If I have been surprised at anything, it has been that I realize again and again over the years that English applies to this, that, and that too. . . [N]othing that is understood can be understood except by language. In such a world, English majors are formidable, for their subject is meaning itself.
When did you graduate from BYU?
2017 (MA)
What is your job/position? And how would you describe what you do in that job/position?
I am a tenure-track assistant professor of writing studies. In addition to teaching writing courses, I serve as coordinator for graduate student instructors, which involves things such as managing new instructor orientation, teaching a composition pedagogy course, running weekly instructor meetings, and conducting teaching observations. Working in committees, I am also involved in curricular design and faculty development. For example, working with our Center for Teaching and Learning, we provide programming about how to effectively use generative AI in the classroom.
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.
While choosing a PhD program, I had a choice to make. I knew that I wanted to teach and at what level, but I was not sure what kind of program would be a good fit for me. My field, rhetoric and composition (rhet/comp for short), tends to lean one of two ways: heavier emphasis on rhetorical theory or heavier emphasis on composition theory. I realized that, for myself, this was a false dichotomy (you know you're an English major when you're wary of binary oppositions!). As such, I chose a program that was similar to BYU, that was well-grounded in both rhetoric and composition (in fact, I later came across an article that also recognized the similarity between our institutions).
In terms of career paths more generally, I later realized that more routes were open to me by observing where my classmates ended up. I think only 2/7 of my cohort went for tenure-track jobs. The others went for jobs as government writers (this was in the DC area) and academic support staff-- and were loving it! (During an alumni event they all said that first week of not having anything to write or grade after work was a game changer). As for me, I've always wanted to work at a place that includes both teaching and research responsibilities (scholar-teacher model), so I continued on my path. My current job fits this description.
I recently attended a conference for educational developers (directors of centers for teaching and learning) where I thought I was the only writing program administration person there. As I networked, I realized that a significant portion of these folks actually had the exact same background that I did. I even attended a session where we discussed how humanities degrees prepared them for their current academic staff roles. I love what I'm currently doing (writing program administration has a lot of overlap with educational development), but this is a future path that is open to folks in English that we need to talk about more. And who knows, a lot can happen in the next few decades of my career.
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?
English major capacities that I regularly use are reading rhetorically, systems thinking (including perspective-taking and historical awareness), narrative competence, theoretical synthesis, and epistemic humility. I regularly bring all of these to bear as I design courses and give feedback. Many of my colleagues have similar capacities (and, really, all disciplines expect these capacities in some way), but every once in a while someone will compliment me for how I'm able to navigate and synthesize abstract concepts. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a "theory-guy," but I have had a parallel Gospel education in identifying, relating, and applying doctrines and principles. I also think being invited to integrate spiritual and secular learning at BYU and visual notetaking of Church training materials also enable this capacity. This synthesis capacity is especially useful for writing literature reviews, theoretical frameworks, and bibliographic essays, as well as curricular design and strategic planning-- all things that I do regularly in my academic job, but that are common in other training and leadership positions more generally.
What do you wish you had known as an English major? Is there any advice you'd like to share with current students?
I wish I knew more about how to develop a technical writing portfolio. Technical writing is having something of an AI shake-up right now, but it will remain a lucrative career.
I also wish I'd known more about tenure-track positions at community colleges and other academic support staff positions. I didn't realize that my MA already qualified me for these jobs-- I erroneously thought that PhD was the only option. If I'd known, I would probably still have gone for the PhD, but I'd like to choose with a fuller awareness of my options.
My advice would be to keep things in perspective. Career development isn't "selling out" so much as learning to see how our analytical and creative capacities do in fact apply even here. English, career... why not both? It's similar to how we have experience in seeing how the world is "charged with the grandeur of God" (Hopkins), to enjoy the dialectic of spiritual and secular rather than shy from it, to fulfill our duty to "gather up all the truths in the world" (DBY 248), to engage in the quest to "gather together in one all things unto Christ" (Eph. 1:10). One way to practically do this is to keep a working portfolio, a portfolio where you can collect evidence of your learning and then regularly reflect on what you have learned, are learning, and are about to learn. As you look and look again, you will see themes emerge-- maybe you like to write about X, or you prefer Y genres. Chart a path that draws on these roots and that taps into your motivations. What is your mission, and how could that mission be instantiated multiple ways (for example, me thinking not just about teaching but also about training and instructional design). This will not only help you amass an impressive portfolio, but will also make cover letters and interviewing much easier. As Gary Geraths once told me, the artist that gets the job is the one who can most proficiently talk about their own work. Don't get stuck in a single way of thinking; keep looking from different angles until the light refracts just right.