What to Do with a Writing Degree

I have absolutely no clue.

On May 17, 2015, I officially graduated from my university with a degree in English Writing (I like to call it Creative Writing, because that's what I was doing in my writing classes--writing creatively) and a minor in Asian Studies. And now that I'm almost a month and a half into my life as a college graduate, job searching has been one of the most frustrating and utterly dismal things I've done. Searching as a high school student seemed like a piece of cake--but perhaps that was because people were willing to high an innocent, naive, person who had no idea what to expect.

So what do I do now? I applied to my public library--at two different locations--both of whom rejected my application. Alright, I get it, maybe having a degree or study in library science might've given me that extra boost. Next I applied to Barnes & Noble, to which not only did I not get, but I didn't even receive an email that I wasn't even considered. If I'm going to be told no, at least have the courtesy of letting that person know. Anyway, what was surprising about those two jobs was that those were the two that I thought I might have a chance getting considering my background in English. Well, I missed that one by a mile...or two.

What I'd really like to do is work with animals. Now, I know that my degree isn't exactly "animal friendly" so to speak, BUT, I will say that my resume will state otherwise. I've had plenty of professional experience with animal handling and care--zoos, the Humane Society, World Bird Sanctuary, etc. In fact, I'm officially a volunteer at WBS as a rehabilitation technician. It's really cool and fun, but most of all rewarding. Some people do it for bragging rights (i.e. "I get to handle hawks, owls, eagles, etc."). I won't lie, those are some pretty cool bragging rights; however, for me it's all about the animals. Everything that I do there is for those raptors (no...no, not velociraptors), and for my interest in learning everything there is to know about them. Not to mention in the hospital, all the work that we do is to get the animal back in the wild where it belongs. There's no interacting; in fact, the less you interact, the better. Or in other words, less is more. Otherwise there is a huge risk of imprinting, which is bad. I never understood that as a kid, but now I realize that any interaction you have with a juvenile wild animal there is that imprinting risk. Anytime I work with animals I'm always observing, because with animals (at least, in my opinion), you learn so much more by watching their behaviors and interactions with each other than with you interacting with them. That's one of the themes in my book that I've written--there is huge emphasis on observation, and less with intervening and interacting. Especially with animals in the wild.

Observing is key for writing, especially when doing research. Which brings me to the point, actually getting involved is a crucial aspect. Don't get me wrong, observation gives you a lot of information; but actually getting up close and personal gives you a another aspect to consider. I know I just said that less is more, but that's why I volunteer at WBS. Not only do I get the opportunity to observe the behaviors of these animals, but I get to experience first hand. I can have my cake and eat it, too. Another example are horses. You'd be surprised at how many fictional horse books there are with the author having no experience with horses. I'm talking about little chapter books for young girls--I used to read them. I met one author who wrote some books of the same subject and said that she didn't own any horses, nor did she ride, but she had plenty of friends did and would ask them. She then told me that horses actually make her uncomfortable (which is understandable), but she got all of her information from her horse-riding friends. Now, that sounds pretty fair, right? Well, for me, I'd rather experience horses first hand--handling, care-taking, riding, working/training, everything that comes with the subject of horses. I actually did ride for a while, took lessons and everything, and let me tell you, nothing compares to the actual act of riding a horse. I'm not discrediting any author who researches by observing, but for those who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty (so to speak), I say go for it. Go big, or go home, as some might say.

So what to do with a degree in writing? Well, I'm still trying to figure that out. Besides writing, of course. Even then, I've lost a lot of motivation for my book. I think it's because I'm in the summer mindset. But school is over for me, at least, for now. I don't have any excuse. So, I'm trying to get this blog back up and going again. That's Step 1. Step 2, when the book doesn't appeal, go to my fanfics. Anything to keep me writing. Step 3...step 3 is....to....Read! When all else fails! Read, read, read.

READ!!!!!

And on that note, I'm going to pick up "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" by Tony Attwood. So far it's been a good read on the syndrome. I was introduced to it by the game "To the Moon" by Kan Gao, it's on Steam. You should check it out, if you have Steam. Totally worth playing. And replaying. And replaying. Just make sure you have a box of tissues next to your computer.