"As an English major, I learned how to analyze something and ask questions. This has proved to be key for my success in my career."
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 application program interface (API) technical writer. I write documentation for software companies, typically the instruction manuals for whoever purchases the software. In my current role, I write API documentation, which contains instructions specifically for developers. This means the documentation contains more technical specifications for various coding languages. But I also write more marketing-type of copy or high-level information for business users that might be interested in purchasing our product for their developers.
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.
After I graduated, I applied for jobs for eight months without getting any real bites. I looked primarily in the editing and writing field, mostly marketing and communications types of roles. Eventually, I was approached by a technical manager at a software company and asked if I’d be willing to learn the technical world, so long as I was a good writer. I took the job, and I have been learning the IT and software world ever since. That opened opportunities as a business analyst for other software companies, so I got involved in the software lifecycle development, or Scrum type of environments. I stayed there for a few years and came back to technical writing when a position opened at a company that looked interesting to me.
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?
Critical thinking and analysis. As an English major, I learned how to analyze something and ask questions. This has proved to be key for my success in my career because most technical people don’t know how to explain concepts well to others. I spend lots of time interviewing technical subject matter experts to learn about a process or product, and I ask them LOTS of questions. They’ve often been surprised by my questions because I bring a point of view that most technical people don’t bring. I ask a lot of questions about the target audience, which is another thing that most technical people don’t think about, but this is critical to any written work. I like to think about my job as putting puzzle pieces together, and then I create documentation to make it easier for other people to understand. Research is also part of this. I do my homework before talking to technical subject matter experts. Time is precious, so I read up and study all that I can on my own so that I’m better informed in meetings. As we know, we do lots of research in the English Department, so that foundation was so helpful to me jumping into an industry that I really knew nothing about. This has also helped me to transition between industries. I’ve worked in the radio automation, manufacturing, mortgage, and healthcare industries.
What are some of the surprising ways in which your English degree helped you in your life?
I didn’t realize that most people in the corporate world don’t write well. They don’t know how to organize ideas into a cohesive outline. This shocked me at first, but it’s made me an asset and very adaptable to all sorts of roles. I’ve helped outline speeches and presentations for conferences, as well as edited legal documents, newsletters, press releases, and UX studies, to name a few. I’ve organized multiple document repositories at every company I’ve worked at because people stored files in different ways. I helped design a logical way to consistently store information across teams. I learned how to do all of this as an English major and can now apply it to a corporate setting. Just know that when someone finds out that you’re a good writer, everyone wants your help!
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 would have known just how flexible my skillset would be. When I graduated, I thought I could only apply for English or communication types of jobs, but if I had known how to sell my skills better, I think I could have applied them more broadly. As for advice, I would say to not be afraid to explore noncreative job options. It may sound boring, but those are the jobs that will always be needed. And your pay will likely be higher. You'll find yourself a great asset in a world where no one wants to write or think creatively. Your job doesn't have to be creative for you to use your creative thinking skills.
Contact
krystalsbailey@gmail.com