Graduating with a BA in English: What Comes Next?

It’s funny how much things can change between the day you start school and the day you finish. Of course, there are people whose plans work out exactly as they imagined. Others discover a class that makes them reconsider their major. And for many, life circumstances change along the way. So what do you do when things look very different from what you envisioned during your first semester?

I went back to school for a career change. During that time, I received several promotions and now work for a completely different company than the one I worked for when I started my degree—and I love it here.

My original goal was to freelance as much as possible and transition into full-time editing as quickly as I could. Yet here I am, five months after graduation, with potential opportunities to move into a corporate office role that utilizes both my strengths and my degree in ways I hadn’t originally considered.

So what’s next?

Let’s start with the professional side, which honestly isn’t all that different from the plan I had before graduation, yet also very different mindset wise.

I always knew I would keep my full-time job until freelancing became financially sustainable. Even though I’m pursuing opportunities in the corporate office, that doesn’t mean I’m putting my editing goals on hold.

The first few months after graduation were spent simply enjoying life without the constant juggling act of work and school. Over the past month, though, I’ve been diving back into story structure resources, studying story arcs, and continuing to build my editing knowledge. I’m enjoying the opportunity to focus on more specialized training and education.

I’ve also been working on what you’re reading right now.

I still plan to freelance edit, but instead of sprinting toward full-time self-employment, I’ve decided to start slower, working gradual part-time while enjoying the journey. After all, I’m pursuing editing because I genuinely love it. There’s no reason to rush when I can build it at a pace that feels right.

I’m also fortunate to work for a company that supports my passion for editing. They’ve given me opportunities to edit content internally, which benefits both of us—they gain another set of eyes, and I gain valuable experience.

Personally, one thing I’m trying to do is spend more time enjoying the present moment. If I’m being honest, that’s not always easy for me. I’ve always been the type of person who gives 120% and is constantly looking toward the next goal.

One of the biggest changes since finishing school is that my partner and I finally started a garden—something we’ve talked about doing for years. Between work and school, my schedule was so full that I couldn’t imagine adding garden maintenance to the list. Now we have a variety of vegetables and herbs growing in what my friends affectionately call my “salsa garden.” And honestly, they’re not wrong.

Looking ahead, one of my major projects for 2026 is transforming our guest room into a dedicated office and library instead of the hybrid space it currently is. The reality is that we rarely have overnight guests outside of the occasional dog sitter. While my cat is extremely attached to the bed in that room, she’s really the only one who uses it. She’ll survive. In true cat fashion, every bed in the house is already “her bed,” and even the beds inside the dogs’ kennels aren’t safe from her naps.

Creating a dedicated workspace feels like an important step for both my writing and editing. I want a space that inspires creativity and is filled with things that bring me joy. And if we ever need a guest room again, we can always bring the bed back in while someone is staying over.

Beyond that, my goals are to continue developing my website and blog, keep studying writing and editing resources—especially within my niche—and return to writing novels (which I haven’t done in years).

When I first began researching freelance editing, I found myself wishing there were more people openly discussing the realities of the journey. Most resources focused on the destination, not the process. That’s one of the reasons I’m documenting my own experience. I hope that by sharing what I’m learning, the challenges I’m facing, and the decisions I’m making along the way, I can help answer questions for others who are considering a similar path.

Every journey looks different. Mine certainly hasn’t unfolded the way I expected when I enrolled in school. But if twenty years of training and developing people throughout my career has taught me anything, it’s this: sometimes the path changes, but that doesn’t mean you’re heading in the wrong direction. It just means there’s a new opportunity for you to learn something you didn’t expect.