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Do you want to know how life changed for a sociology major after college? This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect in the transition and more. This is a true career story as told to WritingJobs.org, where you can read other interviews such as an interview with a Blogger or a Staff Writer.

I hold a job as an Editorial Assistant at a magazine and have been working here for a little over a year. I currently do administrative tasks such as sending out contracts for copyrights, dealing with photo credits, answering phones and general filing. In addition to that, I have become a consistent contributor to the magazine and have been given the chance to edit the reader’s letters’ page in the magazine. Some people may not realize that a job as an editorial assistant is an array of different tasks. You not only observe and help in the editing process, but you learn how each person in the magazine helps to publish this work and make it a success.

My Background

I hold a bachelor’s degree in Literature from State University of New York: Purchase College. Literature is a common major to have studied for this line of work. Knowing how to write well with correct grammar has been helpful to make sure my work is well received. Writers must also have passion and believe in what they want to accomplish. Everyone at work truly wants to produce informative and engaging articles.  Showing to my boss and co-workers how much I want to be in this setting makes my work even better. Furthermore, all of the written work that goes into the magazine is edited multiple times to make sure it is perfect.

From College to Career

Life is very different now that I have finished college and started my career. In college I skipped classes whenever I felt like it. Now, I am on a strict schedule and cannot take barely any days off. I must make sure to meet all deadlines that are set and constantly turn in my best work. I feel much more pressure to produce exceptional work on a daily basis. I make a modest amount of money and have many student loans to pay off from college. I feel, however, more comfortable paying them because I enjoy my job and know that school allowed me to be in this position. If my career was not related to my major, I believe I would be more frustrated with the amount of money I owe.

The Job Search

I found my job by looking for publishing houses in the area and applying to them, no matter what kind of written work they produced. The interview process for my current job included an online form and a phone call from the previous woman who held my job. I made sure to convey my excitement over the phone and thankfully, I was asked to come in for an interview. I met with the Editor of the magazine and he quickly sensed my passion for Literature and the publishing industry in general. We even ended up talking about books for the entire second half of the interview. He then invited me to come back for a second interview since he had to choose between one other applicant and me. After that, I was called and told that of the 100 applicants who applied, I got the job!

My Advice To You

The most important thing to remember is that eventually you will find the correct job. The job market is very tough right now and it is easy to become discouraged with the lack of work. I tried to use the services offered by my university’s career services program. Unfortunately, it did not have any positions available in the industry in which I was looking. I worked every day for a year to find a job in my field and finally found a company who recognized my passion and enthusiasm for this industry that I love.

One of the hardest things about my job is coming in to it with no experience at all. There is a certain vocabulary and schedule that the entire editorial staff uses to make sure the magazine production goes smoothly and on time. The hardest thing for me was finding a way to learn the information and understand the vocabulary and deadline requirements.

If I could do it over, I would look sooner for a job in my wanted field. When I graduated, I took a job doing whatever I could just to make some money. I feel as though I wasted time when I could have been working towards my goal of becoming an editor. If I was applying for the exact same job position tomorrow, but with a different company, I would be sure to have my passion and enthusiasm come across in the interview process. Everyone I spoke with at this company said they could tell right away how badly I wanted to be here and I believe that is what helped me get hired for this position. I would make them understand that there is nowhere else I would rather be and, if given the chance, I would do my best to learn everything about the publishing industry prior to obtaining the position.

Readers!  Want to read more true career stories?  Share in the comments what type of career you want to learn about next!