Reflection Essay

Over the course of this semester in English 3140, I have completed numerous discussion
posts, papers, and portfolios pertaining to technical writing. Before starting this course, I did not
have much experience dealing with technical writing for certain assignments. Majority of my
courses that I take for my major deal with writing lab reports and short descriptions of projects
that I have completed. Taking this class has helped shape my writing style into a more effective
and professional style than I had before. My goal for this class when I first enrolled in it last
semester was to learn how to write professionally structured documents. This was my main goal
because since I will be graduating next fall, I need to prepare myself for future jobs and be able
to construct documents that can be sent to future employers and businesses. After completing the
projects in this class, I feel confident in my writing skills before I graduate and go out into the
working world. The resume and cover letter, white paper, workplace correspondence, and
instruction and usability memo projects were all very beneficial in helping me excel as a
technical writer. The assignment I am most proud of that I completed this semester was the
resume and cover letter. Other than receiving a good grade on this assignment, I am most proud
of this assignment because I was able to successfully set up my resume to showcase all of my
previous work experience, education, honors and awards, and skills. In the past, I have never had
to write a cover letter for a job position because I have always interviewed in person for the job.
Writing this cover letter showed me how to set up a proper cover letter and what all should be
included in the letter as well. Recently, I applied for two internships for next summer and had to
write a cover letter for both. After taking this class and completing the resume and cover letter
project, I felt confident in writing and sending my resume and cover letter to the two companies I
applied for an internship with.
In conclusion, although English is not my strongest subject, I have thoroughly enjoyed
this course and have learned a multitude of information from taking it. My professor did a great
job of keeping us up to date with feedback on our assignments and posting videos and
powerpoints to help guide us in the writing process. In the past, I used to despise discussion
posts. However, after taking this class I have learned to appreciate them because they allowed
me to receive positive feedback and ideas for assignments. From now on, I will view discussion
posts differently and instead of seeing them as a burden, I will instead see them as an opportunity
to better my peers’ and my projects. Overall, I am glad I was able to take this course this fall
semester and look forward to using my newfound knowledge in the future for school and my
career.