Linda Felbinger
2 October, 2017
English 111
Phase Two
Communicating in Adulthood
Within any job that you are willing to work well in, you will need proper communication skills regardless of how much you will interact with other people. In doing this you will not only need communication, but also proper writing skills. Within the article “Why Can’t College Graduates Write Coherent Prose?”, it is said that most graduated college students have taken less than or up to five classes that have required them to correctly write. Selingo states that he has noticed more and more students not having the proper skills to be considered good writers. Selingo spoke to many of his colleagues to try to fix this problem. He suggests that students need to learn how to use their own knowledge in order to edit their own papers, as well as peer reviewing with their classmates.
Does grammar affect your daily life? Do you notice yourself making mistakes when it comes to the different yours or the different there’s? Accordingly, Susan Adams along with Kyle Wiens are both very hardcore when it comes to grammar. Neither one of them is sympathetic when it comes to grammar mistakes. The two of them wrote their own papers on why grammar is important in the use of everyday life along with everyone’s careers.Within Adams’ article, she says that she was raised by grammar sticklers which has caused her to be very harsh on simple grammar mistakes. She writes that it is important to have a good sense of grammar for respect and to show others your level of intelligence (Adams). Adam Wiens takes a direct approach to bad grammar habits. He has expressed that within his companies his way of hiring new colleagues is to give the applicants a grammar test in order to see if the person qualifies (Wiens). Wiens has seen at first hand that a way of viewing credibility is to look at their grammar and to use that as a way of choosing his new workers for his company. These are just two people who view grammar as one of the most important writing tools.
In order to achieve my goal of becoming a Veterinarian, I will first have to go through the necessary education requirements, which includes passing the Veterinary Technician National Examination (Veterinary Technologists and Technicians). As an aspiring veterinarian, I am willing to accept that I will not only be communicating with animals, but mainly with their owners. Half of my job will contain communicating the problems of the animals along with the solutions to the parents and other veterinarians in order to come up with a solution. In order to properly satisfy the owners of the animals, communication is the key to success. Multiple people within the office would have to understand not only my handwriting, but also what certain phrases mean. I will need to remain calm with all of the circumstances that I will be put in. I plan on being a veterinarian that travels to the animals and every patient that I treat will be my first priority at that time. I will make decisions regarding the wellness of the animal, and will not let my emotions and feelings influence my conclusion to the problems that are faced. Sometimes what is best for the animal, will not always be what the owners will want. That is when good communication will help dearly. I will do my best to persuade in the interest of the patient. My opinion will not be forced, it will be as honest as possible. These are my aspirations as a possible veterinarian.
There are many things that can be done in order to improve my communication skills that are needed in order for me to become a Veterinarian. I can improve my grammar by using my resources given to me from taking an English Composition Class at Thomas Nelson Community College. While in the class I am given access to The Little Seagull Handbook, The Little Seagull Handbook allows me to work on my grammar and it provides exercises that I can practice with. I can take a speaking class which would teach me different ways to improve things. The thing that I will have to practice most, is my public speaking. In order to fix this I will have to take a Public Speaking class to be able to overcome my anxieties of speaking in front of a large group of people. I do not only plan on doing this, but also to practice my future speeches by myself. I plan on practicing with my mom in order to get feedback and to better myself before my final presentation.
Throughout my future career I plan on focusing on the things that I will need to do in order to better myself in every way that I can. “Writing is not a solitary experience. The best writers learn from others” (Selingo). By taking my time and letting other people read and edit my papers, I will have more insight on what I need to look out for in my future writing as well as in my present paper. This technique will help me in my future career as well as my everyday life. I will gain knowledge along with opportunities to improve my grammar habits to help me succeed.
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/#5cd3e567421f. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
Selingo, Jeffrey J. “Perspective | Why Can't College Graduates Write Coherent Prose?”The Washington Post, WP Company, 11 Aug. 2017,
www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/08/11/why-cant-college-graduates-write/?utm_term=.78d985010eb8&wpisrc=nl_highered&wpmm=1. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017.
“Veterinarians” Occupational Outlook Handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, 17 Dec. 2015, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinarians.htm Accessed 4 Oct. 2017.
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Wiens, Kyle. “I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why.” Harvard Business Review, 10 Apr. 2017, hbr.org/2012/07/i-wont-hire-people-who-use-poo. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.