I am an English Major with a Minor in Professional Writing at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and while many know about the English Major, not a lot of people know about Professional Writing (PW), nor that it is a minor offered at the university. It is a fairly new minor, and is currently becoming more adaptive as time goes by. When I note that my minor is in PW other students or relatives question what that entails and what is gained from the minor. As a senior, I have gained such valuable skills that are related to my everyday life.
Professional Writing? Yes, professional!
Just exactly the way it sounds, professional writing focuses on writing mainly in “professional” settings. This includes business, technical, or organizational areas. The main point is to ensure that in these settings, the communication is clear and concise, whether that is on technological platforms, like websites and social media, or on paper, like manuals, and business letters. The goal is to connect and fit written content towards the audiences’ needs.
Editing skills
One of the more prominent classes that I took that pertained to my minor was Technical & Professional Editing and that is because the professor immersed us in real-world examples. In that class, I worked with a classmate on a project to aid and edit an international client’s published conference proceedings chapter, and I learned how to edit on Wikipedia. I edited many of my peers resumes’ and job documents. These experiences were crucial to note on my resume, as I gained valuable editing skills, managed new online platforms and worked with HTML and Microsoft 365.
Overall Valuable Lessons and SKIlls
In the 21st century, media and online platforms are rising, technology is advancing and being preferred over physical copies of printed paper. With my minor, I gained technological skills such as creating and learning about websites, content creation, and setting up important job required documents so that I could ace job applications and interviews. I learned that Professional Writing is a topic that is highly adaptive and everchanging. I also learned about audience needs, and how images and links can aid in immersing people to click on your content or buy your services. These skills are incredibly useful to obtain and have because everyone applies for a job, many use social media, everyone browses a website and lastly, many join corporations and businesses that they start or work for.
Knowing how to write in a professional setting, while being adaptive to many forms of writing and presentation is extremely important for everyone. My minor helped me get through college and prepare me for graduate school and many career fairs.