Lucas Marshall earned his M.A. degree in 2016. He has since developed an impressive career as an award-winning professional and technical writer. He has worked as a content marketer and in developing search engine optimization. He has extensive experience in the industrial, medical, and construction companies.

M&L: Why did you choose to study English at Western? 

I chose the English M.A. program at Western for a few different reasons. To start, I originally planned to teach English at the community college-level, and was thrilled to get firsthand teaching experience as composition insturctor through my assistantship. This experience is truly invaluable, as with most grad programs, you don’t get hands-on teaching experience (or it’s usually just grading another professor’s papers) until you’re a PhD candidate, so getting this experience, actually teaching my own classes, on the front end for me was really attractive. I also liked the small-town feel. As a graduate of a small, liberal arts college, this was really important to me.

M&L: What is your current job?

I’m an award-winning professional writer, content marketer, and SEO with extensive experience (both at agencies and in-house) in the industrial, medical, and construction segments.

Presently, my day job is Content Developer for Mirion, a major publicly traded company (#1 in 15+ product categories!) that manufactures radiation detection, measurement, analysis, and monitoring devices. Particularly, the company leverages a wealth of experience and knowledge of ionizing radiation to deliver solutions that impact the greater good. The company competes with Thermo Fisher, Landauer, Fluke, etc.

In my current role at Mirion, I’m responsible for supporting go-to-market activities across our Technologies and Medical BUs through a wide variety of deliverables, such as: data sheets, brochures, flyers, landing pages, articles, social media, email blasts, newsletters, banner ads, blogposts, sales enablement content, etc.

I’d like to add, too, that I’m proud to be on an integrated marketing team comprised of multiple English majors!

M&L: How did your study of English help you to succeed in your career?

My time in the M.A. program—particularly, teaching writing, consulting in the Writing Center, and having a seat at the table in both writing program assessments and on the writing committee—was invaluable in preparing me for a career as a professional to pivot from academia to the private sector. Understanding concepts like discourse communities, genre theory, and writing transfer has equipped me with the analytical skills needed to become a quick study in tackling unfamiliar writing applications with finesse.

M&L: What were some of your best experiences as a student in English at Western? 

Some of my fondest memories include:

• Grading papers over a cup of coffee at Sullivan Taylor’s
• Getting dinner with grad school classmates at Yummy Chen’s
• Livestreaming the Oscars with my dear friend Sheldon Gaskell for a series of absurdist, satirical articles for The Thirsty Thespian, a publication we cofounded as part of our final project for Dr. Rebekah Buchanan’s terrific Writing for the Social Web 400(G) class – a class, I might add, that came in handy helping me gracefully pivot from academia to professional writer.
• Spending time with and learning a great deal from my teaching mentor, Jason Braun, a friendship that has led to more recent collaborations like this collaborative article as well as contributing to his 2023 book.

M&L: What advice would you give to students considering studying English here at Western?

Apply the communication and critical thinking skills you naturally possess as an English major to cogently explain the transferable skills you have. A hiring manager may look at a resume in black and white terms—i.e., this candidate doesn’t have X title; therefore, they’re not a strong candidate. It’s your job to explain why your skills translate to X job.

Another thing to consider, on top of traditional internships. There are loads of freelancing opportunities (e.g., sites like Fiverr, etc.) that can help you get connected with companies looking for project-based support, helping you attain real-world experience (outside of the internship). Professional writing jobs, particularly entry-level ones, can be fiercely competitive. These types of freelance opportunities can help you check the seemingly illogical combination of boxes (e.g., entry-level but requires 1-3 years of experience) while making you more competitive in a sea of countless writers with similar credentials. They can also be really helpful if you’re looking to switch industries and need to fill out your portfolio with industry-specific samples to be competitive for a given position.