Being a student at
Pittsburg State University has provided me with various opportunities to enhance
my skill as a technical writer. Specifically as a technical writing student, I
have been equipped with a variety of skills and learned a great deal about the
technical aspects of technical/professional writing, such as language usage.
However, my internship has awarded me an experience that is much more
applicable to a real world setting. As Sherry Southard mentions in “Interacting
Successfully in Corporate Culture”, “students need skills that will enable them
to participate successfully and to make decisions even more than they need such
skills to work successfully within older organizations.” My internship has
provided me with just that. Through my game design internship under the Tech
Writing director, I have had hands-on experience in managing an entire editing
and production process. Unfortunately, as Johndan Johnson-Eilola details in his
work, “Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a
Post-Industrial Age,” technical communicators aren’t always seen as managers of
the entire process, but rather “as something to be added on to a primary
product…added at the end of the project (with too little time or too few staff
members), or perhaps omitted entirely.” Luckily, with my internship, I have had
experience as more than just support. This will undoubtedly increase my value
when I go on to pursue a career.
One of the three
jobs that I was interested in is an Editorial Assistant at
Prufrock Press in Austin, Texas. They are looking for someone to assist with
their books and classroom materials editors. Candidates for this job must
possess strong editing and communication skills, be able to meet deadlines, and
be comfortable with learning APA style. My internship, in conjunction with my
education at Pitt State, have prepared me well for this, but I could prepare
for this position by studying the APA style guide. I have had to learn to use
multiple style guides in various classes, so this should not be difficult. To
do so, I would likely by looking at the Purdue OWL website and buying an APA
style guide. Additionally, I have learned and exercised my editing skills
through my classes and my internship. In my internship, I was tasked with
editing all of the text-based elements of the game, checking for consistency
and correctness. Furthermore, my experience with the Cow Creek Review will
also enhance my skills for this job. By working as an editor for a literary
magazine, I will not only have editing experience, but publishing experience as
well.
Another job that I
found is a Content Editor for the Blue Monday Review in Kansas City,
MO. They are looking for someone to read, edit, and evaluate work
submitted to their literary magazine. This person will read and evaluate 10-20
submissions a week. This position did not call for many qualifications, but,
similar to the Prufrock Press position, I would be well-suited for this role
because I have had editing experience in my internship and classes.
Furthermore, I have worked on a literary magazine, so I understand how the
editing and selection process works for a literary magazine. To further prepare
for a position such as this, I could spend more time working for the Cow
Creek Review. Additionally, I could also apply for a writing consultant
position at my university’s Writing Center.
A third job I
found is an Assistant Managing Editor at Allen
Press, Inc. in Lawrence, KS. This company specializes in scholarly journal and
special-interest publication production. Skills for this position include
keeping track of manuscripts and reviews, working with Copyediting Coordinators
to maintain proper style, assembling publications, and communicating with
authors. For this position, my internship has assisted because I have had to
essentially manage an entire editing/publication process alongside my
internship director and my co-intern. But I would need to gain more experience
with managing the editing process. While I am familiar with the editing
process, I could gain this experience by serving as the managing editor for the Cow
Creek Review or becoming a managing editor for a volunteer
publication.
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."
