"So many people I work with are very logical thinkers, but they struggle to communicate the nuances of writing, rewriting, and editing."
When did you graduate from BYU?
BA English 2014
What is your job/position? And how would you describe what you do in that job/position?
I’m an XPS brand advocacy manager for Dell. I work to understand our customers, bring that understanding into product management discussions, and drive future computer product innovations based on customer understanding.
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 had several internships in radio journalism and print journalism because I realized that I could write just as well as a journalism major and only needed a few pointers to figure out how to fit in. Ultimately, I decided that print journalism wasn't for me. I then worked for a startup. I wrote a lot of website copy and helped write video scripts, and I started to see more how English could lead to running a business. I then worked in tech journalism writing tech product reviews. I loved the tech side of things but quickly got tired of churning out content and wanted to be doing something more strategic. I moved to content strategy, and this was the job I felt most prepared for by my English major. I was writing some content but thinking higher level about how all our communications tied together. I had a manager recommend that I pursue an MBA to further grow and develop. I now work in tech as a marketer. I'm so grateful that I have an English background instead of a marketing one. There are so many pieces of the job that can be learned on the go, but thinking deeply about how things fit together is something that I gained during my 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?
Thinking logically through arguments and then being able to write that out clearly for others. So many people I work with are very logical thinkers, but they struggle to communicate the nuances of writing, rewriting, and editing. Having a super clear eye for details in punctuation, spelling, phrasing, etc. has been super valuable and makes me look good in front of my coworkers frequently. :)
What are some of the surprising ways in which your English degree helped you in your life?
Being able to write cleanly and quickly is a huge benefit. I've been the designated writer for some really cool projects at work because everyone knew I was the fastest and the best.
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 that I had known how much rhetoric and logic would play a role in knowledge-worker jobs. I tried hard to take digital humanities courses and have lots of internships and job experiences, but the skills that really propelled me ahead have been my clear thinking and writing skills. I also wish I'd known how to interview for more business-type jobs. As a student, I made it to the final rounds of interviews with companies like Goldman Sachs and Google but didn't know how to play the interview game as well as the students from the business school. Now that I've been through that school as an MBA, there are several very easy interview tips that I wish had been passed on—things like the way interviewers expect questions to be answered, ways to prepare for interviews, and questions to have prepared to ask the companies you're interviewing with.
Contact
ryanwbrown1@gmail.com