How did my MA in Literature pave the way for my Career Path(s)? Part 1/3

How did my MA in Literature pave the way for my Career Path(s)?

A major in one language or more is one of the most multi-purpose degrees, provided that it's accompanied by other skills and knowledge. In this series of articles (3 articles as a start), I will not expand on the numerous career paths that a language major can follow. I’m simply sharing my personal experience of following my passion in my studies, and how that did NOT hinder me from having a successful career in fields that might not be directly relevant to my study, but that were definitely supported by it.

I will demonstrate the effects of studying literature – particularly doing a Master's degree in literary studies – on my professional life.

Briefly, I do many things for a living.

And in detail, I translate, teach, proofread, write, transcribe, and above all, I learn! I love to explore new opportunities, be they possibilities in the job market, or a potential I possess, to develop my work and gain more professional experience.

Here I am, fulfilling my passion for writing and leveraging this channel to tell my story. I hope that sharing my experience will be inspiring and encouraging for those who picked passion over practicality. For you warriors I want to say this: Don’t regret it, you did the right thing!

Part 1/3 – Once a Teacher, Always a Teacher!

Teaching:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that language graduates must be language teachers.

However little known the feelings or views of such graduates may be on their first entering university, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of their acquaintances, that they are considered as the rightful property of one or other school in the area.

Adapted from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, with the difference that this is the 21st century, people have a load of options to choose their careers (and their spouses alike), and the professional world is as flexible as can be! For that reason, I was not determined to become a teacher when I started my university study. I did not know what I wanted to do exactly, but I was sure of one thing. Teaching was not the only job I was destined to do, yet irony did it work.

My first job after getting a Bachelor’s degree in English language and literature was as an English teacher. Although I did not specialise in teaching in general, nor in teaching English in particular, I was able to become a good teacher and gain and develop many of the skills required for this job during my Master’s study.

Skills:

Teachers should be good communicators, they have to listen well, and they must organise and manage a lot. Such skills cannot be taught theoretically, nor can they be forced on the person concerned. Instead, they are acquired and developed practically by using them or, more accurately, by needing them.

Pre-teaching Phase:

During my MA studies, I had the chance to learn how to teach, and that was due to the nature of assignments and the manner of handling the subject materials.

First of all, I did many presentations in front of the class (around 15 students, and the professor in charge). This was a traumatic experience in the beginning. I was terrified of standing in front of my colleagues and professors and speaking about a certain topic in a novel or a poem. Of course, the idea to be discussed should be original. I had to build my argument, and support it enough to make a solid point, and I had to answer questions.

Does that sound familiar, dear teachers?

Looking at this process from a distance, I can see that it resembles the job of a teacher to a great extent. A teacher is supposed to come up with new teaching materials and methods for the class to keep their attention and not let them fall victim to boredom. A teacher needs to stand in front of a class, that might not be easily satisfied, mind you! They have to do their best to impress those students who are, like clients and customers in another field of work, at the heart of the teaching process. Moreover, a teacher needs always to be ready to answer a lot of questions, sometimes simultaneously, and to make sure that no misunderstanding remains suspended.

While doing my MA presentations, I had no idea that I was accumulating the necessary skills for becoming a teacher. In fact, I had no idea I was going to be a teacher! But the whole thing was like unconscious training, and it worked well to be sure.

When I first entered a class, I admit I was afraid, but this is normal. It is the first-day feeling that would stick with me for all the courses I taught over the period of 5 years. It is the feeling that will come again in the future whenever I go back to the classroom. I like to call it the first-day syndrome. It just goes on day 2, and life gets much easier.

Another skill I gained in my postgraduate journey was very crucial for me as a person and a teacher-to-be. It's called patience. I am not naturally a patient person, which used to cause me trouble in my personal and public life. But when you have to write several 5000-word research papers on very different topics and hand them successively over 2 months! That's a lot of work under pressure.

I went through that stage of the Master's programme before starting teaching. It polished my time management skills among other gained benefits like the ability to multitask, coordinate, and solve unexpected problems.

Teaching Phase:

Then, I started teaching during the stage of writing a 100-page dissertation covering one line of comparison between two not-very-short novels. I had to keep the pace of writing to meet the standards of a highly-academic supervisor. I also had to do my job as an English language teacher. That necessitated a great deal of planning, organising, working on outlines, meeting deadlines, and avoiding red lines (that's a lot of lines for sure!).

If I had not been an organised person, I would have been forced into it; otherwise, I would have failed. All this work on my major research was supplementing my teaching career with what was like on-the-job training. At the same time, working as a teacher enabled me to sharpen my focus towards achieving my academic goal. All in all, it was a win-win situation.

Post-teaching Phase:

Wait, what?

I don’t believe there will ever be a post-teaching phase. Being a teacher is not something one can renounce. My teaching-related motto is “Once a teacher, Always a teacher.” Even when I am not currently teaching, the door is always open. Plus, the teacher’s attitude, methods, and voice (of course!) will always be part of who I am as a person. I started as a literature geek, earned essential skills for a relatively distant career, and now those skills and that career have shaped my lifestyle.

Confession:

I had no idea (nor desire!) to become an English teacher, but when the opportunity came and I was offered the job, it felt right. It was right at that time, and it still feels right.

Sometimes the paths we choose in life can lead to a completely unexpected destination, and that’s the beauty of life. In my case, I realised that the academic and teaching lives I was leading could unite and support one another. Not only am I grateful for following my passion and studying what I love, but I am also content with my decision to embark on a teaching career.