at designing user-centered content and navigating the corporate world. And I've been able to apply those soft skills in professional environments because of the more practical skills (digital publishing, visual design, basic web development/programming, etc.) I gained through Computing in the Humanities and Editing minor classes. Basically, my coursework gave me a solid understanding of both the human and digital worlds that is invaluable in today's knowledge economy.

What are some of the surprising ways in which your English degree helped you in your life?

I'm not sure this is surprising and it definitely sounds self-congratulatory, but I think studying literature and the humanities just makes you a more interesting and thoughtful person. I think my life is richer than it would have been if I'd chosen a different degree because I learned to appreciate ideas and art and to think critically. I also made many friends who I'm still close to today through English classes and the Writing Center.

What do you wish you had known as an English major? Is there any advice you’d like to share with current students?

• Do a study abroad if there's any way you can possibly swing it. I thought I was making a more financially prudent and practical decision by doing an internship in D.C., and my internship was awesome, but I wish I'd done a study abroad too. I've had several opportunities to travel abroad since graduating, but visiting another country for a week or two can't compare to immersing yourself in another place the way a study abroad would allow.
• Grades matter, but don't let your coursework crowd out all the other opportunities. I loved my classes, but a lot of my most valuable experiences and relationships came outside of class through on-campus jobs, internships, research assistantships, etc.
• Supplementing the soft skills from your English degree with harder skills will make it easier to get a job. I'm a big proponent of the Humanities+ approach.
• Savor this time you have to read and write and talk about literature and fully devote yourself to learning. Life after college is great, but I miss taking English classes!
• Get to know your professors by being engaged in your classes and taking advantage of office hours. The mentor relationships I had with professors was one of the highlights of my undergrad.

Contact

benjaminjosephmiller1@gmail.com