Learn Why Rebecca Chose English at CSI

The following is an computer-generated summary of the video transcript.

Hi my name is Rebecca and I graduated from CSI in 2012 with a double major in english literature and English writing. I'm an editor at a major publishing house, working primarily on nonfiction, usually narrative nonfiction, memoir, essay collection, humor and pop culture. I chose to major in English because I've always loved books and I think that being able to immerse oneself in another person's story, whether it's through fiction or nonfiction is a kind of magic and it can help us experience points of view that we aren't able to live firsthand. When I graduated from CSI I knew I wanted to get a job as a book editor as an English major. Learning to read widely was hugely important to the skills I use in my job every day having that foundation of classic and contemporary writers, developing the skills to assess and analyze writing outside of my existing taste. Those are the things that are so vital to the work that I do as an editor When I'm evaluating manuscripts for pub location or even editing books that are outside of my particular subject areas. If I could go back and give myself any advice during my time at CSI I would say I wish that I took advantage of more internship opportunities and I wish that I had been more proactive about reaching out to people in my perspective industry to do informational interviews and to tell me what that job was like. So in publishing there are so many different things that you can do as an English major with an English degree. You can be an editor like me where you're acquiring books for publication and giving developmental edits on manuscripts inside of a publishing house. There are roles in a variety of departments including managing editors, production editors, book specialists, audio book editors, publicists, marketers, all of whom come from book loving backgrounds and often are also English majors outside of a publishing house, but still within the publishing industry. You can pursue careers like being a literary agent or a scout or a book doctor or a ghostwriter or so many other options. All you have to do is look at the Acknowledgments page of one of your favorite books to see just how many people it takes to turn something from an idea in a writer's head into a finished book that you as a reader can hold in your hands. An English degree is incredibly versatile and whatever you choose to do with your degree, I hope you find it fulfilling and meaningful.