Life after Graduation
Fran Teague
If a professor asked you to do a research project, in
which you determined what career/post-graduate education options were available
and how to investigate them, then you would go to the library and carry
out that task. It's what we've trained you to do: you know how to do library
research on an unexplored topic, to evaluate what you find, and to synthesize
that information in a written analysis. So why not try carrying out such
a research project for yourself? There's a short list on on-line resources
to help you get started below; you can also click here to
go back.
If you're considering graduate school, be sure to think
about the commitment of time and energy that
graduate work entails.
The University of Georgia English Department graduate page has some
excellent information on the state of the job market. Ours is a
competitive program (we look for the top 10% nationally), but it's reasonably
typical of what you should expect.
http://virtual.park.uga.edu/grad/
You should also look at this site, which lists 100 English departments;
it includes information about how to locate other schools as well. Go shopping
for the best program match to your own needs and abilities.
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~wcd/engweb1.htm
Give some thought to what an academic career entails.
You should investigate the leading professional organization for English
professors, the Modern Language Association.
http://www.mla.org
You definitely need to give thought to other paths
you might take. These can include teaching in the public schools, in which
case you might find the National Council of Teachers of English helpful.
http://www.ncte.org
Another useful site for would-be teachers is that
of the Language Education department in our own College of Education. See
especially what they say about their post-graduate degree program.
http://www.coe.uga.edu/language/docs1/degrees.html
You could also be a technical writer or editor.
Not only does the Society for Technical Communication have an easily reached
web site,
http://www.stc.org
but it also has an active Atlanta chapter
http://stc.org/region3/atl/www/
Then there's business communications. The International
Association of Business Communicators is a fine place to begin:
http://www.iabc.com
And what of all those other careers you might
want to know about? Try this great site!
http://www.review.com/career/find/