Training for the Future

I feel privileged to have undergone my education at Pitt State. Our English department is small enough that we students always feel we have a voice, yet it is diverse enough that we can benefit from collaborating with students of different emphases (Literature, Rhetoric and Composition, Creative Writing, and, of course, Technical Writing). Our professors seem to have taken both of these factors into account as they have prepared us to enter the workforce. My own Technical Writing professors, for example, have encouraged my fellow Tech Writers and me to embrace rather than reject the perspectives of our non-Tech Writing classmates. By sharing their own values and experiences with us, as well as the perspectives they have gained from progressive pedagogical articles such as Johndan Johnson-Eilola’s “Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age," Sherry Southard’s “Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture,” and Emily Soplinsky’s “Survival Skills for Communicators within Organizations,” our professors have helped us to understand the importance of collaboration, as well as the benefits of interdisciplinary cooperation. These skills will help us to not only find a place in the workforce, but also to promote those same values within that workplace.

For this final internship assignment, I have found three job listings that interest me as potential career possibilities. The listings I have found range from that of a Public Affairs Specialist to a Writing Consultant to a Linguistic Cryptologist. Each of these positions strikes me as a career path I may wish to pursue after graduation, and each requires a slightly different skill set.

To be a Public Affairs Specialist for the U. S. Department of Justice, candidates must be able to research, collect, and write over various office-specific programs and procedures. For the specific listing I have found, candidates must also be able to write and edit press releases, manuals, pamphlets, handouts, and other informative public documents. At this point in time, I feel well-equipped to handle such tasks, though I recognize that I would need to learn more about the specific department for which I would be applying (in this case, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys). A good portion of this information would have to be learned on-site. However, I could prepare to an extent by studying the Department of Justice and Executive Office’s websites. I could also collaborate with my law student acquaintances in order to better understand what to expect of the interview process and the job itself. Fortunately, my experience as a Writer’s Slate intern has helped me become a more competitive candidate in that the final product of our publication—the three editions I helped to create—are available online. These published editions demonstrate that I have at least two semesters’ worth of experience in the online publication process.

The Writing Consultancy position to which I referred is not a job listing that I discovered online. In fact, it is an opportunity that has been brought to my attention by a close acquaintance. Should I pursue this position (the specifics of which I am not at liberty to divulge), I will be able to offer a competitive resume in that my experience as a Graduate Teaching Assistant has prepared me for handling a similar set of responsibilities. My time as both a GTA and a Slate intern has helped me to develop skills that writing consultancy calls for: proofreading, editing, offering constructive criticism, and delivering said criticism in a supportive and encouraging manner. In order to fully prepare for this position, however, I would need to expand my knowledge base to incorporate common topics and writing styles that are expected of those I would be consulting. Specifically, I would need to revisit the writing styles of APA and Chicago. In order to do this, I would likely start with the Purdue OWL website for APA, and the Chicago Manual of Style for Chicago. Each of these styles is familiar to me but not comfortably stored in my knowledge base, like MLA style is. In order to work toward a higher level of comfort with APA and Chicago, I would start with the two resources I have listed. 

Finally, the position of a Linguistic Cryptologist for the U.S. Navy has caught my interest. In order to meet the needs of this position, candidates must be excellent communicators through both oral and written mediums. They must also be detail-oriented and interested in intercultural communication. Once hired, candidates are expected to undergo intensive language training in one or more of the core languages listed. Despite my bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Communication, I would definitely want to use my available educational resources in order to better prepare for this intensive language training. Fortunately, I am a member of our university’s online language program, Mango Languages. I would start training in one of the specialty languages using this Rosetta Stone-like program. Of course, this position is not solely based on knowledge of foreign languages, and my time as a Slate intern would help to make me a more competitive applicant. My Slate experience (along with my overall education in Technical Writing and Editing) would help to show that I am able to communicate with people of many different cultures, backgrounds, and demographics; to write in a variety of different styles; and to cater my manner of communication in order to meet the needs of my audience.

Sources

Johnson-Eilola, Johndan. "Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age."

Soplinsky, Emily. "Survival Skills for Communicators within Organizations."

Southard, Sherry. "Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture."