John D.C. Miles
Creative Advisor / Lyricist, Self-Employed
Class Year
2000
Professional Background
Finance; MBA; Advisor
How has being an English graduate from Duke University helped shape your professional success?
It enabled me to get my first job in finance, as a summer intern in 1999. I told the interviewers that I could revise their cover letters and could write but knew little about finance. In terms of analyzing businesses and product ideas, for example, much of the branding or marketing language is full of verbose fluff that often leaves me asking an entrepreneur, "What exactly are you building and why?" Having had the English major experience, I can quickly help others get to more clarity when discussing their lives, startup ideas, or growing businesses. Now, as I focus more on lyrics and working with composers, producers, and songwriters, I marry writing, short-form storytelling, and getting to the essence of an emotion or picture.
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