"Practicing law is about reading and writing, analyzing texts, and creating. It's an ideal path for someone who loved the analytical and creative sides of an English degree."
When did you graduate from BYU?
BA English 2005
MA English 2008
Juris Doctorate of Law 2015
What is your job/position? And how would you describe what you do in that job/position?
Attorney, litigator
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.
I completed my BA and MA in English at BYU, then an MFA at Northwestern. My plan was to be a professor, but the graduate programs were overrun. My mentors at BYU were honest with me and told me that it would be ethically irresponsible for them to encourage me to get a PhD. I took a year off, teaching, and decided to apply for law school. Practicing law is about reading and writing, analyzing texts, and creating. It's an ideal path for someone who loved the analytical and creative sides of an English degree.
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?
Textual analysis is the primary one, although I also use writing (of course), editing, and even my love of language to craft an argument. Maybe that’s the best answer. I was taught that writing poetry is writing an argument. I do that now, ferreting out the best language to support my position for my reader.
How else has your English degree helped you in your life?
For years I worked in accounting jobs (while I completed my MFA). You can take your English degree and sell those skills you've developed—close reading, attention to detail, writing clearly, etc.—and be competitive for a lot of jobs out there. And it’s okay if you work a job that isn't your dream, especially if it’s helping you get to your dream.
As an alumnus of the BYU English department, what advice would you give to current students?
Enjoy your English degree. And if you’re not enjoying it, look to something you do love.
Contact
johndoe@byu.edu