Michelle Greco: Adjunct Professor & Freelance Copy Editor

Name: Michelle Greco

Age: 28

College & Majors/Minors: English major/Writing minor; Masters in Poetry

Current Location: Boonton, NJ

Current Form of Employment/Job Title: Adjunct Professor and Freelance Copy Editor

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I currently have my hand in a few pots. I teach English composition, literature, and research writing at Montclair State University and Bloomfield College. I also freelance copyedit for a few companies.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job.

Right out of college, I applied for many jobs in the publishing field, such as Editorial Assistant, but the callbacks weren't exactly rolling in. I worked at my local library at the time, and they had a vacancy for a Children's Room Assistant. I applied and, to my delight, got the job! I learned quite a bit there, particularly in terms of conducting research and cultivating curiosity.

I found both of my adjunct jobs through colleagues who informed me of openings at schools they already worked in. Moral of the story? Get to know your colleagues and stay connected. You just never know when an opportunity will pop up.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

That would have to be my first freelance copyediting gig. I was working at an office at the time and knew I wanted to branch out, so I decided to do something about my situation. I figured if I couldn't get work in the competitive publishing world, I could copyedit. Nothing popped up for a while until I Google searched something totally unrelated. My search terms matched a one-woman copyediting business. I thought, "Hey, maybe she needs some help." I sent her a polite e-mail of inquiry, and it turned out she needed help with her workload after all! Working with her for two years gave me great experience, which has helped me land many more copyediting gigs, and I'm so thankful for that!

““No one person can know everything, but knowing the resources at your disposal (i.e., knowing where to find the answers) is a valuable asset in today’s work environment.””

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Asked questions. That might sound trivial, but asking is really how you learn and grow as a person. In one's professional life, questions are how you learn your job, become competent, and, eventually, stand out from the competition. I'd also say learning how to conduct research was key as well. No one person can know everything, but knowing the resources at your disposal (i.e., knowing where to find the answers) is a valuable asset in today's work environment. 

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

You folks have a fantastic skill set—don't underestimate it! I'd say the two most important things you can do for potential and current employers are to 1. show your versatility and 2. network. As I mentioned in the last question, knowing where to find the answers can make you indispensable. Also, knowing people and cultivating genuine relationships not only makes life more fun but can also open up future opportunities.

To learn more about Michelle's work, visit MichelleGreco.com and check out her blog. You can also follow Michelle on Facebook and Twitter.

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Nathaniel Tower: Internet Marketing Specialist

Name: Nathaniel Tower

Age: 32

College & Majors/Minors: Washington University in St. Louis; Majors in English Literature and Secondary Education; Minor in Writing

Current Location: Minneapolis

Current Form of Employment: Full-time Internet Marketing Specialist

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I'm currently an internet marketing specialist at a web design agency called First Scribe. We're a small agency with about 25 employees. I manage the accounts of 15 or so clients, which involves SEO, email marketing, content marketing, reporting, and more. The position requires a balance of verbal and written communication skills. As with any job involving clients, customer service is the key ingredient to success. All the technical skills in the world won't help if you can't adequately communicate with the client. I'm also now in charge of the company's blog, which is one of my favorite parts of the job.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

When I graduated from college, I landed a high school teaching job in St. Charles, MO. Even though I went to college with the intent of becoming a teacher, getting a teaching job was no easy feat. I mailed an application packet (resume, transcripts, cover letter, portfolio samples, letters of recommendation) to just about every school district I could think of in the St. Louis metro area. That's right, mailed. As in stuffed papers in big envelopes, licked them shut, and slapped postage on them. No one accepted electronic applications then, so I spent a fortune on stamps. I had plenty of interviews, but it seemed almost impossible to find employment. Everyone wanted experience, but how do you get experience unless someone will hire you when you don't have experience?

When an opening at the school where I student taught popped up, I thought for sure I was going to get the job. The principal even told me I was guaranteed to get the opening unless someone with "ten years of teaching experience and a PhD" came along. When I got the phone call telling me they were hiring someone else, the conversation went something like this:

Me: So how much experience does he have?

Him: Two years.

Me: So he must have a PhD, right?

Him: No, just a Bachelor's.

Ouch. I had been bamboozled. But the principal promised he would help me get a job. A few weeks later, I called him and said I was applying for a job in another school district. Turned out he knew the associate principal there. Turned out the associate principal went to the same college as me. Are you surprised to hear I got the job?

I held that teaching job for 9 years before my wife and I decided we needed a change of scenery. So we quit our jobs and packed up and moved to Minneapolis. Because of some roadblocks with the Minnesota Department of Education, I decided to end my teaching career and look for a new career. I applied for everything that had writing in the title. It eventually paid off, and here we are.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

In 2008, I founded a literary magazine called Bartleby Snopes. We publish 8 pieces of fiction per week, along with two print best-of issues. We also publish tiny books called flash novels. It's not a "job" in the money-making sense, but it has plenty of reward. It's made me a better writer and a better editor. I'm also much more organized and much better at marketing. I'm sure it played at least a small role in landing my current job.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Not as much as I should have, that's for sure. I spent the first year of college skipping classes and thinking I was too smart for everything. Then I started to get serious, which meant going to class and writing all my papers at the last minute. I never spent a minute at the university's career center, and I only spoke to my advisor during the required bi-yearly sessions. The one thing I did right was get a summer job as a "teacher" in a summer school program. I had the attitude that I knew what I wanted to do and that it wouldn't be that hard to get a job. And now I'm doing something I never imagined I would do, something that barely even existed when I was in college.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

1. Don't listen to anyone who tells you an English degree is useless. The world we live in struggles with communication. An English degree has a lot of value because it tells the world you can communicate. There are many job opportunities that require some amount of writing.
2. Value your talents. There are a million freelancing opportunities that pay practically nothing. Don't accept jobs that don't pay you what you're worth.
3. Be willing to explore new opportunities. Don't assume an English major has to be a novelist, journalist, or teacher. Every business needs to have something written. An English major can write anything. Believe it or not, the biggest obstacle to launching a website isn't approving the designs. It's finding a person to write all the content.

Check out Nathaniel Tower's writing (and juggling!) blog at nathanieltower.com, visit his Amazon author page, connect with him on LinkedIn and follower him on Twitter!

Felicia Clark: Communication Specialist

Name: Felicia Clark

Age: 27

College & Majors/Minors: Journalism/Creative Writing

Current Location: Appleton, WI

Current Form of Employment: Marketing agency

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I work for Candeo Creative (a marketing agency in Oshkosh, WI) as communication specialist where I post social media content for clients.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

I was a senior in college at UW-Oshkosh when I landed my first job as a copy editor at the Oshkosh Northwestern (Gannett) newspaper. I was a proofreader for Oshkosh Corporation in the Oshkosh Defense Bid & Proposal department, working 90 hours per week editing government documents. I then worked for Shop Local Appleton, Oshkosh, Green Bay (and everything in between) as the community social media manager. That's when I found the communication specialist position open at Candeo Creative. In just three short months I went from being part time to full time.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

My first taste of marketing, since I was strictly a journalism major, was when I brought a Danish documentary called Free the Mind to Appleton Marcus Cinemas. It was a video that followed veterans suffering with PTSD as they took an intensive meditation course that changed their lives. It was so inspiring that I signed up to show it, knowing I needed at least 77 tickets before the theatre would play it for an audience. By the end of the month, after marketing my own event, I had 170-plus attendees and the cinemas gave me a larger room! I also found the veterans who were in the film and brought them out as a surprise for a Q&A session after the film. All the money donated went Dryhootch Fox Valley. This became one of the most important moments in both my personal and professional life. I had discovered my passion for the marketing world!

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

I gained leaderships skills in college by running student organizations, taking 18-19 credits per semester on top of two paying jobs, including writing two articles per week for the student-run newspaper (the Advance-Titan). Juggling so many activities at once helped me learn prioritization skills and reach any deadline, no matter how short.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

• Don't give up and be willing to leave your comfort zone to try new things. You never know where these little adventures will take you. 
• Between each of the jobs I had in my field, I was typically working another entry level position to pay my bills. From waitressing to barista to canvasser to bookseller, I became a jack-of-all-trades, which helps me understand clients I am now marketing in my current job. Those "insignificant jobs" prepared me for the next. It took me nearly 5 years after graduation to land my dream job. You have to trust that the right job will come along.

Visit Felicia Clark at MeasureLifeInBookmarks.com for more details on her writing journey!

What Does a Freelance Copyeditor and Proofreader Actually Do?

“I am a freelance copyeditor and proofreader.” This is a simple sentence and one I’ve spoken many times; however, I often receive confused looks and/or blank stares in return. I’m not even sure my parents could describe what I do after all this time. And the questions: “What’s a copyeditor?” “Is that like a proofreader?” “So, you basically run a spell check, right?”

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Copyeditors Are Not Proofreaders

The duties of a copyeditor are quite extensive and difficult to describe in one neat, simple sentence, so it’s not surprising that many people are unclear on what it means to be a copyeditor. But before we get into the nitty-gritty of it, let’s get one common misconception out of the way: copyeditors are not proofreaders, although many copyeditors are good proofreaders. The Copyeditor’s Handbook (3rd Edition) describes it best:

Copyeditors work on an author’s manuscript and are concerned with imposing mechanical consistency; correcting infelicities of grammar, usage, and diction; and querying internal inconsistencies of fact or tone. Proofreaders, in contrast, are charged with correcting errors introduced during the typesetting, formatting, or file conversion of the final document and with identifying any serious errors that were not caught during copyediting. (2011, 11)

So, copyediting comes first, then proofreading—they are two different and distinct roles.

What Does a Copyeditor Do?

Let’s break down the main responsibilities of a copyeditor based on the previous quote from The Copyeditor’s Handbook (this list is not exhaustive):

• Imposing mechanical consistency: Correct errors in spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, punctuation (what’s the difference between a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash?), and make changes to ensure a manuscript conforms to the appropriate editorial style (in academic editing, this would most generally be either Chicago, APA, or MLA style).
• Correcting infelicities of grammar, usage, and diction: Amend wording that is likely to distract or confuse a reader. A copyeditor will use various editing resources as well as his/her own judgment to make these changes, as the rules for this facet of editing are most often subjective. A good copyeditor will know when to hold back and when to make a change. A helpful question to ask while editing is: “Is this sentence technically correct as the author has written it?” If the answer is “yes,” leave it. Never change a sentence that is technically correct because you would prefer to write it another way.
• Querying internal inconsistencies of fact or tone: “On Wednesday, October 23, 2014” is an example of a phrase that would need to be flagged for the author and not just simply changed to “Wednesday, October 22, 2014.” When a copyeditor comes across a factual error or inconsistency, it is often best to query the author. It is possible that the author indeed meant Wednesday, October 22 (“Wednesday” was correct), or the author might have meant to write “Thursday” instead of “Wednesday” (making “October 23” correct). Although copyeditors aren’t responsible for the factual accuracy of a manuscript, a good editor will flag any consistencies he/she finds and ask the author to confirm.

What Does a Proofreader Do?

Based on the definition from The Copyeditor’s Handbook, a proofreader checks for errors in the book proof, which is normally in PDF format. A proofreader should be on the lookout for problems such as incorrect change in font style or size, line break errors, inconsistencies in chapter headings, and so on. He/she will also read through the book from start to finish and identify any errors that were not caught during the copyediting stage (because no one is perfect!).

What’s It Like to Be a Freelance Copyeditor and Proofreader?

Being a freelancer has many perks (being your own boss, setting your own work hours, and working in your pajamas if you want to), but it undoubtedly takes a certain personality. Freelancing is synonymous with running a one-person business, which means you’re not only the worker bee but the HR department, the accounting department, and the operations manager, among other roles. My bookshelf is overflowing with editing manuals and business books, and I’m always looking for ways to improve my editing ability and the efficiency of my business.

Getting Started

After moving to a new city and taking an office job I wasn’t a fan of, I started to take a few editing projects in my spare time. (I highly recommend testing the freelance waters while you still have a steady paycheck.) I gave my résumé a makeover, wrote a short (and informal) business plan, and started to network. Having three years of experience at an academic press helped immensely, too. One of the first books I picked up, which was recommended by two of my freelance editor friends, was My So-Called Freelance Life by Michelle Goodman. It’s one of my favorites, and it really helped me gain the confidence and know-how to strike out on my own.

When I left my office job to start freelancing, one of my colleagues gave me a card with a quote by Leonardo da Vinci on it (which I now have in a frame on my desk). It reads: “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” This has been my freelance motto ever since.

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The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications

$28.52

By Amy Einsohn

My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire

$13.13

By Michelle Goodman

Resources

Einsohn, Amy. The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications. 3rd edition. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011.

Goodman, Michelle. My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press, 2008.

Photos courtesy of Fairfield Grace Photography

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About the Author

Nicole Wayland is a freelance copyeditor/proofreader and blogger based just north of Washington, DC. As the operator of Ford Editing, she edits for several publishers (both academic and trade) as well as businesses and individual authors. Her blog, Healthy Happy Sound, is centered on finding health, wellness, and overall happiness. When she’s not editing or writing, Nicole is likely searching for a new healthy recipe, rock climbing and practicing yoga, or traveling the world with her husband. Apart from her editing website and blog, you can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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Nicole Wayland: Freelance Copyeditor & Proofreader

Photo courtesy of Fairfield Grace Photography

Name: Nicole Wayland

Age: 29

College & Majors/Minors: Cornell University, B.S. in Communication

Current Location: Washington, DC

Current Form of Employment: Freelance Copyeditor/Proofreader at Ford Editing

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I am a freelance copyeditor/proofreader and operator of Ford Editing. As a freelancer, I have the luxury of working anywhere as long as I have my laptop and an Internet connection, but I spend most of my time working from my cozy corner apartment just north of Washington, DC. I am very passionate about what I do, and I love that I am always learning something new. I edit for several publishers (both academic and trade), as well as businesses and individual authors. I also have a wellness blog called Healthy Happy Sound that I update weekly.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

After graduation, I moved to Buffalo, NY. I knew the chances of finding a publishing job (my dream career) immediately were pretty slim, so I took a waitressing job while I searched. At the restaurant, I worked with over one hundred servers, bartenders, cooks, and managers, so I was able to network, learn about the area, and ask around for leads on publishing work. I also looked online. I signed up for several job announcement websites and scanned pages upon pages for the perfect position.

About six months after relocating, I found a job posting for an editorial assistant at an academic press (on Craigslist of all places). Although initially I didn’t see myself in academic publishing, I knew the position would give me the experience I needed to get a start in the field. I interviewed over the phone a few times and then in person, and by the beginning of March 2008, I was working in my dream field. I knew I wanted to work in publishing since I wrote my entrance essay for Cornell, and it had become a reality.

I worked at the press for just about three years before relocating to Washington, DC, in 2011. After arriving in DC, I took a position at Cornell University’s Washington DC semester program. Working for Cornell felt like home, and part of the job required writing and editing, so I thought it would be a good fit, at least until I got my bearings in a new city. But it didn’t take long for me to realize how much I missed the publishing world. I started to take a few editing projects in my spare time (my commute to DC alone provided over two hours per day for editing), and it picked up rather quickly. Within a few short months, I had to make a choice—my office job or freelancing. I took the leap to full-time freelancing in October 2012 (with the full support of my coworkers at Cornell and a goodbye/good luck card from all the students that semester) and haven’t looked back.

Photo courtesy of Fairfield Grace Photography

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

My time at the press (my first job out of college) undeniably set me up for my current freelance position. Because the company was relatively new and small, the team was very close. I worked alongside the director of the press on a daily basis and learned a lot from her. I started as an editorial assistant, then moved to assistant editorial manager, and then finished my time there in the publications manager post. I learned about operations, management, marketing, design, human resources, purchasing and sales, and customer service. I also traveled to represent the company at several conferences throughout the year. Having the responsibility of wearing many hats while at the press gave me the experience needed to operate my own business, and I’m still learning every day.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Unfortunately, I didn’t do as much preparing as I wish I had (I feel like that’s a common theme among most college graduates). Because I paid for college on my own, I was constantly working to pay for my car, books, and other bills, which didn’t leave a lot of time for clubs, studying abroad, or networking. My primary focus was on getting the best grades I could while working to pay for school, a balancing act that turned out to be very helpful in strengthening my organizational and time management skills.

That being said, I do remember taking a class on résumé and cover letter writing, which I found very helpful when applying for jobs after graduation. I was told by the director of the press I worked for that my cover letter really stood out to her—it put me on the list of top contenders and eventually helped me land the job. 

I think my choice of school also helped to prepare me for post-grad life. Being at Cornell showed me that you have to work hard for what you want. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty. . . . I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” I worked very hard to do well there, and that work ethic is something I’ve carried with me.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

First, as a student, talk to your university career center. Tell them what you would like to do with your degree, and they can tell you if you’re on the right track. Once you’ve confirmed that your degree program aligns with your career goals, do everything you can to boost your knowledge and experience in that field. Take internships, talk to professors, and, when given the choice, tailor your classes to bolster your résumé (i.e., put some thought into elective classes and try to get the most out of them). The sooner you test the waters, the sooner you will know if what you’re doing is what you want to do when you get out of school.

Be true to yourself. If you want to be a writer (or one of the many other careers you can have with an English degree), do it regardless of what others think. In the end, you are the one who has to be passionate about and love what you do. You can be successful at anything if you work hard. I have been teased for getting a degree in communication (some argue that it’s a useless major), and now I own my own business. I absolutely love what I do, and I am happy that I stood up for what I wanted and didn’t listen to the naysayers.

Be patient and don’t give up. I really believe that we make our own luck. Good things happen to those who are willing to work hard and seize opportunities. As a freelancer, I have contacted publishers in the past who either didn’t need help at the time or just plain weren’t interested who have been delighted to add me to their roster six months later. The key is to be patient and do what you can to build your portfolio in the meantime.

Visit Nicole Wayland's business website, FordEditing.com and check out her blog, Healthy Happy Sound. Follow her business on Facebook and Twitter and connect with Nicole on LinkedIn. 

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READ MORE:

Erik Hanberg: Self-Employed/Writer

Melissa Kravitz: Freelance Writer

Ashley Sapp: Freelance Writer/Editor & Administrative Coordinator

Angeline Evans: Digital Media Manager

Name: Angeline Evans

Age: 31

College & Majors/Minors: University of California, Irvine - BA in Environmental Analysis & Design; New York University - MA in Magazine Journalism

Current Location: Miami, Florida

Current Form of Employment: Digital Media Manager

Where do you work and what is your current position? 

Check out Angeline Evans' work here!

I work at Florida International University as a digital media manager, analyzing and strategizing for our digital publications and properties. I also write occasionally for the online magazine.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different). 

My first job out of college was as a transportation planning assistant at the engineering firm where I interned my senior year of college. I sent in close to 30 cover letters and resumes for internship openings. But that's not really related to this blog, is it?

I found my first job out of grad school through a summer internship. The magazine editor left for a new job while I was interning for a city government, giving me an opportunity to step in as interim editor for a few issues while they searched for her replacement. When I graduated, that same editor was about to leave the new job, and I stepped into her role again. I still refer to her as my "career fairy godmother."

It's slightly inaccurate to say I "found" my current job, because I actually helped create it. I went through two rounds of interviews for a different position (managing editor), and when they couldn't choose between the two finalists due to our different skill sets, we worked to create a new position to fill a void they didn't know they had before (more geared toward digital content and strategy). The original position was found through friends on Facebook.

How do you find freelance clients?/How do your freelance gigs come about? 

I have freelanced as a grantwriter and copyeditor. I contract with a small strategic communications agency (met through a previous job) for grantwriting work, and my copyediting gigs come in through referrals.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Internships, internships, internships. Write, write, write.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

Three things: 

1. Build skills or develop an expertise in a field where writing is traditionally undervalued. This has been key to my personal career journey – my boss at the engineering firm was ready to hire me back after grad school, and my current boss zeroed in on the digital publishing and web marketing skill set I had gained through years of blogging.
2. The art and skill of writing is highly underrated by most employers, but oh so important. Make sure you put your skills in the right context when you apply for a job, especially if it isn't a writing-specific job. Don't make them guess how your degree benefits them, because they probably won't get it.
3. Try your hand at all different kinds of real-world writing – marketing copy, press releases, poetry, fiction, essay writing, speechwriting, etc. – you never know if you'll enjoy it and find a new opportunity. Flexibility is crucial.

Visit Angeline Evans on her website, angeline-evans.com, and connect with her on twitter and Linkedin. Angeline is also a contributor on ProfessionGal.com.

Brandy Bauer: Communications Manager

Name: Brandy Bauer

Age: 40

College & Majors/Minors: B.A. in Women’s Studies (Smith College) and MFA in Creative Writing (Minnesota State University, Mankato)

Current Location: Washington, DC

Current Form of Employment: Communications Manager at the National Council on Aging

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I work as Communications Manager of the Economic Security division of a national nonprofit dedicated to helping older adults age well. My job means that I have a hand in writing or editing everything that my division puts out, from e-newsletters to press releases to website content to proposals and reports. I also do a bit of public speaking, at conferences and on webinars.

I’m lucky that I get to write every single day—in fact, that’s about 70% of my work. I’m also fortunate that I don’t take work home with me, so I still have a chance to do creative writing in my spare time.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

I got my undergraduate degree when the Internet was in its infancy, so finding a career-type job was more difficult. I bounced around a bit, working at a bookstore, as a volunteer coordinator at a museum, and in an after-school program.

When I finished my MFA, I came to a crossroads. I was offered an adjunct position teaching Composition 101 at a southern state university, and also a position as an Editorial Assistant for the Cancer Information Service. I thought the latter sounded more interesting, and had better job security, so I took it and never looked back at academia.

Fifteen years later, I’ve held a variety of editorial and writing jobs, all with a health and human services focus.

What was another job that was important in your career?

I’ve learned a lot from all of my jobs, but one of the most interesting and challenging opportunities I had was the three years I spent as a Communications Editor in Kabul, Afghanistan.

I’d always wanted to live and work abroad, but wasn’t sure how to leverage my background in writing and editing into development work. In graduate school, I had a professor who told us that there was a market for literature in translation, especially in more obscure languages. Knowing that there was a rich literary tradition in Persian, I studied that language for two years here in DC. That got my foot in the door to work at a think tank in Afghanistan (where the local language, Dari, is a dialect of Persian).

Working with people from all over the world, I learned a tremendous amount about how to convey information in clear, plain language that non-native English speakers and non-technical experts can understand.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

I wish I could say I had a lot of foresight to prepare for post-grad life, but I didn’t! Networking really wasn’t a thing back then, or if it was, I didn’t know how to do it.

I did, however, take advantage of the resume writing classes offered by my college’s career office.

Also I tried to treat each day as a job, allotting specific blocks of time for class, studying, going to the library, and exercising/socializing. That helped a lot in transitioning to full work days and learning how to balance work with fun.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

Just remember: Everybody gets a break. When I finished my B.A., I worried so much that I’d be working retail/food service forever. But you don’t ever meet a 40-year-old college graduate who’s never had a real job. Your first (or second or third) job may be boring or not draw on your skill sets, but eventually you’ll find a good fit.

Connect with Brandy on LinkedIn. 

Ashley Sapp: Freelance Writer/Editor & Administrative Coordinator

Name: Ashley Sapp

Age: 26

College & Majors/Minors: B.A. in English Language and Literature, cognate in Linguistics from University of South Carolina

Current Location: Columbia, SC

Current Form of Employment: Freelance Writer/Editor and Administrative Coordinator

Where do you work and what is your current position? 

My current position is as an administrative coordinator within the Cardiovascular Translational Research Center at USC School of Medicine. I handle a variety of tasks depending on what our team’s Director needs that day, but a large portion of my job involves manuscript management, as he is on the editorial board of numerous peer-review journals. Further, he is quite the writer himself with many publications under his belt, so I help with the proofreading, editing, and formatting of those before the submission process. This particular task set extends into the writing of his grants, as well. Thankfully, there are calculators for the number portion of that because words are about as skilled as I get. Outside of USC, I do freelance work as a writer, blogger, and occasional editor.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

My first job after college was at a small medical practice of orthopedic surgeons. A friend of mine was working with a physician there, and when she learned that the Research Director needed someone to help with manuscript writing and editing, she passed along my name. It was a part-time gig, but I learned quickly that I enjoyed medical editing. I had always figured my life would contain words, but it was not until my first job that I realized I quite enjoyed reading other people’s work and providing insight where I could. It then becomes a team effort in creating something worthwhile, and that was a rewarding experience for me.

Later, I found myself in a retail position since I needed something that paid more while recovering from a spinal surgery. In the process, I eventually lost sight of what I truly wanted my career to look like. Getting back on my feet both metaphorically and literally meant taking strides in changing where I was. It was slow going for a while because I felt I was chasing a pipe dream—I was questioning my choices, and I found myself believing that I was facing a dead-end before the age of 25. I was on disability from my retail job while recovering from the surgery, paying student loans for a degree I was not using, and spending my sudden plethora of free time in bed thinking about how I haven’t written anything in ages but still feeling too afraid to pick up a pen. I was in pain, physically and mentally, and thus felt drained and defeated.

Towards the end of my disability leave, I dreaded returning to a job I knew was not truly for me. It was a bit of a wake-up call, a moment of clarity after having spent so much time alone with my thoughts and self-doubt. If I wanted my life to change, I had to start somewhere, and I alone had to make it happen. Thus, I began looking into jobs at my university and within my town for anything to do with publishing or writing. I began applying for internships as well because I figured I could continue with a retail position if I was at least building experience in something I enjoyed and went to school for. Many resumes and applications later, I accepted the position I have now. The search began with me asking myself, “What do I want?” and “How am I going to get it?”

How do you find your freelance gigs?

I recently filled out profiles on sites like Elance and really started to apply for offered jobs through them. I have done a lot of guest blogging and guest articles for various online sites as well, which has helped in getting my name out there as a credible source. Sometimes I am asked to proofread or write for others and thus the opportunity comes to me on its own, but most of the time, at least at the stage I am currently in, I have to reach out whether by submitting a proposal for a job or showcasing my portfolio.

Particularly for my writing, blogging has become a major part of networking with other companies and writers. In fact, through blogging is how I met the ladies who run The Indie Chicks; thus, I had my first print article published in the second issue of their magazine, Indie Chick. I have gotten the chance to collaborate with many talented and inspiring people because I started blogging, reading, and commenting on other people’s work. Eventually, they began to do the same for me and suddenly it started to feel as though I had something worthwhile to say (who knew?). So we write, discuss, and share our love for the craft while simultaneously building our expertise. Without really realizing it, blogging and guest blogging became an experience-building way of writing for me. I have to lend credit to the blogosphere quite a bit for aiding me in taking myself seriously as a writer and also providing so many opportunities I never knew had existed before I created my first Wordpress site.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life? 

In some ways, there is not a complete way to prepare for post-grad life as the experience can vary from one individual to the next. But we all have to start somewhere, and very often, that somewhere involves a bit of flailing in the beginning. What proved to be helpful for me was getting to know what opportunities existed in my town and what I could do to better prepare myself for them.

Post-grads often get stuck in this limbo of being a novice with a degree whereas employers are seeking people with a degree but with experience. I worked on my university’s literary magazine in order to help build towards a better understanding of the way publications work, as one example. Though it was not actual job experience, it was experience nonetheless–something the employers I interviewed with seemed to take notice of. My current boss commented, “You’re green but dedicated.” Taking the time to research your interests, to teach yourself the things you're unfamiliar with, and to put in the effort for both your life and career not only demonstrates passion within your interviews with potential employers, but it also helps to ease your way into post-grad life in general.

One of Ashley's poems.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

There are a lot of people out there who believe an English degree is useless for a number of reasons. I suppose it is because there is this stereotype that all we do is cuddle with said degree, comforting ourselves while clutching it tightly, repeating to ourselves lines of Jane Austen or Shakespeare or a Bronte sister, while sitting alone in our parents’ basement with no job offer in sight. Sure, a love of literature is often involved in our choice of degree, but anyone who truly thinks an English degree is impractical has not really thought about language itself: any set or system of symbols used in a more or less uniform fashion by a number of people, who are thus enabled to communicate intelligibly with one another. Without that, where would any of us be? So my advice to those of you facing naysayers (including yourself at times) is to continue believing in your path and your abilities because without you, without someone who has a love and understanding of words, communication would begin to break down. Whether you decide to teach and pass along how we use this beautiful thing called language, or you dive into publishing, or you help others write, or perhaps you write yourself, or you understand how to deploy words into advertising, into journalism, into whatever the case may be – you are making a statement and an impact on how the rest of the world, through time or space, will understand us. I’d say that is worthwhile.

My last piece of advice would be to not give up, which sounds easy but usually is not. Post-grad life can be pretty grim, regardless of the degree you end up with, but some of that has nothing to do with what you spent your time in college studying. What you can do in the meantime, however, is hone your skills, remind yourself why you chose this path, and create work for yourself. When I initially worked retail, I would come home and journal because it kept the fire going in the pit of my stomach, the burn to wake up each day with the belief I would get to do what I love. Because sometimes it did not feel that way—sometimes life and employment and choices were all disheartening—but as long as I kept writing, kept reading, kept exploring, I was also giving myself another chance at another day.

Even after college is over, you can continue learning. A friend of mine sent me a quote that resonated with me by T.H. White:

“You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then—to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.”

I think it says quite a bit about us when we refuse to let fear or apathy or failure stop us from moving forward. We are naturally reluctant at times, fear the unknown, and yet once the change occurs – once we are falling and seem as though we are meeting our demise – we adapt rather quickly, develop wings, and rise again.

Ashley's blog of usings and creative writings can be found at www.chaosandwords.com, and she is also a contributing writer for sites such as Chelsea Krost and The IndieChicks. Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn.