What is professional writing and why does anyone care? This is the first question I

Transcription

1 Luce 1 TO: Beth Keller & PW Students FROM: Kris Luce DATE: October 1, 2012 SUBJECT: Professional Writing What is professional writing and why does anyone care? This is the first question I asked myself when I saw professional writing listed as a major at MSU. At first I wasn t sure it was something I was interested. I like writing, but would I like it as a career? Can I take the feedback people give me as a writer, and apply it without being offended by their opinion? As a Pre-veterinary Medicine student, it is encouraged to have a second major, and looking more into professional writing, I found that there are many possibilities to blend these two majors together, but it is also difficult to find a career that will use both skills to their full potential. What is professional Writing? If scientists are the brain of this society, professional writers are the neurons that fire messages from one part to another. Professional writing is the drive and passion that breaks down barriers and enables compromise. Dr. Anne Surma of Murdoch University describes it as written communication 1. How professional writing is described could very well be the difference between success and failure in the field. There are so many ways, in fact, that professional writing can be tailored to almost anything you would want to do. The first time I met with my adviser, Jon Ritz, at MSU, he assured me that being Pre-vet along with having a degree in professional writing would increase my marketability to my future 1 "What Is Professional Writing?" Professional Writing and Rhetoric at George Mason University. Ed. James Koster. George Mason University, n.d. Web. 02 Oct <

2 Luce 2 employers. Whether it s just the diverse education I had due to the range of science and English related classes I had, or that I will have the expertise of animals, that could land me jobs, as he suggested, writing for animal rights magazines. What I ve learned from this experience is that professional writers are much more than novelists, publishers or editors. Their profession is versatile and helpful to almost any audience from children learning to read, to grandparents applying for retirement. When you read an instruction manual on how to put together a bookshelf, you re reading the work of a professional writer. Regardless of how easy it is to understand, or how difficult it is, someone got paid to do that. On Monster.com, a search for writing skills reveals the many jobs that professional writers are wanted for. Companies are always looking for writers to figure out and explain their products to their customers. Technical writers are needed to write manuals for maintenance, operation, and overhaul 2 of aircrafts and other machines. Finding a job is probably one of the more important things on my mind when looking into professional writing. I ve got more options than many people my age because of my dual major. The skills I will leave school with can offer me a job professional writing, veterinary medicine, or something that marries the two together. There s one thing, though, that almost 2 "Technical Writer - Aviation & Logistics." Job in Indianapolis 46241, Indiana US. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct <

3 Luce 3 every job will require: education. Michigan State University offers a great pre-veterinary medicine program. And it s professional writing program offers students a chance to study in their interests with three different tracks they can choose: writing, editing and publishing, writing in communities and cultures, and digital and technical writing 3. These tracks help focus students into what they might want their future career to be, and give them classes that teach them skills to help them along their way. Other schools offer professional writing degrees such as Purdue University, Iowa State University, and Penn State. These programs offer similar degrees to that of MSU. Regardless of the location, all professional writing programs are geared toward preparing the writers to communicate effectively in a variety of settings and for their future careers. The amount of careers available to professional writers are not only numerous but growing. Job outlook for writers and authors from is expected to grow 6% 4. Though slower than average, the number of jobs is growing, and the diversity of jobs available is growing along with it. For Veterinarians, the job outlook for is expected to grow 36%. Regardless of which profession I choose to pursue, it is almost guaranteed that there will be jobs available. However, as someone whose family has struggled with finances their entire 3 "Program & Courses." MSU PW Requirements. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct < 4 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 11 July Web. 02 Oct <

4 Luce 4 life, I m not looking for a job as much as I m looking for a career. Professional writing careers are available writing for non-profit organizations, editing research reports, websites, books, brochures, being a reporter for an organization and many others. 5 In 2010, there were 61,400 jobs available for veterinarians. 6 I see that jobs are available everywhere. The task at hand is finding the right career for my interests not only on the job, but at home too. In May 2010, the median wage of writers and authors was $55,420. For Advertising and public relations: $62,260, and for Newspaper, periodical, and book publishers it was $47,230. Veterinarians were making $82,040. As a child, my mom brought home around $22,000 a year as a machine shop quality control specialist. I learned how to live in poverty, and I m excited to learn that the careers that I m looking into after college are an opportunity to pull me out of that. I ve struggled to find the things that I need my entire life, and knowing that one day that struggle could be over just makes me more excited to push forward and finish my schooling. I have two passions in this world, animals and writing. Of course there are other important things in my life, but when I came to college, these were the things I wanted to focus on. It s taken me a long time to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. Whether it s being a 5 "Idealist.org." Idealist.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct < X_oCAAahpEbUeiZqPUHqaaCURNpqaDQA0HZQbIDkoxrRg_sIk902kJkGiQUIQtAfI96D wxxdvxczfsphdajzoktiorxwrqmuhq-29kvsbc-a8gnfka27xeyan4u5ipwosbranosa== >. 6 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 11 July Web. 02 Oct <

5 Luce 5 veterinarian, a professional writer, or something in between, having PW as a secondary major can help me in all aspects of my career not only as a student, but in my future. I can only imagine the opportunities that being a dual major will bring me. I know I can t have two careers, and that if I choose to pursue only one profession, the other will become a mere hobby, but it s what I ve decided and I know that somewhere along the line, all of the skills that I m being taught now, will eventually come to play a role my life.