Jennifer Norman
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This thread focuses on how the article “Virtual Realities: Transitions from University to Workplace Writing” relates to ENGL 306 and the reality of getting into the workforce.
In her launch post, Jenni Schroll discussed how the ENGL 306 class structure was in line with the points discussed in the article. As Dias and others suggested, students of ENGL 306 have been required to do “more and more difficult tasks” through our projects and in-class exercises. In the beginning, we had exact guidelines for our projects, but by the end of the semester, we had a great deal of freedom in what we did.
Though she testified to problems with internships, she said they provided opportunities to gain skills. Because of discrepancy between academia and the workplace, Jenni claims that getting “hands-on experience” is the best way to make the tradition from college to the career world.
Building on Jenni’s points, Erin presents some solutions to combating feelings of inferiority in jobs and internships. She insists that students must learn to take charge of their actions and take the initiative in their work.
Kaye discusses some of her personal struggles with getting experience. As an editor for the Exponent, she gains ample experience in writing, but she isn’t able to learn about graphics and web sites, though these skills will be crucial to her career in the future.
Up until this point in the discussion, the consensus seems to be that though there are ways to prepare for the future, a person cannot be fully prepared for what she will face in the workforce. Matt Bradney, however, introduces the final post, bringing up points somewhat contrary to what has been posted thus far. In what he calls a “radical criticism,” he questions common conceptions of the career world.
Why should we consider the workforce to be the “real world”? First, he points out that people are obligated to orient their lives around work in our society. As Matt says, “Work is a place to which we are quite coerced into going, for fear that if we do not go, we will lose our livelihoods.” Second, he questions the norm of preparing for a career. “. . . this ‘should’ exists not to remind us of a multitude of possibility for our future. . .but rather to inform us of the dreadful news of our ONE future.” He proposes changing this system and creating a system of true democracy and equality, one without hierarchy or individual profit.
I must say that I agree with Jenni. I, too, have had an internship and a job that involved writing and communication tasks. In both of these experiences, I had to deal with new situations, and found myself frustrated like Jenni, Erin and Kaye. Looking back, it was often the most difficult situations and decisions that most benefited me. I was able to see what I did well and what I could do better, thus improving my work. Furthermore, through the experiences I’ve had, I’ve learned to be more flexible and take more initiative. Both qualities will help a person succeed in any work situation.
Concerning Matt’s points, I agree that the structure of our society is more or less based on the selfish desire to gain: through work we gain resources and luxuries, and these are the primary motivators for working people. It would be nice to live in a world of total equality, in which one was not defined by his career.
Nonetheless, I think Matt exaggerates the problems in our society. Many people are satisfied with their jobs, not because of how much money they make, but because of what they do. A 9 to 5 job at a desk oversimplifies work, because people are contributing to a society and learning to value themselves through their work.
I don’t think that a person has to be confined to “one career,” as Matt mentions, though this seems to be the main goal in college courses. For example, as professional writers, we have a multitude of options for careers in the future. I would say, however, without a college degree, which serves as proof to knowledge and skill, it would be more difficult to find fulfilling jobs.
Despite problems in the system, we as individuals must learn to work within its constraints, even if we are working to change them. Therefore, we need to set clear goals for our future, even if those goals change over time. We must also gain experience and skill so that we can contribute to society and gain the resources necessary to function in it.
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