Building Manager,
Undergrad Lab Assistant,
Cornell University Physics Department
What year did you graduate?/What majors/minors did you have?
Answer: I graduated in 2005 Majored in English writing arts (Focus on Fiction and Poetry) and I also got a Minor in athletic coaching (I ran Track and Field while at Oswego).
Where did the English degree take you?
Answer: I've recently accepted a position in the Physics department at Cornell University as the building manager and undergraduate lab assistant for Rockefeller Hall. Prior to that, I spent the last 14 years working at a medical company in Lansing NY called Transonic Systems. I'll cover the nuts and bolts of all of that when I address the challenges.
What from your English classes shapes how you engage in the world today?
Answer: I thought about this a lot and I've re-typed a couple times but, I honestly think the thing that shaped how I interact with the world the most, simply put was finding my voice. I write like I speak and I speak like I write so having such a diverse group of professors and students to learn from is the basis for my ability to effectively communicate with others personally and professionally.
What do you especially remember from the major?
Answer: What I remember more than anything is the connection I made with certain professors. Lee Wilson, Ira Sukrungruang, Neelika Jayawardane, JoEllen Kwiatek, Katie Regal, Brad Korbesmeyer all come to mind. I've been out 19 years so I don't know who is still there but they were all fantastic and fostered an environment to ask questions and form your own opinions.
Tell us about the challenges you face(d) after graduation (getting a job, etc). How did you navigate those challenges?
Answer: In 05 when I graduated, print media was already struggling and there weren't a lot of options in my area (Ithaca NY) for writing careers. I spent a few years as a laborer because inevitably the bill comes due. I took a chance getting in the door at a small medical company (2010) in manufacturing and it panned out. I spent a couple years on the manufacturing floor adding skills and eventually word got to management that I had an English degree. Shortly after I got promoted to the position of Research and Development technician. In my time in RnD I wrote validation plans, reports, engineering change orders and plenty of other things. I then shifted to Quality Assurance to be a document control specialist for a couple years where I oversaw the entire document and part change system for the company. A few years ago I shifted again to a technician role back in manufacturing which included document and process updates. I spent 14 years at Transonic and worked in four different departments doing a laundry list of things and my degree helped boost that. I took a shot at getting in the door and went from there. The skills I gained in that time have now translated to a career change that doesn't seem like English would take me there but here I am.