Fordham English Alum Shares Advice with Grad Students

On November 4th, the Fordham Graduate English Association held its first installment of the “What’s Next?” speaker series, which featured Fordham alum Dr. Sharon Decker, PhD, Chair of the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Centenary College.

Decker spoke to the department’s current PhD and MA students about her diverse employment experiences both before and after receiving her doctoral degree. In addition to adjuncting at local SUNY schools, she worked as the Executive Director of a non-profit organization in New York City and most recently earned tenure at Centenary College, where she is an eighteenth-century specialist.

Decker gave strategic and practical advice to those looking to parlay their research, writing, and public speaking skills into non-academic careers, as well as those who are or will be searching for academic jobs at small colleges and universities. Decker also talked to students about life beyond the job search, describing some of the day-to-day tasks of each profession. After the presentation, students continued the conversation with Decker over lunch.

The “What’s Next?” speaker series creates opportunities for graduate students to network with successful and enthusiastic alumni and prepare for a variety of career paths on the road ahead. The Graduate English Association was delighted to have Sharon Decker back on campus and looks forward to hosting another installment of this series next semester. 

The Graduate English Association extends its thanks to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for generously providing funding for this event.

This story was written by Callie Gallo