Ep. 29. From english major to content design lead: advice for grads

Writers of Silicon Valley

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Ah, English degrees. So often the target of snide comments and "there but for..." looks. I don't think there's another academic pursuit that's used as a metaphor for uselessness quite as much. Maybe basket weaving.

And yet, as content designers know, English majors can become one of technology's secret weapons.

Speaking of secret weapons...

Today's guest might be one of the most impressive people in content design.

Sammie Spector is the content design lead at Condé Nast, where she looks after brands including Vogue, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ, Glamour, Architectural Digest, Vanity Fair, Pitchfork, Wired, and Bon Appétit. And she's one of the most impressive people I know. She has an incredible work ethic. Not only does she hold down a demanding job, she grades students and teaches workshops for UX Content Collective, and oh...she was an English major too.

Which is exactly what we talk about today. How English majors can stop feeling helpless, and start thinking about their careers. But we don't stop there. We cover:

• Why content design has a pipeline problem, and how to fix it
• What it's like working at a publishing company versus a traditional "tech" company
• Why English majors should start thinking early about how to adapt their skills to tech
• What content design can learn from software engineering to fix our graduate shortage

Sammie's wisdom should be heard by everyone in the industry. Send this to your friendly neighbourhood English grad, and give them a smile: it's gonna be okay.

Connect with Sammie:

• Sammie Spector on LinkedIn

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