In Mary Dowd’s extract, she focuses on the importance of choosing a career path for students.

While the
economy has advanced in such a way that there are more career avenues which were not available to
the earlier generations, it is nerve wracking to choose a path. The main features of the extract include
the writer’s purpose, organization strategies, language techniques and an assessment of the credibility
of the information presented.

The writer has created the extract with a specific intention in mind. The main purpose of the writer is to
educate the upcoming generation of the specific factors to view when choosing a career avenue and the
job opportunities that are presented.

Evidently, the writer utilizes a range of organizational strategies to present her information. One of the
first strategies is the use of statistical data. This is found in paragraph four where the writer states that
an organization was used for this report. To be specific she states,”The National Center of Education
Statistics report…” and lists the data retrieved from the report. This is effective in achieving the writer’s
purpose because it is a statistical approach to persuading the audience to stay in school and pursue their
education. It also places importance on the key information or points that the writer is making. 

Additionally, another organizational strategy featured in the extract is the use of authoritative
reference. This is the use of reputed persons or organizations for information. The organization used
was the Society for Human Resource Management which stated that key information to support the
factor listed from job satisfaction surveys. This is effective because it enables the audience to rely on the
information which makes it easier when pursuing their career.

Furthermore, one more organizational strategy featured in the extract is compare and contrast. This was
used throughout the extract by comparing and contrasting individuals from different levels in education.
This can mainly be found in paragraph two which uses information to support the writer’s purpose of
choosing a career path wisely. This is effective because it displays the information to the audience of the
different lives they can have based on their career choices. 

An evaluation of the credibility of the information is essential in assessing its truthfulness. The
information stated in the extract seems to be highly valid. One reason for this is because the information
given in the extract is supported by highly reliable/expert sources. Data is quoted from the authorities
such as, ‘Georgetown’s University Center on Education and the Workforce’ and ‘Economic Policy
Institute’. Additionally, the use of examples in the extract are all recent and easily verifiable. For
example, the National Center of Statistics reports that 88 percent of college-educated adults were
employed in 2016.
In conclusion, the extract focused on the issue of the importance of choosing a career path. The writer’s
purpose, organizational strategies- statistical data, authoritative reference, compare and contrast, along
with the highly valid information all help to reinforce the writer’s purpose in the extract.