Felicity Boughton
Current Employer/Organisation Name
Oxford University Press
What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?
Immediately after leaving Exeter I did a two month internship at Oxford University Press, working for their Editorial team in the Higher Education department. I was fortunate to be given a Commissioning Assistant role in the same department shortly after. I have since been promoted a few times, taking us to the present day, where I am now the Commissioning Editor for some social science subjects.
Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?
Publishing and editorial work seemed to appeal to my strengths. I enjoyed writing and casting a critical eye over my own work. The internship was a real breakthrough for me. The aims of the department seemed like a good for for me.
Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?
I had a show on Xpression fm. I was also a member of the Classics Society.
What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?
Everything! The teaching team were great and the majority of the modules were excellent. I have extremely fond memories of the Classics department and my time at Exeter in general.
What did you enjoy most about studying here?
I made friends for life – I feel like I found ‘my people’ and came into my own. And my course was genuinely interesting!
Why did you choose to study at Exeter?
I liked the campus and the description of previous modules.
What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?
The writing and independent research skills, but also developing more social confidence. I was very shy and Exeter helped me to come out of my shell and feel confident in unfamiliar situations.
What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?
Do your research about the markets that publishers operate in. There are so many publishing companies up and down the countries and all have their own aims and values. It is not enough to simply love books. You need to understand the needs of the market as well as those of existing and prospective authors.
