Years ago, I remembered singing the song from the musical Avenue Q, “What do you do with a BA in English?” and trying to come up with answers to the question I would inevitably be asked during job interviews. As employers would often ask me, “What can you do with a BA in English.” A person can do a lot of things. Write. Become a lawyer. Be a television producer.
One of my heroes, Rebecca Eaton, is a producer at PBS. She has a BA in English Literature and was a producer at the BBC before being hired by WGBH in Boston.
She produced Downton Abbey.
I completed my MA in Communication one year ago. That is an achievement that I am proud to see framed on my wall. I almost had a complete panic attack halfway through my program, frequently shouting, “I cannot do this.” Working full time and going to school full time is a lot to juggle. Work plus schoolwork can be incredibly challenging for some, and I thought the worst, “I cannot do this!” However, I kept going.
In a rut
Now, a year later, I feel stuck in a rut.
I am beleaguered by stress, anxiety, migraines, ADD/ADHD, etc.
Friends and family tell me, “do something you enjoy,” and “get a job in your field.”
I enjoy blogging, even though my original blog has so many cobwebs and needs a thorough dusting.I would love to write reviews for music. Music makes me happy and brings me joy. As tidying guru Marie Kondo would say, “If it brings you joy, keeps it.” Writing brings me joy, and music brings me joy.
I would love to fuse the two.
Yet here I am, thirty-four and an administrative assistant with a master’s degree. I have a job, and frankly, I suck at what I do. Despite colleagues telling me that I’m doing a good job, my boss doesn’t think so. I want to do more with my education where I am currently employed, but I have severe doubts about going further. Opportunities are slim pickings.
Resume after resume after..
I have spent more than $1k at fiverr.com begging for help in getting my resume retooled and rewritten for job applications. I have gone through countless writers and countless resume rewrites.
Always No.
One big world full of ‘no.’
Roxie Hart, Chicago
Everyone tells me to write my resume for the job I want. I have done that, but still, I am at a considerable loss. Each person on Fiverr tells me that I should be good with the resume and cover letter I have paid for them to rewrite. No.
I’m going to spend more time blogging about music and the musings that come to my mind. I never fully committed myself to do anything I enjoyed. That ends today.
C.
Musings of an English Major 