Curious to know what different people do all day at their 9-5? We’re investigating job titles and diving deeper into day-to-day tasks to get the low-down on exactly what those roles really entail. Not sure how much to ask for your raise? Wondering what a VP in finance does in the afternoon? We’re uncovering the details behind jobs, along with the salaries and tasks that come with them, to help you figure out what you’re interested in. Below, read about how a woman working in academic publishing spends her day.
Age: 24
City: New York, NY
Industry: Academic Publishing
Job Title: Translations Rights Assistant
Years of Experience: 3
Salary: $35,700
What does your job title mean?
I am the assistant to the Director of International Rights, which is basically foreign rights. Foreign publishers purchase rights to translate our “products” (books/content). It’s very data-entry and organization heavy. What’s cool is my boss knows I have a background in marketing and event planning, so two of my main responsibilities revolve around sending marketing emails for books we’re excited about and planning an event that takes place at both the London and Frankfurt Book Fairs each year.
What is your morning routine?
I wake up at 5:40am if I go to NYSC, otherwise 6am, but I snooze until 6:40am or 7am.
At 9am I am…
Checking my email or in a weekly Translations Team Meeting (which involves colleagues who are based in New Jersey, Switzerland, and the U.K.) and 100% sipping the free coffee from work. I limit my Starbucks intake to 2 or 3 times a week and with my commute, it’s always gone before I walk into work.
At 11am I am…
Creating reports for my team, grabbing PDFs for customers interested in translation, or organizing myself and my progress on whatever project I’m working on.
What does lunch normally look like for you?
I usually make a salad at home and bring it to work. 25% of the time I ditch my salad and grab a more tasty lunch in the downstairs cafeteria. What’s important to me: leafy greens, protein (chicken or salad), lots of yummy veggies, and light dressing. I also love coconut water or occasionally a Diet Coke.
At 1pm I am…
Tackling my to-do list. I lay out my goals each day at the end of each previous workday. As I make my way through my list, sometimes I give myself a “break” by going through my “check back” folders on Outlook just to make sure I’m not completely forgetting something. Usually at 1pm, I am getting back from lunch and back into my next task to tackle… Depending on the day, it may be tracking down books I ordered from the warehouse, bugging editors for PDFs, checking if we own rights for translation or images, or responding to emails.
At 3pm I am… 
Doing anything I want/need/MUST (to) get done before I leave at 4:30pm.
At 5pm I am… 
On the PATH or 1,2,3 home to Morningside Heights.
When does a workday end for you? 
If I don’t work out in the morning, then I work out in the evening. Usually it’s a workout class at NYSC, but I also enjoy running in Riverside Park. Occasionally, I’ll meet up with friends for a Happy Hour or babysit for a family I started babysitting for when I first moved to NYC last October (2017). Being an assistant in the publishing industry means a pretty low salary, but we take it in order to do what we love, right?
What do you do after work?
Usually never more work. If I have something I must do by a certain day or time, I will take my work laptop home, but I have only done this 2 or 3 times in my entire 7 months of having the job I have now. I like to work out, read, cook food for that night or the next day, and catch up with my roommates or other friends that I don’t live with. If I’m feeling adventurous I might say yes to a date during the week, but I’m usually more of a grandma and cherish my early bedtime :p
What do you do before bed?
I go to bed at 10pm. Before that, I shower, do my skincare routine (Clarins toner, Glossier Solution, night moisturizer, eye creme), comb my wet hair, put it in a braid, read if I’m feeling up to it, and PTFO.
Is there anything about your job you’d like people to know?
Sometimes there’s not a lot going on and sometimes it seems sort of cut-throat. People are competitive and it seems like everyone is always out to show they know more than the next person. Maybe we all know a little something, but not much more than the person next to us… Regardless, publishing is unique, special, and pretty cool.
 
 
 
Want to submit your day-to-day job duties? Fill out the “What She Does” anonymous form here.