Wednesday Wondering: Major Impact

Prompt: What was your college major? Do you use it for your career?

I majored in English Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, and I nearly got a Master's degree in the same subject. All during my undergrad years, people would say, "English major, so you're going to be a teacher, right?" And I said, hell no.

But I struggled to find a decent-paying job fresh out of college and quickly went back to school for an M.A., somewhat resigned to that teaching career. I loved the academics but did not relish the idea of grammar or high-school level teaching, which was where the vast number of jobs were, especially in California.

Then, a little thing called the Internet came along. A local newspaper was trying to get itself online, right when I was playing around with teaching myself to build webpages in my spare time. That was the beginning of something ... I combined a knack for learning software with writing and researching skills honed in academia into a online journalism career and never looked back.

I've been writing for the web since 1995, about everything from digital music to the environment to hard drives to Medicare. So yeah, my college major has been pretty useful in my career after all.

Questions culled from the discontinued Writer's Block feature on LiveJournal.

What I'm wearing: Red sheath dress, Target | Grey color-blocked cardigan, Macys | Grey tights, Target | Silver grey wedges, Anne Klein | Black & red glass bead necklace, made by me | Silver hoop earrings, random accessory store