Make no mistake, print is far from dead.
BUT
a lot of communicating (what we used to call “writing”) now takes place online, on platforms and in media that are continuously changing. The savvy English or creative-writing graduate is answering ads for social media management or search engine optimization, job categories that barely existed 10 years ago; and the job those majors will do five years from now probably don’t yet have names.
You should get to know this world and the purposes for which it needs you.
Pygmalion TECH offers some excellent opportunities to do just that this weekend. You can find the full line-up on their schedule (and of course, you should check out the excellent MUSIC and LIT offerings we well)!
Some TECH highlights to note:
- The “Internet of Things” is…a thing. Find out what it means at this session.
- Interested in the conflict between editorial control and advertising in media? Hear from the guy who gave up his executive editor position at Gawker.com rather than let advertisers call the shots.
- The future of immersive tech, whatever it may be, will require words.
- Michael Solana, an English major (not from here) who got his professional footing in print publishing, will be speaking on Money and Entrepreneurial Influence in the Midwest. Solana works for Founders Fund, where he “focuses on the intersection of creative programming and the firm’s network of entrepreneurs, technologists, and professionals.”
- See the creative side of tech at the Thursday TECH Crawl in downtown Urbana, 4pm – 6pm.
Not convinced anyone wants you there? The Pygmalion TECH festival pass is FREE to students with ID.