It's been quite a while since I've posted to this blog, so many of you probably have no idea who I am. As such: my name is Katharine, and I'm officially an alumna of the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter! I graduated this past June:
So what am I doing?
It's crazy, but I've landed a job at my dream company, SoHo Publishing, who, amongst knitting and crochet books, publishes my favorite magazine: Vogue Knitting. As a writer, grammar enthusiast, and knitting fanatic, my company is the perfect place for me to utilize all of my talents and explore all of my passions. I even get to use my German once in a while! (Vielleicht nicht so viel wie ich möchte, aber es gibt viele deutsche Touristen in der Nachbarschaft, in der ich arbeite. Auch lese ich jetzt viel Kafka =) )
Including my internship, I've been with this company for about 13 months, and it really does feel like a second home, and it's been an environment that allows me to grow professionally. Last month, I published both my first article and my first knitting pattern, and I've been doing freelance knitting work for them for about a year. I'm currently working with designer Josh Bennett, knitting sweaters that will be sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue.
A bit of unsolicited advice
Here's a bit of what I learned over the past four years; a bit of advice I wish I'd received mixed in with the best advice I ever got from upperclassmen and advisors:
1. Don't let anyone psych you out of your dream major because they say you'll never find a job with it. I was a double major: English with a concentration in Creative Writing, and German. I can't even tell you how many times someone would, upon my revealing my field of study, scoff and say "Well what are you going to do with that?" or "German is a useless language, why don't you just take Spanish?" The answer to those dumb, patronizing questions is simple: "I'll do whatever I want with my degree." Seriously. Aside from the fact that my English degree is explicitly useful to my work, degrees in the humanities tend to instill qualities that employers look for: good communication skills, open-mindedness, patience, good critical reading skills, etc. College is about growing as a person, not necessarily about job training, so do what you love.
2. Don't let the idea of a salary deter you from doing what you love during college. Unpaid internships, despite all of the controversy around them, are amazing. You get hands-on experience, get an inside look into different professions, and make incredible contacts. Plus, they can turn into jobs. I started interning for SoHo in the fall of my senior year; they hired me part time that Spring, and I started full time on June 1st. Even if they hadn't, taking the unpaid internship still would have been one of the best decisions I made during college because of the experience and contacts. Paid internships are nice, but they're rare, and the more work experience you have before graduation, the more appealing you look to employers.
3. Do as much as you can possibly fit into your schedule. College goes by super quickly, and even if you cram 5 classes and an internship/job/research assistant position into every semester, you'll still find after graduation that there are things you wish you did. That's definitely the case for me! So savor your college experience. You'll be glad you did.
4. Talk to and be friendly with your professors, advisers, and the Dean. They're some of the most wonderful, intelligent, and inspiring people you will ever meet.
With all of that (tl:dr, I know) I just want to wish you all a heartfelt goodbye. Macaulay and Hunter have been so wonderful to me, and I know that without everything they gave me, I'd be struggling right now. Good luck with all of your endeavors (hopefully they include Macaulay!) and be well.
With love,
Katharine
(P.S. If any of you have questions or want to have a conversation, I'd love to answer them/have one! Email me at katharine.maller@yahoo.com)
Katharine, this is such a great post and amazing advice. #2 is definitely quite true!
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