I graduated college last year with a degree in English and have not been able to find a job. I have always liked and been comfortable using computers. Are there jobs in IT that combine my interest in computers and my degree in English?
In short, yes, there are a number of jobs within IT where writing ability is greatly valued. I’ll begin by listing the job types, then give you couple of examples, and end with a short description of each job. These jobs are: Social Media Consultant, Web Designer, Documentation Writer, Training Materials Development, and Business Analyst.
[Also see: 5 Strange but true ways to find a job ]
I have a friend with a strong writing background and a degree in marketing. He also liked technology and wanted to move toward a position within IT. He jokingly insists that the social media industry was created specifically to give him this opportunity. He invested some time into learning the ins-and-outs of various business oriented social media tools, such as Twitter, HootSuite, WordPress, and a few other products. Then, he found a job within an IT group helping the marketing department implement the company’s social media/marketing program. He is now the Manager of Social Media Systems within the IT organization and is dotted line to the VP of marketing.
As a second example, I once had a great Business Analyst working for me. She went to school for journalism but also had a fascination for all things technical. Because of her journalism background, she had an incredible ability to interview business users and properly document their conversations. As a result, she was able to draft great business requirements documents.
As promised above, here are short descriptions of the various IT positions listed above:
Social Media Consultant: Works specifically on social media and active listening type software/systems
Web Designer and copy writer: Works on the design, structure, and textual content on company websites
Documentation Writer: Writes internal documentation on systems, processes, and other IT related activities.
Training Materials Developer: Writes training material to be used as a part of rolling out new software applications
Business Analyst: Works with users to define the business requirements for IT related projects including software purchase, new software development, and existing software enhancements.
If you have any questions about your career in IT, please email me at eric@ManagerMechanics.com or find me on Twitter at @EricPBloom.
Until next time, work hard, work smart, and continue to grow.
This story, "5 great IT jobs for English majors" was originally published by ITworld.