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My Take On Professional Writing


To me, professional writing is a set of reading, writing, analytical, and 21st century skills paired with an attitude of adaptability that make a person adept at communicating in the work place and producing content. For me, professional writing is a set of added skills to my future teaching career. It is also versatility to my degree so that I can switch into another field if I don't want to teach my entire career. It is an undergraduate degree with a variety of graduate degrees available for the stacking. Professional writing brings opportunity to me by providing flexibility in my academic and professional career.

After taking 306 and starting off this semester in 515, I have added the ideas of advocacy and user experience to what professional writing means to me. Professional writers can advocate for the business they work for, their clientele, or both. Professional writers have the ability to communicate and should use that ability to speak on behalf of those who need their voice heard. Continuing in the theme of advocacy leads to the understanding and bringing about of user design. Professional writers should have the skill of taking on the perspective of the user and creating their works and designs to benefit the users’ experience with their work. This is also a form of advocacy.

My current academic plan involves two majors in the English department–professional writing and English education. I am also getting a minor in American studies because I am required to have a minor outside of the English department. The American studies minor has requirements that overlap with many of the other courses that I am taking. I need to meet with my advisor and check to make sure I can graduate at a reasonable time, but that is the plan. My plan for life after graduation is only figured out for the next 8 years, provided that I can stick to the plan. As we all know, plans are up in the air in 2020 and beyond…at least for now.

In the next few years, I plan to teach. I have a teaching scholarship that requires me to teach in Indiana for 5 years. I plan to teach English somewhere in the Indianapolis area. My dream is to teach junior English, which has many elements of American history. I think that the professional writing background will help me teach advocacy to students learning about literature's place in American history and culture. I will be able to help them interact with the content and find their voice in society rather than conditioning them to be passive learners of content. I also think that my background will help me prepare students with skills and writing assignments that are more likely to benefit them in the working world. At some point, whether before or after those 5 years, I plan to go to grad school. I can't remember when I started thinking about it, but I really want to go! I've toyed with the idea of going to law school, but if not, then I will get my master’s degree. I am not yet sure what to get a graduate degree in.

My interests and obsessions right now keep me busy, and I hope that I find ways to interact with them more! I want to continue being a nerd about music, recycling, searching for motives in society and business, leadership, Purdue Cooperatives, youths, Taylor Swift, scent psychology, sharks, books, writing, and acting. Those are the miniature obsessions that fill my days. No matter where my future takes me, whether it be one of the more concrete plans that I discussed earlier in the blog post or one of the obscure subjects I just mentioned, Purdue professional writing is setting me up for success. It’s more than writing; it’s a skill set.


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