Oh the Places You’ll Go: Advice and Encouragement for the Fordham English Community
Synclaire Warren with Mary Bly, Elle Gonzalez Rose, Rachel Goodman, Dana Lamparello, and Pardo, C.
On February 8th, Fordham’s English majors joined to review the department’s goals and hear advice from a panel of six former English majors who now study or work in law, archival work, publishing, film/TV writing, YA fiction, and community-centered nonprofits. This panel discussion was made possible through generous support from the Kristen O. Lauer, Ph.D., Endowed Fund.
The evening opened with a discussion of the English department’s goals and offerings, led by Professor Mary Bly, Chair of English. Current undergraduate students had the opportunity to highlight what they appreciated and what they would like to change about the program. Several students articulated an interest in studying histories of ideas more intensively in English classes, engaging more with critical literature and looking at the emergence of the current field of English studies. Other students brought up the English department’s book clubs—they sound amazing, so how do we find them?—and raised suggestions for more specific course offerings. Some also expressed an interest in having more poetry events (there was resounding support in the chat box for this last suggestion).
Professor Mary Bly, English Department Chair
A half-hour into the event, the six speakers arrived, and Professor Bly moved us into the career panel. She invited the speakers to share freely and drew on questions students had submitted ahead of time. All six speakers gave actionable, encouraging advice for current English majors, and a recording of the event should be forthcoming. They also generously offered to serve as contacts for Fordham English majors (reach out to the department for emails and more).
During our hour together, our panelists found common themes within their experiences and used those points of contact to develop their particular contributions. (Read the speakers’ bios here!) The three most prominent themes centered around choosing internships and jobs, valuing your skills, and finding your network.
All of our contributors gave advice that touched on this first theme. Their general message: Don’t be afraid to move between different types of internships and jobs. It’s worth taking your time to figure out what you like and what you want.
Pardo, C. (they/them) shared that this act of self-examination was critical for them in the senior year of their undergrad degree at Fordham (they are now at Fordham Law). Pardo emphasized the importance of looking at what you prioritize in your life—what you spend your time on—and using that self-knowledge to choose your path forward. Synclaire Warren made a similar point. She has found it helpful to take stock of her central values (honestly!) and build her career decisions around prioritizing the kind of lifestyle that supports those values. She cautioned against being guilted by the rhetoric of “selling out”; make decisions that work best for you as a whole person. “There’s nothing morally wrong with being able to pay your rent on time,” Warren said.
Multiple panelists also brought up how important it can be to change jobs if a position isn’t holistically good for you. Warren shared an experience of facing workplace harassment at her first job, which she described as a “desperation job.” She left several months in, and she knows it was the right decision. She encouraged us not to let worries about others’ opinions drive our career choices. Elle Gonzalez Rose also emphasized this: “You don’t need to suffer for the first few years of your career,” she said. The jobs that pay enough for you to survive financially are out there.
Rachel Goodman ushered in the next central theme, focusing her message from the beginning of the hour on how important it is to value your abilities and strengths and learn how to leverage them. She emphasized that the English major equips students to think empathetically, creatively, and critically— all invaluable assets in the job market, as long we know how to talk about them.
Goodman also urged students to learn to advocate for themselves more generally. Learn your state and city labor laws, she told us, and use them to advocate for yourself in salary negotiations, performance reviews, and job interviews. Dana Lamparello reminded us how important it is to value yourself as a whole person, not just as a worker. If you don’t maintain work-life separation, she warned, it’s incredibly easy (natural, in fact) to burn out. Safeguard your time and your energy as you make career decisions.
Dana Lamparello with Mary Bly, Pardo, C., Elena Ciotta, and Rachel Goodman.
All our panelists reminded us how important it is to find your network. You never know when a job opportunity will come from an acquaintance of an acquaintance. Elena Ciotta, who now works as a script coordinator for Saturday Night Live, shared that she got her first internship at NBC because she had befriended a previous intern. Elle Gonzalez Rose found her job as a writer-producer for MTV through a Facebook group for former film/TV interns. And, as Lamparello put it, “It’s not about who you know. It’s about who you know knows.” As a result, openness about your intentions is critical within those networking relationships, as Elle Gonzalez Rose pointed out. People need to know what you want in order to connect you with the right people.
All of the panelists also emphasized how helpful informational interviews can be. Professor Bly called them an “underutilized resource” for undergrads; they help you build your knowledge of a field’s ins and outs and connect you to people with access. All our panelists agreed that a polite, respectful cold email to someone you’d like to interview is never a waste of anyone’s time. And, even as you develop that circle of professional relationships, Pardo reminded us, finding a like-minded community that will support and sustain you in whatever choices you make is crucial.
The panelists shared much more good advice and encouragement than I could include here (much of it specific to the panelists’ various fields). At the end of the hour, though, our panelists and moderator returned to the theme of knowing your value and advocating for yourself. Learn to value your skills and time, they encouraged us, and balance your confidence in your unique perspective and abilities with the kind of humility that lets you respect others’ contributions, too. That will empower you to navigate the complex power dynamics of the job market.
