Tempting as it may be to say “I don’t need to pay much attention to my writing because my career won’t require me to write anything when I graduate”, chances are you will find that there are many different documents you will need to write or review no matter where your career lands you. Here are some examples:
Science careers may see you writing: proposals, grant applications, memos, project specifications, technical manuals, lab reports, and scientific papers.
Trades careers could require you to create: client proposals, forms, reports, memos, training manuals, and safety documents.
Nurses have writing requirements too: patient reports and charts, care plans, and incidence reports.
Adventure, Culinary Arts, and Tourism may need to write some of the following: brochures, website content and/or blogs, training and safety manuals, recipes, cookbooks, and much more!
Each of these documents must be written with clarity, objectivity, and an appropriate amount of descriptive language.
Imagine these scenarios:
- You are an electrician running your own company and have submitted a proposal for a $25,000 contract to do electrical upgrades for an old building at the Hospital. Poor spelling could cause that contract to go to your competitor instead.
- You are a chef going on parental leave for six months and need to leave behind your secret recipe for your lobster bisque. A mistake in the grammar of your instructions might result in rubbery lobster or burnt garlic.
- You are a software tester writing a bug report for the developers to review. Lack of clarity and detail in your report could result in more problems with the software and ultimately, more work for you in the long run.
The bottom line: your writing skills can make all the difference between success and setback no matter where your career takes you. Part of your academic fees pay for services like the TRU Writing Centre so come see us and get your money’s worth before you graduate. We would be thrilled to help you!
