Professionals Have Standards

Student working on a computer, courtesy of UAB Image Gallery

By: Evan Harris

How to write and how not to write—those are the questions. When a person writes they need to do so with purpose and with a focus on how they want their message to be received.

In Fall of 2019, I am taking EH 340 Developing Digital Documents and EH 301 Read/Write/Research for English. Both of these classes have helped my writing style become more professional and focus-orientated.

Know your audience

When a person writes a professional document, one of the first things they have to consider is their audience. Whether you’re emailing a professor, writing a term paper or drafting an article for a publication, you should always know who your audience is and edit your content accordingly.

Font choice is another valuable consideration, as well as page design and format. This type of thinking is something I have learned in Dr. Bacha’s EH 340 class. I would seriously recommend this class to anyone. Developing Digital Documents nudges you to become creative and design publications in a way that both invites and holds the reader’s attention.

Know your focus

You should always know why you are writing. Professionals write to instruct, inform or persuade. These purposes will help guide the reader’s interpretation.

When you write, you should never assume your reader already knows what you’re taking about. You are the expert and must convey information to your audience, so emphasize your message. Your writing should have clarity; the reader must be able to understand what the document is about in the first thirty seconds.

Writing professionally is a skill everyone should acquire. You might be selected for an interview just because you chose the perfect font to make you stand out. If you you would like to improve your writing, I would definitely recommend the classes I listed above.

It’s Free. It’s Adobe Creative Cloud.

Students working on computers, courtesy of UAB Image Gallery

By: Summer Guffey

Want to sharpen your digital literacy? Well now you can!

Adobe Creative Cloud is available to all UAB students and faculty members. The university’s agreement with Adobe allows students and faculty to create documents and edit photos for business and academic purposes. Students can hone their visual, audio, animation and organization skills digitally in the classroom. UAB believes that the teaching of digital literacy will propel students into the job market with advantages over their competitors.

Students have access to the cloud which includes a myriad of programs that can be used for design storage and photography files. Programs in the student design are:

  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • Acrobat DC
  • After Effects
  • Premiere Pro
  • Dreamweaver
  • And many more!

Every student is eligible for a free Adobe Acrobat Pro license. Adobe Acrobat is accessible through your Creative Cloud license as well.

Acquiring Your Creative Cloud

Students can access Adobe Creative Cloud in five simple steps. However, if there are any issues that you run into, it is best to contact UAB’s IT department. The instructions are to be carried out as followed:

  1. Visit adobe.com, then click “sign in” in the upper left-hand corner.
  2. Click “sign in with an Enterprise ID.”
  3. Enter your BlazerID (the email including @uab.edu) and password. This will redirect you to UAB’s single sign-on page where you can log in with your BlazerID and DUO 2-factor authentication.

You will then be directed to your cloud where you can install the programs you want to use onto your laptop.

Utilizing Adobe: Tips

The difference between Acrobat Pro and Creative Cloud is important for successfully utilizing each program for your desired purpose. Acrobat Pro allows you to create and edit PDFs; this includes the addition of interactivity for PDFs. When it comes to saving documents, Adobe Acrobat is used in accordance to other offered cloud storage, such as the methods of UAB One Drive.

In contrast, Creative Cloud provides a collection of the various programs offered in design, publishing, video and image applications. You can store your designs and various photograph styles in your Creative Cloud.

For those in need of publishing applications, InDesign is useful for such projects. With this software, you can create brochures, zines, books and flyers. Graphic designers, publishers, artists and marketers all use InDesign to format their digital documents. This will be useful in professional careers that require you to develop layouts. In the professional market, InDesign is commonly used in conjunction with Photoshop and Illustrator.

Photoshop is ideal for editing photos, but can also be used to sharpen your graphic art. You can retouch your photography, combine and organize images and isolate undesired objects. Illustrator helps you create two-dimensional objects and images, such as logos, which are pertinent to most professional businesses.

The Illustrator application is also used to create vector-based designs such as your own graphics, comics and fonts. Developing the ability to work through the Adobe software will provide you with a desired set of skills which employers are looking for in the workplace.

Professional Writing as a Major for Pre-Health Students

University Hall, courtesy of UAB Image Gallery

By: Wyatt

If you’re like me, you came to undergraduate school wanting to be a doctor of some sort, whether that’s as a dentist, optometrist, surgeon or physician. If you’re even more like me, you grew frustrated when your initial advisers wouldn’t tell you what the best major is in relation to that goal. As a senior who’s gone through the application process for optometry school, I can finally confirm that there is no right answer for this conundrum, but Professional Writing has worked well for me.

Something other than Biology?

Like many other pre-health students, I initially opted for a Biology major due to the crossover with my prerequisites and because I found the Discovery Channel fascinating as a kid (and still do). As you have probably learned by now, it’s nothing like the latter. As for the former, the crossover was a little bit too convenient. If I continued as a Biology major, I would have ended up in a position with enough empty credit slots to decide between tacking on a minor or branching out with my major.

In talking with the admissions committees of various optometry schools, I’ve learned that they have, frankly, gotten used to the endless tide of Biology majors applying each cycle. For you, this directly translates into more competition and an even greater need to stick out amongst the crowd. While there’s nothing at all wrong with the Biology major (and here at UAB, it has an excellent reputation), being able to make your folder stand out on the admissions table is the first step to being considered.

You’ve probably heard a lot about being “well-rounded,” and it’s more than a platitude. Everyone who applies to a health school will have finished the same prerequisites, but if you have an entirely separate field of experience from the rest, that’s a significant step toward differentiating yourself from the crowd. In many ways, acceptance to a health school is like getting hired for a job.

What are your options?

Put bluntly, there are many science prerequisites (enough for a chemistry minor by default in optometry), and the Core Requirements at UAB also demand dabbling in a plethora of fields. Ideally, this would translate into finding something that interests you, but it takes an early investment of time to manage your science prerequisites. It’s also difficult to squeeze in those Core Requirements right off the bat.

With that in mind, some research and introspection would be in order. The UAB Course Catalog is a great way to learn about the requirements of a field you’re curious about. The first thing to consider should be the number of credit hours required for the major you’re interested in. The smallest majors I’ve heard of at UAB are English, Philosophy, and History: all weighing in at 42 or fewer credit hours.

Chemistry is slightly less common than Biology, but not particularly unique when it comes to health school applications. Neuroscience might be the third most popular, based on talking to fellow applicants. Any major can be a viable path, of course—they simply might not all be particularly distinctive ones.

Why Professional Writing?

To quickly summarize the English major, a student can have one of four Concentrations:

  • Professional Writing
  • Literature
  • Creative Writing
  • Linguistics

Each influences the types of English classes you’ll take, though the major’s elective requirements translate into significant potential for exploring the other concentrations, depending on your interests. I wanted something I could, at some point, use—and whether it’s technical writing for referrals or professional communication for the business side of a practice, Professional Writing prepares its students. Mastering minutiae like the basics of usable document design or even composing a resumé are necessities you’ll have to learn eventually.

Fundamentally, I enjoyed English and I liked the prospect of including it in my coursework as an alternative to something like Inorganic Chemistry. The fact that it is directly relevant to my goals was the thing that led me to English rather than, say, Philosophy—which was also a compelling option at the time.

When and how to decide?

Earlier, I talked about the smaller size of the English major in relation to most others. This is crucial, as it means you have more flexibility in deciding. If you’re interested in Professional Writing, the introductory course is a non-committal way of testing the waters. I didn’t switch until right before my Junior year, so there’s still hope for those of you a bit farther down your path.

As with everything mentioned in this article, you are the one planning your path and should take the time to consider all aspects of this decision: your time, preferences, requirements and goals.

From Student to Professional: Words of Wisdom from Alumnus Hunter Freeman

Hunter Freeman, Program Coordinator at the UAB Women and Infants Center

By: Skylar Summers

During their time at UAB, many students will wonder what their degree could offer them after graduation. Though every program at UAB provides an array of marketable skillsets, I had the opportunity to hear from Hunter Freeman, a former Professional Writing student who is thriving in his new career as a Program Coordinator at the UAB Women and Infants Center.

Freeman emphasized that his connections at UAB were helpful in his hiring process. Dr. Wells, director of the University Writing Center and a Professional Writing and first year composition professor, emailed him about the position. Freeman added that although university connections might not launch one into their main career, they are especially valuable right after graduation, and can alleviate many concerns current students may have.

I also inquired about his experience at UAB, specifically as a Professional Writing major. He told me that course work is very important, elaborating that everything he did in Dr. Bacha’s class has been relevant. Going into specifics about how he landed his current position, Freeman told me, “I wrote an essay for Dr. McComiskey’s Creative Writing course and posted it on my portfolio that I made in Dr. Bacha’s class.”

A few months later, he was applying for a job. Freeman told me that Dr. Carlo, his current boss, looked through his portfolio, read his essay, and told him, “that alone proved I could do research, write persuasively, and organize my ideas.” After a series of interviews, Freeman landed the position as a Program Coordinator.

As we discussed further about skills learned at UAB, Freeman mentioned internships and working as a student. He told me that he worked in the Writing Center as a tutor; he met with students, corrected their writing and explained why certain things had to change. When he elaborated on his current job, which involves reading manuscripts, making edits, and explaining why those edits were made, the parallels became clear. He told me that knowing how to write is important, but the skills that he cultivated at UAB have also been useful.

Freeman went on to tell me about other professional writing skills that are unique to his experience: graphic design, web design, video production, database management and project management. Each helped make him marketable as an employee.

Freeman spoke specifically about Professional Writing versus other concentrations, including the HTML skillset he acquired throughout his courses. He said, “Those other majors are great, but I think Professional Writing is the best of the program because you really get the opportunity to diversify your skill set. Every professional writer can write an essay, but not every literature major knows some HTML.” He then added that, while the world is still full of those who believe English majors can only become teachers, it’s very possible to market yourself in an interview to prove you have the skills to do a wide variety of jobs.

Freeman then gave some interesting insight into his current jobs at the UAB Women and Infants Center and as a freelancer for the Addiction Prevention Coalition. Admitting that no job is exempt from monotony, including his current position, Freeman acknowledged that a lot of his job is typing memos, though he added that having discipline can lead to more fun projects in the future. This discipline has given him plenty of room to learn and change, and he has picked up skills that complement previous strengths.

On the topic of his freelance work, he said that it ranges from talking about statistics on the dangers of drugs to exploring why the new Lumineers album can act as a voice for those suffering through substance abuse disorders. Speaking more on this diversity of work, he told me that, as a professional, it’s just as important that all projects—whether monotonous or intriguing—are treated with the same amount of enthusiasm and commitment to quality.

To close our interview, Freeman told me that his experience in Professional Writing has given him the potential to transition to a wide variety of careers when the time is right. He said, “Professional Writing is a great major if you are willing to learn new things. It is the ultimate Jack of All Trades Major.”

As a student myself, I can speak for many in saying that this diversification of marketable skills is just what most—if not all—undergraduates look for when they choose a concentration. This makes Professional Writing even more worth considering. Hunter Freeman’s words of wisdom also help clarify a lot of what students learn in Professional Writing. Freeman’s final sendoff was encouraging, “Listen to Dr. Bacha. He’s got a lot of good wisdom to share if you pay attention.” I believe all students will very much agree.

Computer Science and Professional Writing

Image courtesy of UAB Marketing and Communications

By: John Channell

Computer Science and Professional Writing seem like an incongruous pairing for a major and minor combination, but I promise it is not. There are many different applications where having this major and minor combo can be a great idea. This article will go over why I think it is a good idea to consider Computer Science and Professional Writing to be a strong pairing.

Why Choose Professional Writing?

There are many different paths that someone with a Computer Science degree needs. You can become a software engineer, database administrator, full-stack developer, cybersecurity analyst. In these situations, you may need a way to ensure that everyone who works with you can understand any changes that are made. For a full-stack developer or a software engineer, you might need to write instructions on how to use your new program or website. This is where the professional writing minor can be very beneficial.

At the same time, a career in database administration and cybersecurity analytics could require you to create an after-action report.

Whenever you make changes, your supervisor may ask what happened on the database or any security measures were added or changed. With a writing minor, you can be confident in your skills to respond with a professional memo.

What does Professional Writing teach you?

The Introduction to Professional Writing class teaches you how to compose professional documents. This includes memorandums, formal letters, and technical documents. The work done in class focuses on writing as a process. Students learn to research, design documents, and edit their writing to meet standards that could be issued by a future supervisor.

This class teaches you how to write in a way that most business will see as a standard. Memos are written differently than most other formal letters. Introduction to Professional Writing teaches you the standards of how to write memos and other formal letters, such as progress reports. Ultimately, writing created by a student who has taken this class will be more polished than someone who has not taken the class.

Professional Writing in Applications

Hannah Jurkiewicz

By: Hannah Jurkiewicz

I recently took EH 315: Intro to Professional Writing and I found the skills required to write professionally translate outside of writing careers. Many scholarship and fellowship applications have word or character limits making it important to choose your words wisely.

Introductory professional writing courses provide students with the skills to write effective and clear documents, ensuring their readers will understand their purpose.

When applying for competitive scholarships, fellowships and grants these skills will be beneficial and may help to set your application apart.

The Seven Cs of Professional Writing will help you complete your scholarship application with ease.

What are the Seven Cs?

  • Clear
  • Coherent
  • Complete
  • Concise
  • Courteous
  • Concrete
  • Correct

When it comes to applications with word limits, it is important to emulate these seven characteristics.

Oftentimes, applications ask for personal essays and responses to questions to gain an understanding of you and your goals. You want to convey yourself in the most complete and clear way possible so your audience can see how you stand out and are the best recipient for the scholarship.

Begin by understanding the prompt for the application and start writing what comes to mind. Having an understanding of what you are being asked to write will help you provide the most correct response.

It might be helpful to begin by writing your narrative response with all the information you want to say. Then, through editing, you pick out what is most important to the story for the application. Editing down allows you to be more concise and concrete about what you want the reader to gain.

Continue to reflect on the prompt and narrow down the details you find most pertinent to your response. The editing process will also aid in creating a coherent and complete narrative for your audience.

"Through understanding and editing your responses multiple times, you will have a product you feel conveys you as best as possible."

Scholarships are highly competitive and require time and effort to apply to. Scholarship applications challenge candidates to be concise through limitations. These applications also require the applicant to have a concrete understanding of themselves and the ability to convey that well through writing.

The basis for professional writing and communication stems from the 7Cs, but these characteristics of communication will be helpful outside of the job market as you utilize them in your personal narratives and responses for scholarships.

Only the Essentials

Lainey Hardiman

By: Lainey Hardiman

From airbases to classrooms, everyone has been affected by the coronavirus. Our personal, work and school lives changed almost instantly. Students went online as schools across the world adapted virtual learning environments. Workers were divided into two groups: essential and non-essential.

We had to adjust to our new normal; our social lives changed as much as our professional lives. We found ourselves stuck inside our homes and isolated from everything we knew. No one knew how long we would be quarantined, but students still had deadlines to meet.

I had to learn how to balance my mental health along with all my college assignments. I’ve worked and completed almost two and a half semesters of college throughout the pandemic. I can say this has been the hardest and most rewarding experience I have lived through. I feel more prepared for my future than I did before.

I learned to be more diligent when studying and completing assignments. The stress of balancing my health, homework and mental health progress continues to occupy my thoughts. It is a constant battle. However, I learned that maintaining a good mentality and workspace enhanced my ability to do my job.

Adapting to social and emotional changes is just as important as adapting to changes in our work lives. As professional writing students we are among the millions that had to adjust to continue working. Covid caused professional writers to change the way we hold interviews and gather information.

In the fall of 2020, I had to do several interviews for a class project. Due to safety guidelines, it was almost impossible to hold in-person interviews during and after quarantine. I could only use phone calls because of scheduling conflicts, social distancing and geography.

This meant recording my phone calls and then taking notes. Scheduling phone call interviews between time zones is not the easiest, but I had to do it. I relied on my phone to continue working. Other students relied on another form of telecommunication.

Zoom interviews are the easiest ways we students and other essential workers have found to maintain our work. Students continue to hold interviews over Zoom Conferences or Zoom audio calls. We had to learn how to communicate and gather information effectively while social distancing. The changes we made are not even close to what essential workers went through.

First Lieutenant (1LT) Devon John of the United States Air Force worked throughout the quarantine. He dealt with personal and professional changes, but he never stopped working. He worried about exposing himself and his wife who was at home. He worried about the stress of testing positive for the virus. He had safety guidelines at work and at home. At work he wore a mask and wiped everything down. After work, his wife made him immediately change clothes and take a shower.

He had to make several changes in his everyday routine. He worked two days per week instead of his usual five days on and three days off schedule. He flew in the same sensor operator and cockpit rather than switching to minimize exposure. They flew less planes than usual, but he still worked.

“My squadron and I and the rest of the military didn’t have a choice. Every second of every single day a plane was in the air.” -1LT Devon John

Like many other essential works, the 1LT had no choice. He woke up every day to fly military combat planes. He and his squadron couldn’t just stop because of the virus. So, they took every precaution and safeguard they could think of. He and his wife learned how to navigate their changes and their relationship became stronger because of it.

An article written for the U.S. Air Force News re-emphasizes the 1LT’s experience. From it, we understand the Air Force’s dedication for safety and workability. We remember the military’s dedication to serve and protect its workers and the people of the United States. Even the Air Force advocates the balance of safety in our social and work lives.

“This may be a different adversary, but our military and nation will rise to the occasion to prevail and protect our way of life.” -LTC Lucas Choate

It reinforces the Air Force’s mission to stand by and protect our nation. They do not have a choice, but they will continue to support and defend the American way of life (Choate, 2020).

Problem-solving is a huge part of future careers, and the skills we have learned throughout the pandemic will only help us throughout our life. I realized the importance of communication after completing this interview and reading this article. Communication is not only significant for us as a society, but it is especially necessary for professional writers. Without it, we lose connection and our work becomes meaningless. If we can’t connect or communicate effectively, what’s the point?

So, like our essential workers we chose to keep communicating. Even though the world as we know it came to a stop, we still had to work. As we move forward into our new normal, we bring innovative strengths and abilities that we did not have before. Our experiences throughout the pandemic have challenged us, but we have come out stronger.

The Post-Corona Professional Writer

Image courtesy of UAB Marketing and Communications

By: Hunter Freeman

Every industry has been affected by the coronavirus, and professional writing is no exception.

English majors finishing up their Professional Writing concentration this year or looking to get work experience through an internship will likely be at a loss where to start in these uncertain times. Change is scary, but with these few things in mind, it can all work out in the end.

The opportunities will be different

Internships and writing positions will still be available, but there likely won’t be as many, especially for industries like radio, newspapers and magazines. Visual Capitalist shows that ad spend for each of these mediums is down 16.2%, 19.5% and 21.5% respectively. In a pre-corona world, many English majors looked to these industries as a source of early-career experience, but with less money from advertisers, there will be less money to hire new staff, especially those lacking experience.

“Print is not dead, but it is on life support.”

However, it’s not all bad news. Professional writers growing up in the information age have some of the key skills companies are looking for. That same Visual Capitalist fact sheet reports that ad spend for social media is up 9.8%, despite the pandemic.

According to a Gallup poll, nearly half of employees in the US are still working from home full-time or part of the time.

Many facets of industry have been pushed online because of the virus and will likely stay online because people have adapted. What does that mean for undergrads? Leverage those tech skills to paint yourself as a good candidate. An intern with a good understanding of social media and the ability to interface with technology is currently more valuable than the intern who only writes pretty good copy. Be the candidate that can combine both. There will also be a significant shift in opportunities, following the significant shift is ad dollars.

Freelance is Huge

Freelance opportunities, or the gig economy, is booming. Upwork, a platform that connects freelancers to clients, released a report on trends in freelancing. Adam Ozimek, Upwork’s Chief Economist, writes:

“Normally, around 10% of freelancers have started freelancing sometime in the last six months. However, at the time of the survey in June-July 2020, 34% had started since the onset of COVID-19 in early March.” In short, more people are entering the freelance market.

Professional writers are no different. We are all familiar with platforms like Uber, Shipt and DoorDash that use “independent contractors” as part of their services. As more companies divvy out rolls to online employees, professional writers graduating this year will likely supplement their income with freelance work in the near future.

Platforms like Medium and WordPress offer writers a way to monetize their writing. Be familiar with these platforms, build a portfolio, and the transition will be easier. The ability to market oneself will have new importance in a growing gig economy.

Boring Is Sexy

The starving artist should not be glamorized. The hard truth of professional writing is that it often isn’t very fun. As NYU Stern Professor Scott Galloway puts it, “Boring is Sexy.” His book The Algebra of Happiness offers plenty of good advice for up-and-comers, but he advises undergrads to be realistic. He writes, “If you want to work at Vogue, produce movies, or open a restaurant, you need to ensure that you receive a great deal of psychic income, as the returns on your efforts (distinct of well-publicized exceptions) will be, on a risk-adjusted basis, awful.”

For many professional writers, this should translate as lowering your expectations of writing as a day job. I work in administration reviewing and editing manuscripts and grant applications. Do I love it? No, it is rather boring. But, boring lets me write creatively in my free time.

Boring allows me to take freelance opportunities I want to take rather than need to take. Boring pays the bills.

This lesson is especially important for post-corona professional writers. The jobs of our dreams are either dying or occupied. If you are talented and lucky, your time will come, but you have to pay rent first. Take comfort in the boring job, and it will let you keep writing.

There is no going back, probably

You will keep seeing the expression the New Normal. This is ours. Professional writing in a post-corona society is enabled by technology, cooperation over distance, and for most of you, probably boring. Being able to display your technological skills and specialize in a particular sector will make you more marketable. Write the op-ed in your free time while you totally dominate being an insurance underwriter, a grant coordinator, or a social media strategist.

If you have made it this far, whether it is from the comfort of your house or sitting behind a desk in a dimly lit office, that means writing is your calling. And I wish you the best of luck.

How my Professional Writing Classes Prepared me for an Internship

By Lainey Hardiman

Four years ago, I never imagine I would graduate with a degree in English, let alone anything to do with writing. I wanted to be a high school math teacher and inspire students to love math. Writing wasn’t supposed to be my thing—until I found Professional Writing.

Like you’ll read throughout this magazine, someone with a Professional Writing degree can achieve more than just writing. Students can choose a career in digital design, coding, social media, marketing, publishing, editing, etc.—there isn’t a limit to what you can do with a degree like this.

This semester, I interned with the non-profit organization GirlSpring, an online magazine curated by teen girls, for teen girls. I wasn’t just writing copy; it was an editorial internship where I read, edited, and published articles into the organization’s online magazine.

But it wasn’t about an individual article. When editing each one, I constantly referenced the overall design of the magazine: the colors, the layout, the headings, and the images. It was more about the overall; each one had to be cohesive with the whole magazine.

Developing Digital Documents and Digital Publishing are two professional writing courses offered at UAB that I took and loved. Developing Digital Documents introduces students to technologies like Adobe’s Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop. Each heavily used in the design world and very helpful for any college student.

Digital Publishing introduces students more to the digital world and provides a basis for how websites are built and designed. It introduces students to Adobe Dreamweaver, HTML, CSS, and WordPress. Coding is a big part of this course, and it is by far my favorite thing I have learned.

In each class, there are specific rules for everything. We stress contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity, or how we like to call it, “CRAP.” Of course, my mathematical brain loved the rules and how each perfectly formulated line of code or combination of design elements and text joined to create a seamless, overall design. All these choices combine to help viewers engage with and read the page or document we design and write.

At GirlSpring, I utilized CRAP every time I edited an article; I even coded a few links in the captions of images. My Professional Writing classes taught me how to write concisely, and I am constantly editing for clear and concise language in articles to ease readability. Subheadings have become my best friend over the semester because of how much they improve readability and overall flow of the document.

I couldn’t tell you how many times I would preview one article and then change bullet points or numbered lists just to allow for easier eye movement down the page. Just like we learned in the classes, I think about how a viewer would experience each article. How would they receive the information? Would it be engaging enough to keep them on the page and keep reading?

According to those questions, the decisions I make about the text and design stem from Developing Digital Documents and Digital Publishing. Without these two classes I wouldn’t have started my internship with a leg-up in navigating and utilizing WordPress or recognized how valuable simple design changes are to a website or magazine.

The knowledge I had regarding the digital space before these classes was terrifyingly close to nothing. I gained the confidence I needed to succeed in my digital and remote internship from my experience in both Developing Digital Documents and Digital Publishing. Without them, I don’t know what I would’ve done.

The Value of Internships and Jobs for Professional Writing Students

By Annie Swantek

How far does a bachelor’s degree really go? Many college students may not consider what they are going to include on their résumé before creating one. Or they think that earning a degree and taking courses related to their desired career field is enough. Having a college education is a critical factor on résumé’s, however it is often not enough to catch an employer’s eye.

What an Education in English brings you

Being an English major and a senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), I have been able to greatly enhance my writing skills, develop other beneficial skills, and gain knowledge on topics I was previously unaware of. The English Department at the UAB is well versed and offers its students an exceptional education. Students striving to earn a Bachelors in English are offered an amazing range of courses as well as amazing faculty to teach those courses.

Getting an education in English will prepare students with the basic skill set and knowledge they need to succeed in a writing career. However, internships and part-time jobs while in college are a key factor in a student’s success with finding a job after graduation.

Beyond the Degree

If a student majoring in English is planning on pursuing a writing career or searching for a job in the communications or writing field, it is beneficial for them to have experience to put on their résumé. Having a bachelor’s degree and the skills and experience from UAB’s English courses are valuable and important to note when creating a resume or talking to future employers.

However, the specific field of professional writing requires experience with many different applications and additional skills beyond being able to write remarkably and efficiently. While many professors do inform their students of this and introduce them to these types of applications, skills, and tasks that employers require for any writing position, students often do not get enough experience to list it on their résumé as a skill.

Having exposure to a professional work environment and seeing first-hand the types of tasks that writers complete is a very beneficial experience to have. Actually gaining experience allows students to go beyond just learning about it in a classroom and actually living it and doing hands on work that will help them in the future.

Student Internships & Jobs

Since I am a senior, I have started my job searching journey. I am mainly looking at Technical Writing, Copy Writing, Editing, and any related positions. I have noticed a trend that almost all of the job postings I have looked at require or strongly prefer for applicants to have a bachelor’s degree as well as at least 1 year of experience.

Not having job experience does not necessarily mean that employers will not look at your Résumé or that you can not find a good job, it does mean that having relevant work experience greatly increases your chances of getting responses from employers and catching their eye with your résumé.

I am an English major; Business Administration minor and I am concentrating in professional writing. I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in professional writing when I chose my major but did not know the exact steps I needed to take or how to achieve that. I knew that my college courses had allowed me to develop valuable skills, but I was still anxious and worried about finding a job or being able to succeed at a job after graduation.

Before the Spring Semester of 2020, I got an email from the Undergraduate English Majors Resources informing students of an on campus, part-time, student Technical Writing position. I figured I would apply for the job and see what happens because it seemed like a good fit, and I knew that having this experience would look good on my résumé and better prepare me for the future. I ended up getting hired at UAB’s Computer Forensics Research Lab (CFRL) as a Technical Writer, I have about a full year of experience since I started my junior year and will be leaving after graduation as it is a student job.

Benefits of Student Jobs
The entrance to the Facebook Suite section of UAB’s Computer Forensic Research Lab, the main lobby, of the lab.

My part time Technical Writing job experience at the CFRL has allowed me to grow as a writer, editor, and even as a student and teacher at times. My main task is to review and edit reports that are written by the lab’s analysts. While reviewing all reports is the main priority, there are many other side duties and tasks that come along with being a Technical Writer. With this specific job I also had to participate in writing workshops where my supervisor and I taught lessons to the analysts on how to improve their writing and what their reports should look like and include.

Teaching writing workshops to the analysts at the lab was very rewarding and allowed me to grow as a person. I was tasked with reading the book, Communicating with Intelligence: Writing and Briefing for National Security by James S. Major and creating PowerPoint based on the material in the book. I had never had the experience of presenting information in this manner or teaching others how to write. I never enjoyed giving presentations in school and always preferred to sit quietly and learn rather than speak up with questions or opinions, this experience helped me to come out of my shell and feel more confidently about speaking in group settings.

The CFRL writes Intelligence Writing style reports that are written in a specific format and that get sent out to clients. I had never seen this particular kind of writing before and was not very familiar with the subjects of the reports. However, being able to see other kinds of writing besides academic writing has broadened knowledge and skill set. I can now tell future employers that I have experience with reviewing and editing cyber crime related reports, even if the company has nothing to do with computer forensics this still shows them that I have experience with multiple types of writing styles and that I can easily adapt to different types of content.

Networking is another benefit of having internships and part time jobs while in college. Sometimes acquiring jobs depends on who you know. If you are working or interning at a company as a Technical Writer, or related position, you are likely to meet others with that job title and similar interests as you. Not only is this a way to gain friends and socialize with others who may be similar to you, it is also a way to lead to future jobs. People at the company may know friends or family whose company or office is looking for someone who can write, they may think about the Technical Writing intern at their company and give you a referral.

It all comes back to experience. having the experience of being around different types of people and work environments gives you the ability to tell future employers about it. Maybe your student job was remote, and you are looking for only remote positions, now you can tell employers you have excellent time management skills and work well independently because you have had the experience of working in a remote position already. Or, maybe your internship was in an office and required a lot of collaborative work, you now have the ability to show off your ability to work as a team member in a busy work environment.

Receiving an education at UAB and earning a Bachelors in English are amazing accomplishments that employers will be impressed with. However, having internships and jobs related to your desired field as a college student is an extremely valuable and beneficial experience that will help you moving forward with your future and career.