Ethan Palm
From 2014–2015, Ethan was part of the in-house public relations team for the Wonderful Company. Afterwards, he started freelance writing (PR and marketing pieces like case studies, blog posts, web content) while exploring nonprofit opportunities. He completed a year of AmeriCorps VISTA service at an educational nonprofit and then did program management at another nonprofit organization while continuing to freelance.
Ethan eventually started working for a privacy and security client while also writing a lot of user-facing web content for one of his full-time jobs. This experience helped him decide to return to graduate school to get a master's in professional writing at Carnegie Mellon University. He is in his second semester of the program and focusing on user experience (UX) writing. After he graduates, he plans to work in UX writing full-time.
How has your professional writing minor benefited you?
My minor has played a bigger role in my education and career than anything else I did at UC Davis. It got me my first writing internship at a strategic communications firm in Sacramento. It helped me get my first writing job at the Wonderful Company. It gave me a strong foundation of writing skills to stand above other candidates for jobs. It also made me a better communicator, which has value for any position.
Why were you interested in pursuing the professional writing minor?
I couldn't identify a major at UC Davis that aligned with my interests. I was interested in becoming a better writer, and the professional writing minor offered the focused writing instruction that I wanted. I explain my educational background as my major providing my world view and my minor providing the skills.
What advice do you have for current UC Davis students considering or currently completing the minor?
Do it. No matter your major or career goals, you will benefit from the professional writing minor. Every field benefits from skilled writers. It is a way to distinguish yourself and open up new paths for applying your interests.