Part 5:

Analyzing Occupations, Workplace Communication, and Job-Related Problems

Writing about Majors and Career Prospects
November 5-December 5 (*essay due December 10)

Essay due on Canvas: Tuesday, December 10 by 11:59 p.m.

In-class peer review: Thursday, December 5
Essay grade: 50 points possible
Document Design: 12 point font (Times New Roman or Calibri); 1” margins
Length: 900 words
Research: Two sources: one interview and one news article
Chapter from Choices: Chapter 7: Analyzing
Associated tasks (72 points possible): Writing Activities (1, 2, 4-6, 8-15); Group Activities (1-7, 9, 10);
Editing Activities: (1-2)

Please note: The following description will be discussed in detail in class. It is essential that you come to
class to understand the assignment completely. Be sure to ask questions as you have them.

Writing Goals for Part 5 (from Choices pg. 183):

 Explore the chapter topic by reading essays about a work issue.
 Gather ideas by freewriting, brainstorming, and consulting with others.
 Develop ideas using classification and definition.
 Practice using research material in your writing.
 Combine sentences with subordinating conjunctions
 Learn how to correct pronoun reference and agreement

Writing Assignment Topic (adapted from Choices pg. 195)

Whether you are a full- or part-time student, have worked in just one or many jobs, or have no work
experience, you will probably be thinking about a job or working toward a specific career goal while in
college. It’s a good idea to think about potential careers and investigate your options. For this
assignment, you’ll help yourself plan for the future by writing about a career field that interests you or
with which you have experience. Write an essay (approximately 900 words) in which you inform your
readers about an occupation you are interested in. Please note that you will not be persuading your
readers to take action or trying to convince them that this field is the best out there. Instead, you should
think of this essay as something to help you understand more about your achieving your career goals.

In your essay, you’ll want to be sure to address the following questions:

1. When did you first become interested in this occupation?
2. If you’re already in this occupation, in what way do you want to change (such as obtain a higher
position or go into another specialty)?
3. What are three things that interest you about this occupation? Why?
4. What are two things you want to learn about this occupation?
5. What’s your opinion about a current problem or issue in this occupation? (Use your news article
source to help you answer this question.)
In your essay, you will also need to include research. You will need to cite these sources properly (we’ll
talk about how to do this in-class). There are two types of sources you’ll need for this paper: an
interview and a news article.

Interview details: You will need to conduct an interview with someone who is in the occupation you’re
writing about or a professor who teaches courses in that major. The goal of your interview is to discover
information about the real-world experiences of someone in this occupation. For your interview,
challenge yourself to reach out to someone who is unfamiliar. Do not interview family for this essay;
rather, if you do have family in this occupation, ask them to introduce you to someone else. We’ll talk
about how to create strong questions for your interview in-class. You will need to provide contact
information for your interviewee so make sure you keep track of his/her/their information. You can
conduct the interview in-person, over the phone, or via email.

News article details: Find a news article that was published no earlier than 2014. We’ll discuss how to
find an article using our library’s databases in-class. Choose an article that describes a current problem
or issue in your chosen occupation. Do not choose an article that describes your chosen occupation.

The associated tasks will help you think about occupations, analyze audience and purpose, free write,
consult with others about your topic, create interview questions, locate additional information about
your topic, and revise your draft.

Grading: I will use the English 080 rubric (on Canvas and attached to your syllabus) to assess your work. I
will specifically be looking for mastery of the “writing goals” listed above. I will also be looking at how
you plan for writing by paying special attention to outlining, brainstorming, and other pre-writing
activities in the “associated tasks.” We’ll review in class how to access and address my feedback on your
previous work.