What Do You Do With a B.A. in English? Anything and Everything!

March 3, 2015 

By: Lauren Vinciguerra 

What do you do with a B.A. in English? What is my life going to be? Four years of college and plenty of knowledge, Have earned me this useless degree.

Most English majors might agree with this song from Broadway’s Avenue Q, but in reality there are plenty of opportunities for English majors post-graduation.

The English Honors Society/Sigma Tau Delta hosted a ‘Careers in English’ panel on February 23 where seven alumni discussed their careers since graduating from Salem State. The panel included Carmen Barefield, Jessica Brown, Kat Casey, Kayleigh Merritt, Melissa Mui, Amanda Thomson-Tangalin, and Chris Zybert.

The first speaker was Jessica Brown, a 2004 Salem State graduate, who works as a technical editor at Analog Devices. Her main tasks include writing and editing data sheets and user guides in order to make sure information is grammatically and factually correct. She told the audience that she didn’t apply for the job knowing the material –in fact she knew very little about it. However, she works with subject matter experts who help her with fact-checking and understanding the material. According to Brown, those who are not technologically savvy can still prosper at jobs such as hers.

Amy Thomson-Tangalin, who works in New York, was skyped into the meeting. She discussed what she does at Johnson Newspapers as a general assignment reporter. She covers events in the Carthage area such as sports, spelling bees, and new developmental programs. She said her favorite news event, which she has covered, was a tornado that touched down in the area and a six-month follow up of the story as well.

Kayleigh Merritt was the next speaker who talked about her time so far as the executive assistant and marketing coordinator for the Hawthorne Hotel. Merritt oversees rebranding at the hotel as well as creates the guest and employee newsletters. She also mentioned that hiring managers usually look at degrees in English with enthusiasm. Being able to analyze and think outside the box benefits a lot of different businesses across many fields. “Employers love English majors,” Merritt said.

Kat Casey, who is the editor-in-chief of Art Tease Magazine, also worked as an associate writer for Great American Group. Casey mentioned that even though the job market is competitive, any experience helps.  “My internships have impressed employers the most,” she said. Because of this, she takes in interns from Salem State to work at her magazine where they can learn about editing and collaboration.

“The great thing about English majors,” said Kat Casey, “is we’re like rubber. We bounce back.”

Carmen Barefield, who graduated last January, mentioned that she didn’t know where to start looking for a job after graduation. “I knew I loved writing, I loved reading, and I loved people.”

Barefield found herself interning at the Hult International Business School. She worked in operations helping students across the school’s global campuses. She was offered a job after her internship ended and continues to help 500 students all over the world with any problems or concerns they have.

Melissa Mui, who graduated in 2013, found her niche in something she had never imagined doing. After graduating, she worked for a publishing group in Woburn and found out quickly that it wasn’t something she wanted to do. She then applied and got a job as a cash control supervisor at Legoland. Even though her writing skills don’t come into play for this job, being detail-oriented has helped her.

Chris Zybert knew he wanted to go into copywriting when he graduated from college. He ended up getting a job at New England Document Systems as the marketing & media coordinator. He researches, blogs, processes invoices, and does some video work as well. “I’m an entire marketing department within myself,” Zybert said.

All seven alumni proved that you can do just about anything with a B.A. in English. Employers are impressed with experience and the ability to analyze situations in unique ways.

The alumni reiterated that it’s tough for any student to be in the job market, but it’s best to try new things and leave your comfort zone.

Contributor's Note: Lauren will be graduating from Salem State this semester.