Communicating as a Professional Essay

Have you ever wondered why your English teachers constantly drilled the seemingly unimportant skills of grammar into your head day after day? The answer is much simpler than you may think: they are trying to prepare you for future success in life. Proper writing is an absolute necessity for securing a job. In today’s world, comprehensive writing and language are skills students need to understand. Jeffery Selingo, the author of There is Life After College, pointed out in his article “Why Can’t College Graduates Write Coherent Prose?” the importance and application of proper writing skills in the workplace. Employers today want employees with strong writing skills and feel that many potential workers and even current ones lack this skill (Selingo). This glaring issue cannot be overstated; however, many graduates and students seem to be oblivious to this. Out of the mess of this situation, two experts on grammar and workplace writing skills, Susan Adams and Kyle Weins, express in their articles the importance of writing in the workplace.

First and foremost, many bosses have concluded that employees with poor grammar skills don’t deserve to be employees. Susan Adams and Kyle Wiens, two experts on the subject of grammar, seem to share the same sentiment. In the web article “I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar” by Kyle Wiens and the article “Why Grammar Counts at Work” by Susan Adams, both authors describe why proper use of grammar in the workplace is important. They also explain why many businesses will not hire people possessing poor grammar skills. As today’s language constantly changes with the times, many office managers in the workforce are showing signs of frustrations toward the newer generations of workers. The improper use grammar was the main contributor to this frustration, as the vernacular of internet speech is being brought into the workplace (Adams). In both pieces on the subject, both authors emphasize the reflection the proper grammar has to one’s self. This is very much true. For example, people who are attentive to the details of their writing are more than likely to be just as attentive to their regular work (Wiens). In an extremely competitive environment, this is a trait that an exuberant amount of bosses are looking for in their employees. They absolutely can’t take the chance to hire people who can’t show their employers that they can act professionally. Even Wiens himself, a CEO and founder of two businesses, explicitly stated: “I have a ‘zero tolerance approach’ to grammar mistakes that make people look stupid.” Obviously, it’s not just attention to detail that grammar points to, but also that person’s intelligence and thoughtfulness (Adams). Attention to detail and thoughtfulness seems to go hand in hand with the proper use of grammar, thus becomes crystal clear why grammar is so important.

On my part, as a college student aspiring to become a graduated college student, attention to detail may be the most important skill that I’ll need to be successful in the career field. For an overly saturated job market, information security analysis is a job that is expected to have a high demand in the upcoming years. Right off the bat, I need to compete with a lot of people for positions in information security. Consequently, it’s important for me to have good communication skills. For the responsibilities of an information analyst, the Occupational Outlook Handbook writes that, “information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems.” They need to show strong leadership skills, concise intentions, and the ability to work with people in different departments. As such, being able to explain the ideas behind cyber terrorism, like at a conference or a seminar is an extremely important skill as it’s what partially defines the job. I am also required to have the sufficient writing skills to be able to write reports on any breaches or writing plans and recommendations for security. However, these reports must be clear and concise as I will usually be sharing them amongst coworkers and submitting them to upper management who will also read them. To further extend upon this, I have to know my way around using word processing software and any software that is related to cybersecurity in any way. It is expected of information analysts to keep up with the times as cybersecurity changes, so websites such as IEEE Computer Society and the Association for Computing Machinery are very good references to keep myself updated on trends or changes in the world of cybersecurity.

As I stand right now, I think there are many things about myself regarding my communicative skills that I can improve upon. As it so happens, I become very nervous talking in public settings. For the career I want, knowing how to give speeches and explaining concepts or ideas to coworkers is essential. One way I could fix this is by joining a speech class to help properly dictate my words, which I plan on doing in the spring of 2018. I’ve also already gone out and found clubs like the recently made Computer Club and volunteer groups at my local church. In the Spring, I will join this computer club to meet more like-minded people and communicate more with people. This would also help develop my ability to leave a good first impression on people because my social skills will improve at the same time. Alongside focusing on my social skills, I will be also focusing on developing a strong work ethic. This semester I will challenge myself and hopefully figure my potential.

All in all, as Selingo so neatly states, “Perhaps the best way to improve writing is to read good writing, and not just 140-character tweets or Facebook shares.” As society has been put on the path towards an evolving and engrossing Digital Age, with its own new rules and quirks on writing, college students and I have forgotten what makes writing good and why it matters in the end. It’s my responsibility as part of the next generation of workers to remember and embrace the reason why I sat through all of those English classes: they were trying to make me a better person.

Works Cited

Adams, Susan. “Why Grammar Counts at Work.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 31 July 2012, www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/07/20/why-grammar-counts-at-work/#1d04c230421f. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.

“Information Security Analysts.” Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm#tab-1. Accessed 28 Sep. 2017

Selingo, Jeffery J. “Why Can’t College Graduates Write Coherent Prose?” Washington Post, 11 Aug 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/08/11/why-cant-college-graduates-write/?utm_term=.5cac1e6148c6&wpisrc=nl_highered&wpmm=1. Accessed 5 Oct 2017.

Wiens, Kyle. “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.” Harvard Business Review, 20 July 2012, hbr.org/2012/07/I-wont-hire-people-who-use-poo. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.