Education is the key to success:
A reflection on the knowledge obtained throughout the semester
Entering this writing for engineers’ class, I did not know what to expect. I wondered how writing was even incorporated in the daily life of an engineer. I thought this class would be another class that I sit through and forget all about when the semester ends. However, being in this writing intensive class has allowed me to blossom as a writer. Through the many assignments I completed, I developed knowledge on formats of important documents an engineer might use in their career. I also learnt many skills and techniques during the five months of class that I will carry throughout my academic and professional career.
One assignment I completed was the interview report. For this report we had to locate an engineer relative to our major and interview them on their career and education. Through this assignment I was able to practice the course objective of drafting. When I first wrote my report, it was five pages long. However, a requirement of this assignment was to make it three pages long. I had to revise, edit and condense my work. This process of drafting, collaborating, revising and editing taught me the common writing process, improving my writing skills and quality of work. I discovered little mistakes that I originally did not notice. This was my favorite assignment this semester, this is because I was able to learn the answers to questions, I didn’t even know I had. I learnt so much on the responsibility and expectations of a computer engineer and I was able to hear their advice on what to do in college. This assignment has allowed me to expand my connections and network. The computer engineer I interviewed offered me an internship when I graduate, so I am very grateful for this assignment.
Another assignment I completed this semester was to create a resume and cover letter. For this assignment we had to discover a job posting and create a resume and cover letter for that posting. Through this assignment I was able to practice the course learning objective of A&P. A&P stands for the audience and the purpose. This is important to consider before writing any assignment. You must determine who you are writing to and why you are writing it to decide what piece of writing is best. Understanding the audience and the purpose of this assignment allowed me to determine what to highlight about myself so that I stand out compared to other applicants. Knowing the audience allowed me to state the qualities that match the requirements of the job. This assignment was very beneficial for me because I recently applied to a summer youth program where I would travel to Turkey for ten days and one of the required documents was a resume and cover. While my friends stressed over what to include in their resume and how to write a cover letter, I did not since I already completed one.
I also created a lab report in this course. For this assignment we rolled a pair of dice 100 times and created a report based on the outcomes. Through this assignment I was able to practice the course learning objective of citation and information literacy. Part of the assignment was to use the CCNY library database to research other studies on this experiment and compare it to your findings in the analysis. Since I included other studies in my lab report I had to cite them and create a references section. This allowed me to practice writing my APA citations. This assignment allowed me to understand the format of a typical lab report. In the beginning of the semester of my physics class I had trouble writing my lab reports. I did not know what to include or how to write it. However, going over step by step on what to include in section has allowed me now write my lab reports with ease. This assignment demonstrates how this course is very crucial and the assignments helps you to succeed in other courses.
Another assignment I completed was creating a group proposal. For this assignment, I had to work with three other classmates in creating a proposal to improve the school. Through this assignment I was able to practice the course learning objective of collaborating and reading. My group members and I had to work together to come up with an idea to improve the school. Once we decide that CCNY needs more water filtration stations around campus we had to read articles about the costs and benefits to include it in our proposal. It is very crucial to know how to write a business proposal. This is because when I interviewed the computer engineer, he told me that a major part of your day as an engineer is proposing ideas on how to improve the company. He told me he never knew how to write a business proposal and it affected him greatly. It costed him many clients and he wished learnt in college. So, I am grateful that I was taught the format of writing a business proposal so I prepared if my boss ever asks for one.
Lastly, I had to create a technical description. For this assignment, I had to choose an object, process or a mechanism towards my major and describe it. Through this assignment I was able to practice the course learning objective of the use of technology and synthesis. This assignment was not in the standard essay form so I was able to be creative and use Microsoft Word to create a brochure for my technical description of the computer keyboard. I researched many peer-reviewed articles on the keyboard and combined information from various of sources to write my description. I also enforced the course learning objective of drafting in this assignment too. This is because I had to condense and edit my information so that I do not exceed my two-page limit. The reason I chose to describe a computer keyboard is because a keyboard is something, we do not pay much mind and is something that is constantly evolving, when doing my preliminary research, I was shocked to see the evolution of the keyboard. To see how the first ever keyboard turned into what our fingers know and love today.
In this course I learnt many skills that have strengthen my writing. I learnt the difference between non count nouns and count nouns; something I didn’t know existed. I learnt the rules for punctuation and grammar and I learnt how to create an APA citation. The coolest thing I have learned in this course is writing a two-part title. Before this course my titles for all my papers were usually boring and said, “Assignment 2: Literary Analysis”. However, writing a two-part title where the first paper is hook followed by a more literal and specific title has made my papers more interesting. I used it for my papers in my women’s study class and my teacher loved it. It is something I will continue to use for my future classes.
In conclusion, I learnt many valuable life lessons and academic skills in this class. I will never forget what I have been taught and will always put it into practice. Writing the essays and completing the assignments that were required has helped me achieve the course learning outcomes that appear on the syllabus. I was able to practice citation conventions. I will always remember to cite my sources to avoid plagiarism and I will remember to always reread my work before submitting anything. With these reminders and course learning outcomes I will take my future steps in fulfilling my goal of becoming a Computer Engineer. Thanks to this writing for engineers’ class I feel prepared to tackle on what college has to throw my way. Thank you for being an amazing professor.
