The Big G Word

[Count Duckula]

There's already a thread about life before college, so now I make a thread about life after college.

I've spent the last 17 years of my life (19 if you count Montessori) in some sort of institutional educational setting. Unless I die, fail, or drop out, I'll be graduating in May.

Now what?

I don't know anything other than school. I know the basics of apartment finding and job hunting but I don't know what all I can do as an English major who doesn't want to live in a major US city.

Any other liberal arts graduates here at the Lounge? Any suggestions for someone who just wants to hold down a job while writing fiction?

[Ashock]

Any suggestions for someone who just wants to hold down a job while writing fiction?
[right][snapback]69572[/snapback][/right]

If all you want to do is just to "hold down a job" while you're doing something that you really like to do, I'd say that the one thing that immediately pops into my head which would be suitable for a BA in LA is..........

"Would you like a 6 piece or a 9 piece meal?"




-A

[Jeunemaitre]

Any other liberal arts graduates here at the Lounge? Any suggestions for someone who just wants to hold down a job while writing fiction?

I'm not sure that I qualify as a liberal arts graduate (BS in psychology) but I suffered my fair share of jokes about measuring peoples’ satisfaction about receiving fries with their burger. I actually got lucky in that the first resume I sent resulted in an interview and the job I've been in for almost 5 years now. My problem is that I haven't figured out what I want to do for a career (the current job isn't it, despite the fact that it pays the bills).

In your case, if you have a good idea of what you want for a career, the job might be less important. Have you considered being a science/technical writer? I know the company I work for has been increasing our use of independent science writers to review and edit manuscripts before submission to professional/scientific journals for review and publication. It does strike me as being something you could do out of a home office, but it may be a bit hectic given the potential for short timelines and a need for the ability to pick up a technical/jargon vocabulary pretty quickly.

On the other hand, if you're looking for something to pay the rent while waiting for you're first novel to get picked up for national distribution, look for something that has good hours. The thing that kills me in my current job is that I don't plan on going much further in this industry, but I can't walk out of the office without continuing to think about work, effectively making my hours 7:30 AM till bedtime on some-days. It makes looking for my true calling more of a task than an enjoyable part of the journey of life.

edit: Y... y... my kingdom for a y!

[Count Duckula]

If all you want to do is just to "hold down a job" while you're doing something that you really like to do, I'd say that the one thing that immediately pops into my head which would be suitable for a BA in LA is..........

"Would you like a 6 piece or a 9 piece meal?"
[right][snapback]69579[/snapback][/right]

My sister, who attempted a major in music education, has a t-shirt: "I majored in liberal arts. Will that be for here or to go?"

My dream job would be working for the government as either a librarian or a teacher on a military base. Or owning a bookstore. I've applied for the former and I'm coping with the fact that the latter ain't gonna happen in this financial state any time soon.

Jeunemaitre, I wish I could break into the publishing world as an editor, but all the places with room to spare are either in the book publishing industry (New York) or the film/television industry (Los Angeles). I hate cities. And I've heard stories from interns about ambitious and attractive young people willing to use that attraction to get anything they want.

On the other hand, if I can decipher Milton, Dryden, Descartes, and Donne, I might be able to pick up the tech world lingo. Problem is, I don't think I'm built for an office setting.

[Bob]

Being a science student I'll admit that I don't really know much about the arts, but are there and postgraduate positions that you could apply for? (I suppose there might not be much to research in creative writing, unlike physics where they're never short of something that needs researching somewhere)
If all you know is school then you can keep out of having to know anything else by just continuing to work academically. Someone has to be become tomorrow's lecturer.
As I understand you're at a very small college (as a college it doesn't do research anyway though, unless the uni/college naming convention is different to the UK) so you'd still probably have to go somewhere else to find such a position.

-Bob

edit: can't type

[Griselda]

I have a liberal arts degree in literature/theatre. All of the options that were availble to me after graduation involved unpaid internships. I spent some time as a volunteer at a local cable station, but when they turned the position I was doing into a paying job, I was not as qualified as most of the other applicants were. I had the option of applying for theatre internships, but all of the ones that I found looked like unpaid work that would have taken up so much time that it would have been difficult to hold a paying job and the internship at the same time.

So, I worked at lots of pizza places and bakeries. It's not terrible work considering that once you get experience somewhere, you can go just about anywhere in the US and at least find a minimum wage job, and when you clock out, chances are you're not going to have any work that you need to take home with you. My experience as a baker has also turned into a hobby of mine, and it's much more fun now that it's on my own time.

Every region of the country has a different economy, but right now the Oregon economy is in terrible shape. I went back to school for a more practical degree (Master's in Education plus a teaching license), and even with that I'm finding that most people have to "pay their dues" by volunteering, networking, and scrambling in a variety of ways to get their feet in the door. I'm also finding that sort of thing difficult to do now that I am supporting a family on my income.

So, my advice to you is to take advantage of the time that you have now, when you're not needing to support other people, and your bills outside of student loans are probably fairly minimal. You may have to take minimum wage jobs for the time being, but while you're doing that, do something that will make you stand out from other applicants in future positions. Employers are getting hundreds of qualified applications for professional positions, so just being pretty good at what you do might not be enough.

If you can distinguish yourself through continuing education, a volunteer experience, an internship, or something else, it can only help you down the road, and you may not have an opportunity to do something like that in the future.

You may not feel like doing any of those things now. I certainly didn't. Lately, I have had to turn down several opportunities that have come along because I am not able to leave my family for an extended period of time, and even if I did, they might support me but not pay the bills back home. These are opportunities that I probably would have had earlier, but I didn't really look for them.

So far I haven't found a single employer who's been impressed by my "beyond naked mage" experience, so I've needed to devote some time to other areas. :P

[whyBish]

I don't know anything other than school. I know the basics of apartment finding and job hunting but I don't know what all I can do as an English major who doesn't want to live in a major US city.

First up, Congratulations!

Make sure youcelebrate completion of such a big task.

As to ideas, what about overseas travel? In NZ it is almost standard for about 1/3 to 1/2 of graduates to go overseas initially. As a writer it would provide you different experiences to draw upon. (<plug> Wellington and NZ in generaly has a very vibrant creative scene at the moment, driven from the government level (Prime Minister enjoys her arts scene))

If funding is an issue, then a stint in the retail or services sector can't hurt. Apparently 'our generation' has issues with starting at the bottom and working our way up, graduates expecting to slot right in at the top levels. If our parents had to start at the bottom then surely we are able to do so also.

In addition, while living in the city attracts higher wages, it also costs more. Living in small towns can be a faster way to build up money, particularly if you do the research and are flexible on which one you will head to. With the progressive urbanisation your specialised skills should be attractive to a small town.
Note: If you do a cold calling excersize (mailing/emailing/phoning etc.) don't expect more than a 2-4% response rate (so you either need to do a whole lot go in person, or better yet, use your network of friends and relatives let you know of insider positions going)

Am I off topic yet?

[Occhidiangela]

There's already a thread about life before college, so now I make a thread about life after college.

I've spent the last 17 years of my life (19 if you count Montessori) in some sort of institutional educational setting. Unless I die, fail, or drop out, I'll be graduating in May.

Now what?

I don't know anything other than school. I know the basics of apartment finding and job hunting but I don't know what all I can do as an English major who doesn't want to live in a major US city.

Any other liberal arts graduates here at the Lounge? Any suggestions for someone who just wants to hold down a job while writing fiction?
[right][snapback]69572[/snapback][/right]

Just a thought. Consider your hobbies, and whether or not they can grow into a career. Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't.

Take, for example, this nice young man.

Madness or Genius?

I am guessing he might want to follow another path for a livelihood after college, but ya never know.









Yes, stress at certain institutions is dealt with in a variety of ways. Whatever keeps you sane.

Occhi

[ShadowHM]

My dream job would be working for the government as either a librarian or a teacher on a military base. Or owning a bookstore. I've applied for the former and I'm coping with the fact that the latter ain't gonna happen in this financial state any time soon.

[right][snapback]69582[/snapback][/right]

Picking up on whybish's comment, have you considered working overseas as a teacher? A young woman I know gave that some serious consideration before she managed to wheedle her family into 'one more year' of financial backing to attend teachers college here in Ontario. (She may yet find herself doing that anyway, but that is another issue.)

There are placements in the likes of South Korea that are surprisingly well paid, considering that room and board are covered as part of the contract, for those competent with the English language and willing to teach/coach others in its intricacies.

[Tal]

My sister, who attempted a major in music education, has a t-shirt: "I majored in liberal arts. Will that be for here or to go?"

My dream job would be working for the government as either a librarian or a teacher on a military base. Or owning a bookstore. I've applied for the former and I'm coping with the fact that the latter ain't gonna happen in this financial state any time soon.
[right][snapback]69582[/snapback][/right]

Government librarian jobs usually require a Master's in Library Science. They can also be some of the most sought after posititions in the field. Not trying to scare you away from your dream but to give you needed perspective. You may have better luck starting out in the public library arena. Though if you get a MLS your marketability in the field improves dramatically. Feel free to drop me a line if you would like more information on what its like to work in the public library. :)

[Daemon]

Just a thought.&nbsp; Consider your hobbies, and whether or not they can grow into a career.&nbsp; Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't.&nbsp;

I for example, whenever I'm not playing Diablo at least B) , like to craft leather bracelets and chainmail items. I have sold many of those to friends, at very minimal price, I would'nt want to make cash off my buddies, but I figure I could turn out a decent profit while selling them at about 50% retail price!

Same thing for fly tying, flies for fishing that is! :) I took a course with a world renouned fly tyer, Paul Bean, now deceased :(, and many of my stepfather's friends who were into fly fishing purchased flies from me, being of higher quality than store-bought equivalents.

Turning a hobby into a career must necessitate a lot of dedication and hard work, since it's very likely to be a small business, but if you get to do as a job something you love, then it could be a good idea. And you can also get to dodge the standard 9to5 thing :).

As I see it, a hobby is more fit as a sideline income, just to put some icing on that cake :).

Cheers!
-D