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Mr. Jim Marshall (BA 1985)

Jim Marshall     When deciding which university to attend, Jim Marshall (BA 1985) found the idea of being an English co-op student appealing. He had always held an interest in the study of English literature, with some of his favourite hobbies including reading and writing.

     Jim recalls Paul Beam and Warren Ober as his top two favourite English professors during his time here at UW. He remembers that although they had very different teaching styles, “each was an outstanding professor in his own right.” Dr. Beam was incredibly practical and Jim left UW able to apply much of what he had learned in class to everyday writing tasks his career as a technical writer and consultant call on him to perform. Jim recalls Dr. Ober as being incredibly passionate about literature; he was so passionate, in fact, that Jim says “it couldn't help but rub off on you.” He also saw Dr. Ober as an “incredible gentleman” in general.

     Jim held his most memorable co-op position at the Molson’s Head Office. He recalls it as a very social working environment during that time. Jim also valued the co-op program at UW because it allowed him to experiment within the world of work without making long-term commitments to any single organization. As he says, it gave him an idea of “what the real working world was going to be like” as well as an understanding of what types of jobs he “didn’t want to have to do.” Jim believes he would not have achieved his level of success today were it not for the co-op program. But just as he appreciates the practical writing skills that his UW English degree helped him develop, he is also grateful for the exposure to different kinds of literature that he received here, and while he chose a career in professional communications, he hopes one day to devote more time to his own creative writing.

     After graduating from UW, Jim worked at IBM as a technical writer and later moved to a marketing position as a systems manager. Since 1990, he has lived in Vancouver, and since 1996 he has worked as an independent management consultant specializing in project management.

      Asked whether or not he had taken part in any drama productions at UW, he says, “I don't think time spent in the Bombshelter counts, although it could often get dramatic and there were many productions.”