"A big part of my job is taking someone else's vision and hammering it down into something that makes sense for the brand and team, and breaking it down into actionable steps. The process is messy and takes some organizational skills and finesse, but the English major absolutely prepped me for this kind of work."
When did you graduate from BYU?
BA English 2018, MFA Creative Writing 2021
What is your job/position? And how would you describe what you do in that job/position?
I'm a product manager. I work for a startup overseeing the development of a website (and brand). I define the why and how of our product, as well as its scope, and manage a team of people who help me make it happen. Our product is a free website called thelowdownutah.com; it's like ratemyprofessor but for housing. Students leave reviews about their apartments to help other students who are looking for a place to live. I've overseen every part of this project which has been a super fulfilling (and stretching) experience.
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.
Going to school (both undergrad and graduate) for creative writing doesn't seem to bode super well for a person's career prospects, but BYU gave me a ton of professional experiences that have helped me have an awesome career so far. The editing minor was huge for me; in the capstone I worked as the managing editor of Mormon Insights which gave me some valuable experience that helped me find other content writing and leadership roles after the class ended. Mormon Insights was also where I got serious about LinkedIn. I put together a professional profile and began adding and endorsing people. When I started my MFA, I got a campus job as a content writer and eventually as the editor-in-chief of the journal Inscape. Both jobs gave me super compelling professional experiences which set me up as an RA for a professor doing project management for a website he was planning and organizing. By the time I graduated, my LinkedIn had some awesome experience on it, and I was DMed by a recruiter about a position as editor-in-chief of an online magazine about housing. Quickly after my start date, I pitched a major pivot and immediately shifted from the editor-in-chief of an original publication to the product manager of a website that relies on user-generated content. It's been a wild wide but so rewarding. It's cool to look at thelowdownutah.com and know that I'm responsible for its existence.
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?
Diplomacy and the ability to articulate a vision and a process. A big part of my job is taking someone else's vision and hammering it down into something that makes sense for the brand and team, and breaking it down into actionable steps. The process is messy and takes some organizational skills and finesse, but the English major absolutely prepped me for this kind of work. Also, the mentoring I received from faculty was so important, life changing personally and emotionally, and my relationships with professors (both professionally and academically) prepped me for networking and coordinating in business. If you think it's scary to email a professor for help or swing by their office, it's also scary to email coworkers or ask for help from people in your company. Start practicing now.
What are some of the surprising ways in which your English degree helped you in your life?
Like everyone ever, sometimes I've felt exceptionally inadequate in my role. It's important to know that's called impostor syndrome. Also, good jobs are so diverse that no one knows how to do everything they require. What's important is that I have key competencies—strong work ethic, proactivity, articulateness, a willingness to figure things out—and those competencies allow me to learn what I don't know and find ways to thrive despite lack of concrete training. No major produces strictly product managers, so thankfully I'm not weird with my background, but the English major prepared me in ways that not only gave me the above competencies but that help me stand out in tech with my ability to write, present, and communicate effectively, as well as with my ability to envision and empathize with users. My experiences in the humanities helped me excel particularly in those areas.
What do you wish you had known as an English major? Is there any advice you’d like to share with current students?
Dream big. It's okay to want to be a novelist. It's also okay to want a 9-5 with great benefits and pay. And it's even feasible to write novels and have a great job. (I've done more writing in the last 18mos since I graduated than I did throughout my entire MFA program.) If you're proactive and strategic, you can make great money with an English degree. You just have to be creative and advocate for yourself in how you can excel in a particular role and seek out experiences that will open more doors. Also, network, always network. Email me and we can network.=
Contact
rebeccacazanave@outlook.com