Why did you study Linguistics/English Language at Queen Mary? Did you have a particular career path in mind?The biggest reason was that the course looked interesting. I had enrolled in an access course with the Open University which provided my first introduction to linguistics, but I felt that I had only scratched the surface. I was confident that I could be curious and interested in studying linguistics for the whole course, which I knew I’d need to do well in it. I didn’t have a particular career path in mind and hoped that I would explore options during my degree.
What topics did you like learning about and was there anything that surprised you in your studies?
I enjoyed modules in syntax and phonology the most. I was expecting to gravitate toward sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics but the theoretical / grammatical modules really challenged and interested me and I was surprised to find that I did well in them. I also loved learning about writing systems.
I was surprised by how broad the field of linguistics is and how little I knew about it before I started the course. I had so many preconceived ideas about language and I was fascinated that it could be studied as a cognitive and social science.
Can you describe your career path to date and touch on your current role? How did you arrive in your current role?
Before university I worked in hospitality at a theatre for four years, then at a cinema and as a research assistant during my degree. I’m currently an assistant editor at Sage, working mostly on politics and international relations textbooks. I started shortly after my degree as an editorial assistant, which is essentially the same role but at the entry level position.
How do you describe the skills and knowledge you gained during your Linguistics/English Language degree to your employers?
Linguistics was perfect for describing a whole host of different skills and knowledge. I took a wide variety of modules so felt that I had loads of descriptive, analytical, organisational, and personal skills I could bring to the role. I described being able to write for different purposes, whether that be a descriptive or argumentative such as in a literary review, or precise and analytical for a meta-analysis. I described communicative skills gained from being part of PASS mentoring and deeper knowledge of communication gained from almost every module in my course. I emphasised organisational skills learned through balancing multiple modules, assessments and my dissertation.
Can you describe what a typical working day looks like for you?
Every day is different, but I often start each day with organising my inbox and replying to any urgent queries. I usually have a few tasks per day, each of which can take me a couple of hours to complete. This might involve sending out book proposals or draft chapters out for peer-review, reading through and providing my own feedback on draft chapters, drawing up contracts, conducting market research, briefing the designers for book covers, meeting with authors, smaller administrative tasks, or updating our various trackers and systems. More recently I have also been involved in DEI and AI working groups, as well as a process improvement group.
What are your career plans for the future/Are you looking to expand your skill set in anything?
I’m so new to publishing that I’m still working out whether I’d like to have a career in it. I’m exploring different roles that exist and trying to build skills in the areas that interest me most, such as chapter development. I am interested in expanding my skills in project management, which would be transferrable to many different industries.
How did your degree prepare you for your current job role? Which skills that you developed during your degree have you brought to your current job?
Organisational skills have been a huge help, and this wasn’t something that I was particularly good at before my degree. My job involves so many tasks and books and trackers that it’s essential for me to be organised. Balancing multiple modules and assessments really helped me hone those organisational skills. I would also say that being able to write well and for different purposes has helped, as well as research skills. Additionally, having used many textbooks throughout my course, I felt that I had a very good understanding of what I found useful and what I found inaccessible. Finally, linguistics is such a broad and varied field that requires so many different skills and approaches. I think being open-minded and embracing that variety really helped me adjust to my job.
Is there any advice you would give to current students or recent graduates considering their career options?
For current students: say yes to or apply for any opportunities that you can. I found PASS mentoring, writing for the student magazine, and research assisting just as valuable for building skills as my course was, and listed all of these on my CV and job applications.
For recent graduates: I think being open to trying things out is important. I don’t know if I’ll be in publishing forever but I know about so many different roles now I’m in the industry that I knew nothing about before starting. Also, rejection is awful but try not to be too disheartened. I work with so many incredibly talented people and everyone experiences it.
What advice would you give to a prospective student considering the course you studied and Queen Mary?
Take a good look at the modules on the course and think about whether they sound interesting to you. Try not to make assumptions about what you will be good or bad at, you might be surprised. Finally, utilise your lecturers! They are all amazing and enthusiastic teachers and so gracious with their time. I can’t count the number of times I felt impossibly confused, only for that to be completely reversed within 5 minutes of speaking to my lecturers.
What was special about your time at Queen Mary? Can you give one or two examples of your most memorable moments?
Creating my own language and writing system
Helping someone achieve better grades through PASS mentoring