An Independent Journey: Finding the Career Path for Me

I interviewed four people in careers I admire. When I asked them for advice, their answers varied and gave me plenty to consider before applying to graduate programs.

As a first-generation college student, I blindly entered my years as an undergraduate with no clue how I made it this far or where to go next. I applied to school as a History Secondary Education major. Since then, I switched my major from History to English Literature, dropped the Secondary Education aspect of my studies, took on a dual minor in Psychology and Policy & Ethics, and changed from a literature concentration to a writing concentration. This is merely evidence of my stumbling through each year and re-evaluating how I should best organize myself now to get from point A to point B. Of course, point B has changed a few times over the years, but surprisingly, point A has changed more.

After bouncing from career option to career option - Do I want to teach high school? Middle school? College? Yes, college - I convinced myself I had it all figured out. I said to myself, I’m going to be a college English professor. I was completely oblivious of the specialties required in advancing my studies and the many questions I had about the what-comes-next part.

So, in my Career Preparation for Writers course this semester, my professor encouraged me to seek out answers to these questions in an independent project of my choice, in order to set me up for my future. It began in a conference with her, where she started asking to consider whether I wanted a MA or an MFA, what subject areas each of these would be in, and how far I would travel from home to get this degree. Language like “low-residency programs” and “rhetoric and composition” were new to my vocabulary, but they quickly became familiar with research.

Then, in a class project, I was asked to conduct two information interviews: one with someone in a career of interest to me, another in a career I wanted to learn more about. So, I quickly emailed two professors on campus - one in poetry and one in rhetoric and composition - and set up interviews to learn more about them.

I enjoyed every second of them. There is something extra special about hearing people you admire talk about their journey to their current career and how it impacted their lives along the way. On top of having these interesting conversations with them, I was learning so much about the world I am interested in entering. So, when I designed my individualized study project, I decided I wanted to conduct more interviews to get as many perspectives as possible.

Then a pandemic shut down campus - and with it, human interaction and my academic motivation. My project slipped to the back of my mind and flickered quietly, becoming nothing more than a conscious passing thought every now and then. A new focus of mine was the transition to online learning and attempting exercises of self-discipline to complete work on time. As a result, this epic project I planned with as many interviews as humanly possible is much smaller.

Yet, it is still just as valuable.

My goal of the project was to determine which career path I want to set up for myself in the next year. I ultimately interviewed four people: Paige Hermansen (a rhetoric and composition professor), Leah Nielsen (a poetry and creative writing professor), Abby Murray (a published poet and part-time writing professor at the University of Washington), and Catherine Savini (the director of the Reading and Writing Center). Outside of these interviews, I’ve also sought advice from my Career Preparation for Writers professor, Beverly Army Williams.

The advice I got varied from interview to interview, and at times, it contradicted what I had previously been told. While it may be perplexing, it also allows me a chance to consider what I want for myself, as I assemble the stepping stones toward my future. Some of these similar and contradictory ideas are outlined by the graphic I created below, in addition what I took from it:

Comparing and contrasting their advice illustrates the flexibility in the path to success for writing professors. While I still am torn between these two careers, I still have some time to get experience to decide my future. As I said before, the experience was still valuable.

Here are a few things I learned:

Be Conscious of Your Financial Situation

Professor Paige Hermansen, in her interview, advised me to look for funding. While she notes that luckily for her, the financial situation she is in is alright, she reiterated what so many professionals in the humanities will tell you: apply to grants and find ways to get funding while obtaining a Master’s degree. If you don’t apply for aid, you are missing opportunities for funding.

Talk to People Who Know and Care About You

The greatest benefit to my interview with Profession Leah Nielsen was the relationship I built with her over the years. In my three years at Westfield State University, I’ve taken four classes with Leah and opened up to her in conferences. Needless to say, she knows me almost as well as I know myself (sometimes I wonder if she even knows me better than that). It made the interview more personal, which made her advice feel more genuine on a level that no other interviewee could achieve.

Find Comfort in Your Journey, But Keep Writing

Poet Abby Murray told me the story of her journey, advising me to just keep writing along the way. Her path was made complicated by her husband’s involvement in the military, which caused them to move around a lot. However, at the end of it all, she still managed to become a writing instructor, which is what she wanted from when she was an undergraduate. She is also a published poet, which inspired me to write every day - even if it is only a poetic phrase.

Take Some Time to Think

Dr. Catherine Savini, the director of the Reading and Writing Center on campus, told me to consider taking a gap year. She said it would allow for some experience and professional growth. It would also give me the opportunity to make sure I am the career path I truly want for myself, before I spend any money attending more education. She taught me that I will need to research more and take time to consider the numerous means of becoming a writing professor, in order to find a path that best fits my life.

Overall, I learned there is no “perfect” path to my desired career, be it as a professor in poetry or in rhetoric and composition. My path might not be linear - it might be filled with life’s chaos and spontaneity - or maybe it will be. Moving forward, my plan is to continue to research my options, get more experience in each of these fields, and talk to the people I feel most comfortable with for advice along the way.

And when I figure this whole life thing out, I’ll be sure to let you know what I decide.