{"id":7,"date":"2015-04-22T18:03:57","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T22:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/creativewriting\/?p=7"},"modified":"2022-11-23T11:18:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T16:18:52","slug":"beth-harrisons-top-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/creativewriting\/2015\/04\/beth-harrisons-top-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Say “Yes!”: Career Advice from Beth Harrison"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Beth<\/p>\n

Last week, we welcomed Beth Harrison to Miami\u2019s campus for this year\u2019s Gutsche lecture. The Gutsche lecture series allows us to bring back highly successful Miami English Department alumni each year to speak about their experiences in the professional sphere and offer advice to Miami students who are on the brink of entering that sphere. Beth Harrison graduated from Miami in 1992 with a B.A. in Creative Writing. A handful of her most notable job titles include: Interim Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets, Director of Development & External Relations at the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, publishing editor at Oxford University Press and Princeton Architectural Press, Managing Director of the Discover Outdoors Foundation, and founding editor of literary magazine Spinning Jenny.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"beth<\/em><\/p>\n

Beth Harrison is a prominent figure in the literary world nowadays, but during her talk she made sure to emphasize that she used to be just as clueless as anybody else. When she graduated, she had no idea what her future looked like. When asked if she still considers herself to be somewhat clueless she said yes, and that she hopes to stay that way. For Harrison, it is the process of figuring things out, day by day, that keeps life interesting.<\/p>\n

Harrison was gracious enough to lay down advice in bulk. These tokens were taken from her treasure trove of knowledge and experience, as well as her colleagues\u2019. Here is a simplified list of the top 10 points she made:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Say \u201cYes!\u201d to opportunities, big and small. A willingness to learn new things, even things that don\u2019t seem immediately relevant, is imperative for developing a broad arsenal of skills. Plus, one thing tends to lead to another, and that initial \u201cYes!\u201d was the first step on the road to something greater.<\/li>\n
  2. Determine what you\u2019re passionate about, and then write to your heroes\/heroines in that field. You\u2019d be surprised by how many of them will take the time to write you back and do their parts to help you achieve your goals.<\/li>\n
  3. English skills are incredibly versatile, so don\u2019t pigeonhole yourself! Just because you\u2019ve graduated with a degree in Creative Writing doesn\u2019t mean you must <\/em>become a writer. Strong writing skills are important in any line of work. Jobs for good writers, in a variety of industries, are more abundant than you might think.<\/li>\n
  4. Keep in touch with your professors and mentors. If these people have been influential in your life, there\u2019s no reason their influence should cease merely because a semester has ended or you\u2019ve graduated.<\/li>\n
  5. Don\u2019t be afraid to take a job because it\u2019s not your dream job. If it\u2019s a good job and you need it, then take it.<\/li>\n
  6. Read. A lot. Here a few of the websites she recommended specifically:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n