Name: Caitlin Anderle
College & Majors/Minors: English
Current Location: Laramie, Wyoming
Current Form of Employment: Journalism and Education
Where do you work and what is your current position?
I currently have two jobs! I'm a substitute teacher by day, and an executive producer at a radio station by night. I produce sports broadcasts (despite being the least sports literate person in the nation, if not the entire world). As part of my radio station duties, I also write for a local news website.
Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).
I attended a last minute job fair at my university towards the end of the school year. I had recently switched majors and didn't know what I wanted to do post-graduation. I ended up talking to a very nice woman who later became my coworker, and got invited out to the station for an interview.
What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?
This is actually my first writing-related job, but I'm hoping that it helps in future jobs. I will say this though, writing all of those college papers definitely helped prepare me for the writing I've done here.
What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?
Honestly, there's not a lot that can prepare you for post-grad life. However, I was kind of an odd case, because I switched majors from English Education to English at the last possible second, so all of the preparation I did was for a career I didn't end up pursuing. That being said, I like to think that I am managing adulthood reasonably well.
What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?
Think about what you want to do after graduation, and no matter how silly it may seem, go for it. I spent the better part of six years pursuing an English Education degree and teaching career because I didn't want my life to become an Avenue Q song, and I was miserable. My life has become an Avenue Q song, but I'm a lot happier now that I know what I want to do and am taking steps to do it. Also, never underestimate the power of networking.
