Introducing Hired Humanities

What this newsletter is all about

Hi there, I’m Emily! 👋 Welcome to Hired Humanities, a biweekly newsletter devoted to helping humanities students build careers they love.

I’m currently working as a customer success manager at a startup in San Francisco, but my journey to tech began five years ago when I made the life-altering decision to leave academia. 

My story

At the time, I was two years into my dream doctoral program in Classics. For all intents and purposes, I was thriving. I passed my translation exams, succeeded in my coursework and ran several extra-curricular programs for my department.

Inside, though, I was crumbling. For months, I chalked up my perpetual state of lethargy to the usual anxiety of graduate school. Finally, a serious health scare forced me to acknowledge what I had known deep down all along: academia wasn’t right for me. 

I decided to take a leave of absence for one year to see if I could make it outside of the academy. Plunging completely into an existence without the familiar cadence of the school year, the constants of coursework and exam preparation was daunting. I had no idea what I could do beyond researching, teaching and talking about Latin and Greek literature. What would it mean to walk away from it all, from the dream I had worked so hard to achieve?

I didn’t know it when I signed the paperwork for my year of absence, but it would mean that a world of fresh possibilities would open up. It would mean putting myself out there in ways that stretched me far beyond my comfort zone. It would mean redefining professional fulfillment on my own terms. 

And that brings us to why you’re here, reading these words.

The “why” of Hired Humanities

My career has evolved a lot since I left academia back in 2015. My first job was in public relations, and after a couple of years I ended up pivoting to instructional design at an e-learning company, which helped me break into tech. 

When I first got started, I didn’t know what roles were available to someone like me with a lot of education and little “professional” experience on my resume. And then, when I finally got a job, I was overwhelmed with new communication norms and the rapid pace of office life. I eventually got the hang of it, but throughout my journey I found myself wanting a resource that was approachable and reassuring, that covered the things I really needed to know not only to get my career off the ground, but also thrive in an entirely new work environment. 

Simply put, Hired Humanities is the resource I wish I had when I was trying to figure out life beyond the academy.

What you can expect in your inbox

Every other Tuesday you can expect to receive an article written by me that distills my learnings and musings on a variety of topics, including:

• 🎯 Strategies for determining your career path

• 📋 Tips for navigating the interview process 

• 💼 Acclimating to a non-academic environment

• 📖 The connections between business and the liberal arts

At the end of each newsletter you’ll also find a curated list of resources from other content creators that I’m enjoying. 

A parting note

I want this newsletter to help you, dear reader, so drop a line if you have suggestions for future issues, questions or feedback. (Seriously— don’t hesitate to reach out!) And, should you think someone else would enjoy receiving Hired Humanities, feel free to spread the word.

Thanks for choosing to spend some of your day with me, and see you next time!

Emily