The writer’s main point is that people choosing their career paths should consider the job’s salary

potential, their job satisfaction, job security and their freedom to retire one day.

The writer’s main purpose is to educate the reader about the essential factors to be considered when
selecting a career path. It is evident in the passage, “The Importance of Choosing a Career Path” by Mary
Dowd, the writer tries to inform the writer about the factors that are crucial when one is deciding what
career path to follow. Therefore, in order for the writer to achieve the main purpose, the writer uses a
plethora of organizational strategies and language techniques in the extract.

Initially, an organizational strategy used by the writer is the use  of statistics to provide evidence to
support their points presented to the reader. Statistics are used by the writer to bring forth pieces of
evidence and to prove what they are saying is true. For instance, in the passage the writer stated that,
“88 percent of college-educated adults were employed in 2016” and “The risk of being unemployed is
greatest for high school dropouts who have a dismal employment rate of 48 percent because so many
jobs require some type of postsecondary training.”   These statistics appeal to the reader’s logos as it
presents evidence to support the writer’s point and it establishes credibility with the reader thus
evoking the reader’s ethos since the writer is proving their point to be correct. Consequently, the writer
effectively uses statistics to inform the reader about the employment rate of people who have been
college-educated, which is a critical factor when selecting a career path.

Additionally, the writer uses authoritative sources to provide credible information to the reader.
Authoritative sources are used to make the reader think that the information is true, to make the
information they are presenting seem valid and to support their points. For example, in the extract , the
writer stated, “ Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce found that high school
graduates make an average of US$1.4 million in total earnings during their workforce year” and “The
National Center for Education Statistics reports that 88 percent of college-educated adults were
employed in 2016” By using information from Georgetown University’s Center and The National Center
for Education, the writer would appeal to the reader’s ethos since the information would be gathered
from trustworthy sources and it would be beneficial in convincing the reader that college- educated
people have a higher chance of being employed and making more income annually opposed to those
who have only a high school level education. Thus, by using authoritative sources, the reader is aware of
the importance of education when choosing their career.

Furthermore, the writer uses the language technique of personal pronouns to provide a conversational
tone in the extract. The personal pronoun “you” was used many times throughout the extract in order
to grab the reader’s attention since the reader will feel as if the writer is talking to them and the writer is
also able to dialogue with the reader thus including them in the piece. By way of example, the personal
pronoun “you” is used in the lines, “If you have no sense of purpose or direction, you could waste
precious time in low-paying, dead-end jobs.” and
“Retirement may be the last thing on your mind now.” The use of this pronoun would captivate the
reader in the extract since it would make them feel as though the writer is directly engaging in a
conversation with them. As a result, the writer would achieve their purpose by using personal pronouns
since the reader would be aware of the information contained in the passage when it is presented to
them.  

Moreover, the credibility of the information presented in the extract can be evaluated based on the
sources it contains. In the extract. authoritative sources are used throughout which means that the
information contained must be credible. To illustrate, the writer uses information from Georgetown
University’s Center, The Society for Human Resource Management, The National Center for Education
Statistics and The Economic Policy Institute. The information retrieved from these sources will be
accurate hence contributing to the credibility of the piece.

In the final analysis, the writer is able to allow the reader to see that there are various factors to
contemplate when they are deciding on their career path. Therefore, by the use of organizational
strategies and language techniques, as well as credible information, the writer achieves her purpose by
clearly presenting the facts that one must consider before selecting their career path.