During
one of my recent residency presentations on the topic of Writing at the
Doctoral Level, one student raised her hand and asked, “What are we writing
for?” This short but powerful question took me by surprise, and I have been
thinking about all of the possible answers to this question ever since.
Walden students write in order to earn a higher degree, they write in the hopes of social change, and they write to gain and refine their communication skills. And these few answers don’t even scrape the surface! However, I when I initially thought about the “What are we writing for?” question, my answers were all based on prospective gains, as if students could only write as a way to make a difference or gain something in the future. This got me thinking: What are we waiting for? Since many Walden students already have careers, why can’t they begin to apply the writing process skills they gain while earning their higher degrees in the workplace right away? Below are just a few ways you can begin to use (or perhaps are already using) your writing process knowledge in the workplace.
Walden students write in order to earn a higher degree, they write in the hopes of social change, and they write to gain and refine their communication skills. And these few answers don’t even scrape the surface! However, I when I initially thought about the “What are we writing for?” question, my answers were all based on prospective gains, as if students could only write as a way to make a difference or gain something in the future. This got me thinking: What are we waiting for? Since many Walden students already have careers, why can’t they begin to apply the writing process skills they gain while earning their higher degrees in the workplace right away? Below are just a few ways you can begin to use (or perhaps are already using) your writing process knowledge in the workplace.
APA Format and Style
Learning
APA format can be difficult, especially if you are more familiar with a
different academic writing format when you begin your program. This begin said,
the skills you gain while learning APA style are skills that can easily transfer into
your place of work. As many of you are very aware of at this point, APA
requires a high attention to detail. Italics, commas, periods, and spacing are
just a few of the little things you have to pay close attention to in order to
adhere to APA rules. Whether you use a template, Walden Writing Center resources, or the APA handbook to help you make sure you’re formatting your
papers and citations correctly, all the while you are strengthening your ability to
pay attention to detail, which is a skill many employers seek. You’re probably
already using these skills at work and just didn’t realize you’re refining them
every time you format a paper for one of your classes.
Critical Reading
Reading,
in some fashion, is likely to be a part of most jobs. And reading at work isn’t
limited to reading company documents; many of you probably read e-mails on a
daily basis. When you critically read a text, you intentionally try to decipher
the writer’s purpose. Doing so allows you to respond accurately. And like the
attention-to-detail skills you gain when you learn APA, you likely are unaware
that you’re putting your critical reading skills to use on a daily basis. For
those larger work documents, try to read them as you would a source for a
paper; highlight and underline key words and phrases and take notes as a way to
help you retain information and understand the writer’s main point and purpose.
Time Management
Writing
a paper for a class requires one to manage time in a way that results in a
quality text delivered in a timely manner. Many of you probably already do this
at work. There are countless ways to manage one’s time in order to complete a
project by a certain deadline, and it’s these organizational and time
management skills that you are building every time you participate in the
writing process from start to finish. Think about how you organize your own
writing process, and try applying some of those time management strategies to
projects you need to complete at work.
While
the answer to the question “What are we writing for?” is ultimately determined
by each individual student, the answer to the question “What are we waiting
for?” should be simple: nothing! Don’t wait to apply the academic writing
skills you are gaining and refining in your classes to your everyday work in
your career. You’re writing to succeed right now and in the future.
As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments below!
As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments below!
Ellen Zamarripa is a writing instructor in the Walden Writing Center. She enjoys helping students from around the world develop their writing skills and reach their educational goals.
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Very useful! thanks!
ReplyDeleteRiding pleasure big part in my life I use writing in my personal life working at school in school I'm always riding whether it is discussion boards, essays or research papers I have a lot of classes that requires writing all the writing that I do and school is helping and preparing me for my career job at work I do a lot of writing because I have to do a lot of charting after work, and the writing then I learned from school I can use when I'm charting such as writing complete sentences and grammar. My writing skills have helped me a lot in my personal life and at work.
ReplyDeleteWe are so glad to hear that this blog post was useful for you, Tiffany!! Thank you for your comment. It's amazing how writing plays such a big part in our daily lives. We, like you, use our writing skills at work every day, so it's important that we are always improving. Please let us know if you'd like to see a blog post on a specific topic/feature! Thank you again for your comment.
DeleteReading about Walden students of what they are writing for, I do believe that many other students are the same. There are many reasons to what we write for. We write for purposes of getting a higher grade, for a degree, and to help us improve academically. Writing in the professional field, helps introduce us to a company of who we are and having the support of a letter of recommendation to help us get into what we want to work for. Not only does writing help us academically and professionally, we use it in our daily lives as well. Many people typically write a journal, a diary, a record of their life to remember for or to just do it out of comfort. But as a personal reason, I write as a communication. Writing has help me in life throughout my years of school. I write for myself, for my teachers, for my upper management, and for any other purposes to what I am writing about.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this thoughtful reflection, Yeng! It's amazing how much writing is woven into our lives these days, isn't it?
DeleteFor me, writing plays a huge role in my personal life. I use it as a means to escape, to channel my frustrations, and to put myself in another world at times. It helps me get control of my emotions and calms me in a sense. For me, writing is my therapy.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, I was going through some pretty bad issues physically and emotionally. I felt like I really wanted to be anywhere except where I was at the time. I remembered my mom always had a notebook and a pen, and she was always writing something down, whether is was a poem, a recipe, or just her feelings. I was always curious as to why she felt the need to write so much. The last time I had an anxiety attack, I had a revelation. That may have been her way of coping with some of her situations. From there, I decided that I would write. I write no matter what I'm feeling. I write my dreams, my plans and my goals. Whenever I am having a rough day, I write how I feel. There is no format, no rough draft and no organization. That's the beauty of it.
So far, I have managed to fill up 4 journals. The strangest thing is, I never go back and read what I wrote. Part of me doesn't want to go back and read because I would have to relive those emotions, and I want to leave those feelings on the paper I wrote them on. I'm going to continue to write, because there is no judgement, no limit, and no expectations when I'm writing for myself.
Thank you so much for sharing, Jacquelyn! We're so glad that you have found an outlet in writing. Even if you never read what you've written, it sounds like it's making a big difference for you.
ReplyDeleteI have always looked at writing to be a way to express my deepest thoughts and emotions. Growing up as a child I remember having a journal and would write about things like what I learned in school that day or how I was feeling. As I got older I started to realize that things seemed so much easier to deal with once to write them down. Writing actually helps you gather your deepest thoughts so that if you feel like verbally expressing them it comes out so much easier and smoothly. I personally have a hard time with expressing my thoughts aloud they never come out correctly and I never get my point across.
ReplyDeleteMy writing comes easy most of the time when I am dealing with heartbreak or pain. I remember my first writing assignment in middle school, where we had to express our feelings in writing this was during the time I lost my grandfather and did not understand things. At that time i was thinking why my grandfather he was such as a good man what did he do wrong I later understand his cause of death was cancer. I believe my writing is what makes me such a humble person writing your thoughts down gives you a breathe of fresh air it also make things so much more clear.
Thank you so much for this beautiful and vulnerable comment, Shaquonda. We're so glad that you find such comfort in writing. Thank you for reading!
DeleteI found this article very common tips when it comes to writing but it also was very helpful because honestly what are we writing for most the time even when it comes to classes in school. Yeah its your assignment to write for a certain reason and for a certain topic but what’s the point after it, the outcome of the assignment is to give you a reason to continue to write express your feelings, manage your time even if you don’t go back and read it or ever look at it again. Writing down your thoughts helps a lot in life you will be surprised of the outcomes a year later if you continue to write here and there like i do every other day. writing is also a stress reliever for me and i love it, its my own happy place at the end of every day. Thank you for proving to students that writing has a point never doubt yourself saying why am i writing theirs no point in it or to it. You gave good tips and proved most students question to themselves before writing wrong that writing has a strong point and a very positive outcome after even sitting down and writing for a minute you can write a daily journal, just write a story, book, shopping list, letter to a friend co worker or your boss for all we care but after your done writing you will realize a difference in yourself and writing helps especially if your shy! Get your words out speak up! Be heard!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this encouraging comment!
DeleteWriting overall plays a major part in all aspects in my life. Academically is one of the top areas in my life I do take seriously, I want to if not master but at least come close in writing a correct essay paper, formatting my APA stayle and notating my references which I have had difficulty learning, writing helps me to take down notes,practice my craft to become better and to get in gear for me when trying to reach my dream career. Professonally writing will help me use those tools I have learn academically and apply it when I am say filling out an application or making my resume. During my professional career I will have to confidence and sureness to use my abilities to send out emails, write letters or create a full presentation in front of a board. Personally writing helps me to vent and express how I am feeling at the moment, I can be myself, free and not care in the word because my voice is being heard or written as I want it to be written, through a text, a blog, facebook, instagram and twitter, maybe even to the president or one of my celebrity admirers that I look up to, maybe those celebrities or influencers that I do not agree with how they handle a certain situation, personal writing is my favorite because I can be me.
DeleteThis is so lovely, Lavonya! We appreciate how you describe the different processes and benefits of the writing that you do for different purposes and in different parts of your life.
DeleteSince you mention wanting to master academic writing, we wanted to mention our paper review service: https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/paperreviews If you're a Walden student, we would love to help you along your academic writing journey!
I found many interesting points in your wonderful article, that really help me in writing. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Jesse!
DeleteI am writing for myself; I am writing to expand my academic writing and my everyday writing. I bear in mind being around some of my buddies, and they would be speaking about logos, ethos, and pathos and as I listen, I felt like they were talking in code or another language. My knowledge of it used to be cloudy. I couldn't survive that feeling and wanted to improve it. So enrolling in a university and enhancing my understanding was the best option for me. Within a university, I knew that I would have to write, write, and further writing, I chose to further my education in the process and came to a realization that I love to write. It is additionally a satisfying way for me to express myself. It has made me see just exactly what I am writing for, and that's myself.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing!
DeleteAwesome thoughts, I got unlimited information.
ReplyDeleteGlad to read this, Alex. How do you use writing in your professional life?
ReplyDelete