National Park Hiking Companion
After M.A. alum Luke Carothers graduated in 2018, having specialized in Cultural Studies, he launched into an exciting non-academic career, working first at JJ’s Beer Garden and Brewing Co. as Trivia Host and Creator and now at Civil + Structural Engineer Media as Editor and Content Specialist. In our recent interview with him, below, he explains how he still puts to good use the skills he developed as an English graduate student.
You entered our graduate program after finishing your B.A. in English at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. Was it a significant change for you, moving to Arkansas from Ohio, or a pretty easy transition?
Moving far away from home is always hard, but luckily I had family in the area. My brother was already a student, and my extended family lived in the area, so they were a wonderful support network. Arkansas quickly became my home, though. This is the place I want to be.
You were in our first class of M.A. students who had the option to specialize in one of seven areas or to pursue a more traditional generalist approach to the degree. You chose to specialize in Cultural Studies. What was one of your favorite courses that you took in that area, and why did you enjoy that class so much?
I have a lot of favorite courses from my time in Cultural Studies, but I have to say Dr. Constance Bailey’s seminar on Liminality was my absolute favorite. Dr. Bailey was not only incredibly knowledgeable, but also had the ability to empathize and communicate that made it such a welcoming and inquisitive environment. Additionally, the other graduate students in the seminar were some of the brightest and most astute people I ever had the pleasure to be around. All this coupled with some stunning texts made for an excellent semester.
Your first job after graduating was working as the Trivia Host and Creator for JJ’s Beer Garden and Brewing Co. in Fayetteville. That must have been the best job ever, like one of those “dream jobs” a person makes up but never imagines is actually real. Was it as fun as it sounds? And please tell me your English M.A. directly contributed to your getting that position so that I can mention that during recruitment of prospective program applicants. 🙂
Dream job is an understatement. Getting paid to research and perform was an experience that taught me a lot, not insignificantly the ability to handle verbal criticism on the fly. In fact, the job did not exist until I created it. At the same time I was starting to put together my graduation portfolio, learning new ways to present information visually, I had the idea to start hosting a trivia event at the bar I worked for. I took the skills I was learning from my portfolio and presented a business plan to the bar’s owner, and we took off from there. My only advice for anyone who wants to do this is to ask for more pay.
At present, you are the Editor and Content Specialist for Civil + Structural Engineer Media, also in Fayetteville. This company serves as an online resource of engineering news, producing weekly newsletters and a monthly magazine. Can you talk a little about what your current position entails? And how easy or hard has it been for you to translate your English grad school skillset to the types of writing and other forms of communication you are now doing in the field of engineering?
In my current role, my responsibilities are twofold. First, I am responsible for collecting, writing, and editing articles that are published monthly in Civil + Structural Engineer Magazine. Second, I am responsible for curating and sharing industry news through our online news outlet. I consider myself very lucky because I am doing exactly what I was trained to do in the MA program. My job is to investigate industry trends, research them, then produce content that will generate the highest feedback possible in terms of viewers. Luckily, I also taught Technical Composition during my last semester. I cannot stress enough how much even teaching that introductory class helped me move beyond my previous modes of thinking. It ended up providing direct training for my current job, and I still refer back to my teaching texts to help with publication information.
I often like to wrap up with a request for a recommendation–a good book to read, movie/series to watch, and/or outdoor activity to pursue (like a favorite hiking trail, etc.). Any endorsement(s) you’d like to share before we conclude?
I just spent two weeks exploring five national parks in Colorado and Utah. It was my first time seeing that part of the country, and it struck me as profoundly important! More specifically, if you get to Zion National Park, find the hidden waterfall trail and enjoy a nice cold beverage underneath the mountain.
