Life After Grad School: Danni Yetman

Danni Yetman graduated from Memorial's English Graduate program in 2009 and has been engaged in a series of (mis)adventures ever since. She currently works as a Federalis in Ottawa. On less enjoyable days, she imagines herself as Walter White (the character, not the activist).

As much as I enjoyed completing my Master's (and that's a lot), I was excited for the freedom I associated with a steady, professional schedule--working days, evenings to lounge with a glass of wine, enjoying whatever literary pursuits I fancied...

That was a lovely dream I had.

Since graduating from MUN, I've been fortunate to work as a program coordinator in the non-profit sector, and now with the federal public service where the running joke is:

"Hi Danni, staying out of trouble?"
"No."
"Good girl."

Between meetings, writing, and learning photoshop, my evenings revolve less around literature and vino as getting ahead for the next day when something urgent is almost guaranteed to arise. It's a surprising transition from professional student to just professional. Learning to create a work-life balance is not something you're likely to learn in graduate school, so perhaps I might ask my wonderful former professors to shoulder some of the blame for that quality/fault (which I heap upon you all with the utmost gratitude). But the endurance you will develop will serve you well in most any sphere. Since moving to Ottawa, I've had great motivation to create a bit more balance in the interest of life: new restaurants to try, galleries to explore, and, of course, trouble to find. With all of that, where does one find the time for words?

The great thing about literature: it is the most loyal friend, and will welcome you no matter how long it has been since you've passed an evening together. Books continue to offer refuge, whether after an awful day where everything I touched turned to shit, or a great and exhausting one where I can't remember if I took a pee break, let alone ate. The worlds and words of Edeet Ravel, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Zadie Smith are always ready and waiting to provide comfort, or if I'm lucky, a bit of discomfort.

Personally, I've been a sucker for novels and autobiography. But recently, on the recommendation of a wise and wonderful friend, I decided to read a bit of non-fiction. Elizabeth Abbott's A History of Marriage explores, as you probably gathered, the origins of marriage and the role of women in the household and society. Expertly woven with an interplay of personal histories, historical accounts, and literary illustrations, A History of Marriage provides a context to analyze the role of women in society that you already know, have probably even discussed at length, but her use of language and (clearly) extraordinary research ability turns a known story into a compelling read.