I made this portfolio in a class called "Careers in Writing & English." My classmates and I were given different assignments over the course of the semester to complete that benefitted our strengths in some way, to then display on our websites. This class helps students going into any type of writing field to create an academic website that best speaks to their professional identity. To do this, though, we each had to ask ourselves two important questions: What is my professional identity? What do I want this website to show?
Going into this class, I had a lot of options in jobs that I was considering. I talked a little about this in my professional interview, but my pathway was certainly not linear. Writing and reading have been two major parts of my life that are so intrinsically a part of me that sometimes I don’t know where I end, and they begin.
It wasn’t until later that I learned there is a special aspect of the creative process that speaks out to me. As much as I enjoy classic literature and storytelling, there is something invigorating about using written words to inspire change more directly. It gives me immense pleasure to find a topic I’m interested in and study it in its full potential. Then, I can use my newly acquired knowledge to collaborate with others and create an answer for a potential problem.
Without the understanding that there was a more specific aspect towards my writing I wanted in a professional setting, I experienced horrible burnout in my classes as time progressed. I took journalism classes that I knew weren't for me, as it was precise writing that was powerful that also felt too much of an algorithm at times. I found that I felt my personal reflection and passion for writing was secondary to writing the right way. So, I changed to English. Then I was stuck in a cycle of classes where I had to write about Shakespeare's impact, or Edgar Allen Poe's poetry. These are all works that I admire, and I enjoy reading in my personal time. I just think perhaps that it was hard for me to feel fully engaged in these classes that sometimes felt like a narrowed focus. Many English classes have a specific direction and goal with what is being taught and assigned. I didn't feel my perspectives challenged in the ways I desired.
The pivotal moment that told me I needed a redirection was a fiction writing class I took. In this class, we read short stories and read a novel about the process of fiction writing. I've enjoyed personal writing for a long time. I have fourteen finished novels on my computer from adolescence into early adulthood that have never seen the light. And while I am a storyteller, and I value the necessity of this writing, it didn't come as easily to me as I imagined. I could tell there were others that could immerse themselves in the process and feel satisfaction for their work. In contrast, I learned there was a reason I'd never desired others to read my fictional pieces. It was a deeply personal ritual for myself - it had never been something I wanted to use to inspire change, or to reach another's eyes. It was for myself.
I will always love reading, no matter my path!
Finding linguistics changed everything for me. I took classes focusing on language in the real world. Why language is what it is, and how it's helpful for communities and development in a lot of ways. Linguistics is a package of history, sociology, and anatomy, as well as more complex studies of syntax and grammar. It's relevant... not to say ]that classic literature and poetry isn't. In fact, I have been able to read those works in my personal time and fully enjoy them now. But it's a furthered cross-contextual analysis that offers more deconstructive tools to understand a myriad of written and spoken word.
Since taking this class, I’ve learned more about myself in more ways than I would have expected. In the more obvious ways, I have come to understand my professional identity. Assignment after assignment solidified how much I love academic research and writing. Even projects encouraging me to research creative ideas were invigorating, as I then used assigned readings to come to a definitive stance. All of the experiences I've shared that morphed my writing voice and purpose have come to play well in this class. I have come to appreciate the skills I’ve acquired over my student and serving careers that translate well for entering the job market. I displayed my leadership through influential communication for our content analysis group presentation. I leaned on my strengths in critical thinking and critique to create my blog posts and reviews. My consideration of other ethical or cultural perspectives proved beneficial especially while creating assignments about linguistics, such as my workplace language assignment. It's funny to look back on the miscellaneous papers I've written before taking this class, to the ones I've written presently. I can feel more heart seeping through the diction, rather than words intentionally chosen to sound "right." It comes from this blossoming confidence in my capabilities and my strengths as a writer, and as a worker.
A semester hard at work.
There’s a depth to what this class taught me, though. In this class I had to challenge myself through time management and delegation to complete all the assignments. I used to struggle with balance during the times I didn't feel driven towards my major, as I tried to juggle a hectic work and personal life. It's a feat that I've been accomplishing more as I've been on the pathway that speaks better to my interest, but this class is another stepping stone towards finding the right balance. This class was fast-paced and content heavy. It wasn't easy work, but it was rewarding, and I found myself renewing a love for school that had previously been lost in that period I took classes that weren't fully meant for ME. Reminding myself what I want to do, where I want to end up, gave all my efforts a necessary direction so that it didn’t feel a waste.
I didn’t just do the work because of my grade, but because I could appreciate what it was teaching me. That is a privilege in itself, knowing once I was one of many students going through the motions with my education. But, above all, I concreted my professional identity. I found my voice as a writer, and what I wish to do with it.
Add comment
Comments