By Alexandria Merrill
As I near graduation, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of nervous anticipation and excitement. Being a student is all I’ve known for the last two decades and, somehow, a degree and a polished resume don’t seem like enough to enter into a career field confidently. And I’m sure I’m not alone in my anxiety. To put my mind at ease, I sat down with UAB alumna Amy Roberts to discuss her own experience.
Amy graduated with a degree in professional writing in the spring of 2014 and was hired to work for Growing Kings, a non-profit organization dedicated to building up future leaders among underserved male youths in Birmingham city schools. Amy’s job primarily consists of applying for grants and writing proposals; she explains that her role requires a great deal of discipline and planning. “I get a list of projects and deadlines, then I break everything down into a timeline and go from there. It’s a lot like leafing through stacks of essay prompts from teachers.” She describes her work as a technical writer as not being too different from being a student—deadlines are tight and there’s always something to work on.
High levels of personal organization and self-discipline are characteristics that Amy had already worked to engrain as a part of her life. Aside from the service learning projects she participated in, she also helped found and served as the first president of UAB’s Professional Writing Club. There she was able to collaborate with other students in the professional writing concentration and share in a knowledge pool. She believes that opportunities like this are invaluable for students and professionals alike. “There are a lot of great organizations around campus and it’s a great way to network and meet new people. After graduation, no matter what line of work you go into, look for professional organizations to join.” She continues to emphasize the need to never stop learning, something that students are already “professionals” at doing.
Amy goes on to admit that she got her job in an unconventional way. She met her current boss at a party celebrating a mutual friend’s professional acheivement. She said she was not particularly looking forward to the party that night, as she was nearing finals and was simply too tired to feel festive. As she got out of the car she remembers telling herself that she was going to go in, meet fascinating people, and make important connections. Just a couple hours later, she met her future boss and got a job offer. Amy’s experience really impressed upon me the need to see every gathering and social event as an opportunity to network. This is something that I (and I’m sure many other students) do not take advantage of often enough, but can make the job searching process exponentially easier.
When I asked her what aspect of her time spent studying professional writing had the greatest impact on her career, she said that every single class with Dr. Bacha had the most significant influence on her as a professional. “The projects I’ve worked on, and am currently working on, are all reflections of projects from my professional writing classes. I’ve created brochures, student program guides, e-mail newsletters, and right now I’m re-designing our website. These are all things I’ve done before, for the most part, in Dr. Bacha’s classes.” She emphasizes the need for students to really invest themselves in these classes because the skills they learn there are practical and applicable later on in the professional world. She goes on to say that students should “embrace every opportunity to try something new; take every chance to learn a new medium.”
This kind of multi-disciplinary knowledge is what ultimately sets professional writers apart from others when interviewing for jobs. “Today’s writer is no longer confined to just pen and paper, or a word processor. Now, you not only have to be able to produce great content, but you should also learn how to publish it on a website or a blog. Adding that extra skill to your résumé will make you ten times more marketable and far less expendable.”
Through my time with Amy, I realized that there is not just one way to go about finding a great job. She never went through an application process or an interview; she just had a willingness to work hard, put herself out there, and remain open to anything that came her way. She also challenged me to consider that the first job I get out of college might eventuate into being the career I have always dreamed of. The greatest thing any of us can do as we enter the work force is keep an open mind and always be willing to learn. There is a lot to be said for positivity and flexibility, as Amy so honestly demonstrates.
