Vaughan Matthews

Antioch College
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00:00:45 - Why Major in English?

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Partial Transcript: "I came into Denison liking English. I'd enjoyed it a lot in high school. I had done AP or Honors English or whatever they called it back then. So I was involved in all that kind of stuff."

Segment Synopsis: Vaughan started out as a chemistry major but wasn’t succeeding in Chemistry so he switched to an English major because he excelled in writing. He always liked English but wasn’t interested in a particular track of study.

Keywords: AP English; Advisor; Chemistry; Chemistry Major; English; English Major; Honors; Honors English; Inorganic Chemistry; Literature; Organic Chemistry; Schedule; Writing

Subjects: Chemistry; Chemistry Major; Denison University; English; English Major

00:02:46 - College Experiences

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Partial Transcript: "Most of the memorable experiences really were with the professors. They were a great group of professors at the time."

Segment Synopsis: Vaughan reviews his most memorable class at Denison. He found the professors at Denison to be a crucial part of his experience that strengthened him as a writer.

Keywords: Class; Denison University; Dominick Consolo; Herman Melville; Moby Dick; Paul Bennet; Professor; The American Novel; Writing

Subjects: Denison University; Professors; The American Novel; Writing

00:04:02 - After Graduation

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Partial Transcript: "I went to Denison and my parents money didn't have a lot of money back then."

Segment Synopsis: After college Vaughan was not sure about his career path and hoped to take the summer off. However, he needed money and so he got a job hanging computer tapes. He then got jobs that combined his technical skills and his writing skills.

Keywords: Class of 1973; Computer Tapes; Computers; Documents; Economic Class; Graduation; Information Technology Department; Jobs; Money; Networking; Secluded; Summer off; Technical Information; Writing

Subjects: Career; Computers; Goals; Jobs; Networking; Technical Information; Writing

00:07:21 - Trajectory of Career

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Partial Transcript: "There was no real career path..."

Segment Synopsis: There was no clear career path for Vaughan. After being at his job for five years he worked to get his MBA at Case Western. He worked in various different positions in the developing technical world including: PC Support, Electronic Mail, and Executive Support. During his time in all these positions he was always tasked with the writing portions of the job.

Keywords: Case Western University; Denison University; Disaster Recovery Plans; Electronic Mail; Executive Support; Finance; MBA; Main Frames; Manager; Master of Business Administration; Personal Computers; Planning; Programming; Support Team; Writing

Subjects: Case Western University; Denison University; Electronic Mail; Executive Support; Finance; MBA; Manager; Master of Business Administration; Personal Computers; Support Team; Writing

00:13:24 - English Degree in Career and Graduate School

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Partial Transcript: "The thing that I learned, you know, when I was working and beyond is that people don't like to write. A lot of people don't like to write. Particularly a the technical department like IT. There were so few people that would write. That's really why I got to do a lot of the things I did."

Segment Synopsis: Vaughan talks about how his degree in English came into play during his career and his time in graduate school. He found his ability to write well was crucial in every aspect of his life.

Keywords: Editing; Graduate School; Harvard; Liberal Arts; Liberal Arts Major; Papers; Professors; Programming; Rewriting; Work; Writing

Subjects: Editing; Graduate School; Liberal Arts; Liberal Arts Major; Papers; Professors; Programming; Rewriting; Writing

00:16:34 - Extra Curricular Activities at Denison

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Partial Transcript: "I never interviewed for a job in my life. I never had a resume in my life."

Segment Synopsis: Vaughan was not involved in many activities on campus. He spent a large amount of his time at Denison socializing. He did not have much of a plan for his future and therefore did not spend a great deal of time preparing for interviews or creating resumes.
What kinds of extracurricular at Denison.

Keywords: Extra Curricular Activities; Interviews; Jobs; Planning; Retirement; Socializing; Work

Subjects: Extra Curricular Activities; Interviews; Jobs; Planning; Socializing

00:17:48 - Valuable Skills in Professional World

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Partial Transcript: "I honestly think it's how hard you work."

Segment Synopsis: Vaughan talks about the beginning of his career. He found that in the professional world people value your work ethic and what that produces. He emphasizes that after extreme downsizing at his company he was one of five or six people left in his department.

Keywords: Connections; Downsizing; IT Department; Networking; Opportunities; Personal Circumstance; Satellite Location; Work ethic

Subjects: Connections; IT Department; Networking; Opportunities; Work ethic

00:20:18 - Impact of English Major on Life Today

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Partial Transcript: "It's more a matter of the ability to write, I think. But it's also the kind of education you get at Denison. Whether it's as an English major, a History major, or whatever. You learn how to be analytical. You learn how to think about how you do things and how people do things."

Segment Synopsis: Vaughan finds that his degree in English impacts every aspect of his life. It had a large aspect on his career but still impacts his life in retirement. He utilizes the critical thinking and writing skills in a variety of activities from volunteer work to editing his college-aged son’s papers.

Keywords: Administration; Alternative Methods; Analytical Thinking; Coach; Critical Thinking; Critical Thinking Skills; Documentation; Editing; English Major; Herman Melville; Manual; Moby Dick; Planning; Professors; Resources; School Newspaper; Soccer; Technical Writing; Travel Team; Volunteering; Writing; Writing Centers

Subjects: Administration; Analytical Thinking; Critical Thinking; Critical Thinking Skills; Documentation; Editing; English Major; Planning; Resources; Volunteering; Writing

00:26:03 - Definition of Literature

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Partial Transcript: "It's something that's written. So even if it's one of my crappy disaster plans, that's literature in a sense. I mean, it's not a novel and it's not book of poetry or that kind of stuff or an essay in a paper or newspaper."

Segment Synopsis: Vaughan defines literature as something that is written, no matter the form. He discusses some of his favorite authors and books as well as his reading habits.

Keywords: A Tale of Two Cities; Articles; Authors; Big Rock Candy Mountain; Books; Charles Dickens; David Copperfield; Denison University; Essay; Great Expectations; Herman Melville; Ivan Doig; Kurt Vonnegut; Literature; Management; Newspaper; Non-profit; Novel; Outdoor Activities; Poetry; Prose; Vacation; Wallace Stegner

Subjects: Authors; Books; Denison University; Literature; Novel; Poetry; Prose; Writing

00:29:39 - Advice to English Majors

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Partial Transcript: "Make sure you spend a lot of time writing. Get good at writing whatever you want to write about. Fiction is good."

Segment Synopsis: Vaughan advises English majors to develop their writing skills and foster creative thinking. He addresses the value of a liberal arts education and the critical and analytical thinking skills that come out of that.

Keywords: Advice; Business; Creativity; English; English Major; Facebook; Fiction; Liberal Arts Education; Paper; Short Writing; Social Media; Technical Writing; Texting; Twitter; Writing

Subjects: Advice; Business; Creativity; Denison University; English; English Major; Liberal Arts Education; Technical Writing; Writing