Speaker Panel to Discuss Alternative-Academic Careers for Students in English

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The Department of English in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences will host a speaker panel, "Hire me—I'm Qualified!: Selling Your Degree in English on the Alt-Ac Job Market," from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 3 in Kimpel Hall 203.

While the career path of English graduates has traditionally led to jobs in teaching, the professional opportunities for these students have begun to expand rapidly beyond academia.

English majors and graduate students are exploring and finding positions in nontraditional areas of work that likewise value their skills of researching, writing and thinking outside of the box. English students are therefore being hired for nonteaching positions to support customer and client relations, enhance a company's social media presence, edit technical documents, innovate advertising, design and oversee administrative policy and procedure, write grants for non-profits, communicate and promote organizational goals, and much more.

Crucial to being successful on the alternative-academic (alt-ac) job market, however, is knowing how the skills you developed as an English student transfer to various professional realms so that you can successfully pitch those qualifications to prospective employers.

To learn how to revise your resume and sell your degree in English outside of academia, come hear about the experiences of the following individuals, all former English students, who have charted a range of paths to alt-ac professional success:

• Will Allred (English Ph.D.) - Senior Virtualization Engineer, University Information Technology Services, University of Arkansas
• Haley Bateman (English B.A.) - Managing Editor, Celebrate Arkansas Magazine 
• Jeremy Burns (English Ph.D.) - Director of Communications, Enrollment Management Support Office, University of Arkansas
• Rachael Schaffner (English M.A.) - Sustainability Coordinator, City of Fayetteville
• Molly Throgmorton (English M.A.) - Development Coordinator, Walton Arts Center
• Elizabeth Stainton Walker (English M.A.) - Manager of Executive Communications, Walmart