Disclaimer: The views expressed by our interviewees are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of GradSimple. We only edit these responses for clarity. All opinions remain those of the interviewee.
- Name: Cecilia F.
- Year Of Graduation: 2023
- College/University: University of Tennessee Knoxville
- Major: English/Creative Writing
What do you do for a living? Can you share what a typical day at work looks like?
I work two part-time jobs as a debt collector for a mortgage company and an in-home afterschool nanny. I work morning to early afternoon at the first and afternoon til 5/6ish at the second. They are very contrasting roles but do allow me a lot of flexibility with my schedule.
Does your job have anything to do with your degree? How quickly did you find work?
My job(s) do not have anything to do with my degree—these are actually the jobs I’ve had since junior year while I was still attending college!
Why did you choose your undergrad major? Would you still pick this major now, if you could go back in time?
This is a tough question. For passion purposes, yes. As a major, English has so many directions you can explore, so I never felt suppressed or directionless. I got to enjoy a pretty broad spectrum of courses during undergrad—technical writing in the workplace (basically learning corporate jargon and how to kiss someone’s ass via email), creative nonfiction, 1800s Romantics literature where we’d have to write essays longer than should be legally allowed—and all over the board, I found that I had to hone my writing skill and put in effort whereas in high school, (without sounding too much like a stuck-up asshole) I got to skate by without ever TRULY trying to excel. So from a personal standpoint, no, I wouldn’t change it because it kept my interest and never felt “boring”. From a lucrative, “will-this-major-help-me-form-a-financially-stable-career” standpoint… yeah, I’d probably change it. I don’t know what I’d choose, though.
If I asked you 3 years ago, what would you think you’d be doing right now (in life/career)?
Honestly, I wouldn’t have had a damn clue. Definitely not debt collecting or still working with kids, though. I was flying by the seat of my pants 3 years ago too much to think a lot about my “five-year plan”.
What’s your biggest struggle right now?
Figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life. The hardest part of adulthood has been realizing you really are in charge of this shit. No one’s gonna tell you what you should or shouldn’t be doing (I mean some people will, but in a general sense of authority) and the amount of choice you do have can feel paralytic. I find myself seized a lot with the doubt of “Am I really going in the right direction with my life? Am I wasting this time?”
If money was not a factor, what would you be working on or spending more time on?
I’d absolutely be traveling the country and writing stories. I always wanted to do that, but it’s never been a financially realistic option, and I’ve always been someone who’s played things safe. “Just do it” spontaneity is not in my DNA, and I’ve never understood those who go with the flow and figure out finances later. Not insulting those who do, I just personally don’t have that perspective.
If we traveled 3 years into the future of your life, what would you hope we’d see?
I’d like to see that I’d published some form of novel or story that was doing moderately well (not bestseller levels but at least some audience beyond family and friends). I’d like to have bought a house and be happy with wherever I was working, and have a good idea of what the next few years of my life would look like. Also, I hope 26-year-old me can do a pull-up and squat without her knees hurting.
What’s the biggest lesson or piece of advice you wish you’d known earlier?
Hard to narrow it down to one. There’s a good handful of important lessons that could’ve saved me a lot of grief along the way to right now. Primarily, I’d say you are the people you surround yourself with, so choose wisely. Never apologize for taking up space, but don’t let it turn into being inconsiderate of other people. Give often and openly to those deserving; guard fiercely against all others. Your kindness does not mean you need to be naive or a doormat. And lastly, always be teachable—you’re never too wise to learn or too self-aware to not discover further internal depths—but never be easily manipulated.
Any other thoughts you’d like to share?
Take people exactly as they are, leave them better than you found them, and remember you live with one person for the rest of your life—yourself.
Don’t forget to honor that.
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