Digital Humanities: Employability 101
If you’ve ever taken a polar bear plunge in the middle of a cold winter, you’ll understand the way I felt when my first Word Press-powered website went live. For me, a humble Literature major student, this was a step way outside of my comfort zone of research and literary review. But once the initial fear had dissipated, I realized that signing up for the Digital Humanities lab at Stockton University was one of the most strategic decisions I made in the course of my undergraduate education.
Being faced with the harsh reality of the post-graduate job market, riddled with un- and underemployment, I joined the pioneering cohort of DH@Stockton Digital Humanities Internship program. Having conducted and published online literary research that explored the topic of body as a space for resistance in the discourse of Postcolonial Feminism, I was fairly familiar with the front-end functioning of Digital Humanities. My Professor and mentor, Dr. Koh in her brave attempt to convince us, the scared bundle of Humanities students, that coding is indeed an important skill, resorted to the useful car / Digital Humanities analogy. She explained that publishing research online is like driving a car, while being able to code and build websites for publishing online, is like peeking under the car’s hood. My inner digital “mechanic” tendencies and the never-seizing desire to learn something new inspired me to sign up for the DH@Stockton internship.
I don’t disparage the Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature I earned. There are valuable skills I learned and knowledge I developed that is instrumental to my daily functioning in the workplace. Majoring in Humanities allowed me to polish my writing style, acquire research and analytical skills that I deem important. But quite frankly it wasn’t exactly what earned me my first paycheck. I singed my first web design contract just months after graduating from the Digital Humanities internship. This was an absolutely tremendous opportunity to apply the newly acquired digital skills on practice. I honestly can’t think of a more direct application of an education.
The unexpected offer came from my alma mater. The website I was asked to create was to serve as an informational portal for the participants of the literary conference cosponsored by the University of Cyprus and Stockton University. As I was progressing through the task, I was building on the skills obtained through the Digital Humanities internship, while continue learning as I went along. I learned new codes, I discovered useful shortcuts, I revealed helpful gadgets and plugins. Talk about learning by doing! My second project came shortly after, also from Stockton. Apparently satisfied with the outcome of the first project, they contracted me to build a more technologically advanced website for the pilot Film Festival they were organizing. Being able to code, allowed me to create two stylistically and functionally distinct websites using the same familiar platform.
Looking back, I can clearly distinguish the three important components of my success. I did have the foundation of the digital skills to build on (must-have), in combination with great encouragement from my Professor and ability to continue learning as I progressed through my creative tasks. So here’s my advice to you, next generations of Humanists out there, be smart and be proactive. Increase your employability chances by learning how to code and build websites, even if you are sure that your impeccable wiring style will get you far.
At the very least, digital / coding skills have a great demand in the job market. When my academic and career goals brought me to the hub of global human capital, Washington D.C., I learned firsthand what a truly competitive job market is. It’s the place of ubiquitous multi-linguists, graduates of internationally recognized schools and impressive looking resumes. If all one can offer is a degree in Literature, chances to succeed in a place like D.C. are quite frankly low. However, the combination of digital skills and ability to write in a clear concise way is extremely refreshing and appealing to the most demanding D.C. recruiters. Consequently, if you want to orient your education towards the future, not the rapidly slipping in the category of obsolete present, then learn to code, construct a website that can be marketed as an online portfolio. It is paramount for a successful job seeker to possess strong writing and communication skills, but diversifying your resume by adding digital skills is the key to making it stand out.
Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. It’ll ultimately pay off. Collaborate. Your peers are in the same boat as you are. Share your questions and learn from their mistakes and discoveries. The further you push your boundaries and learn, the easier it will be to apply your knowledge to work. That is the only regret I have, looking back to the times I spent as an intern. I should have learnt more codes, tried more advanced themes, familiarize myself with more WordPress functionalities. So, dear current and future Digital Humanities Interns! Learn from my mistakes.
If you support the idea that the end goal of formal education is to provide out-of-the-box, critical thinking skills, then Digital Humanities are exactly that — a fresh approach to the long existing field of traditional humanities. Digital Humanities is about getting ready for the future, about crashing stereotypes and expanding educational horizons beyond the comfort zone of traditional Humanities. Embrace it. Be part of it. Take the plunge. You can do it!
