Now that the term is winding down to a close, a self-assessment of my strengths and weaknesses in technical writing will help me understand myself and understand how they will support my future career goals.

STRENGTHS

My greatest strengths when it comes to technical writing is that I know a lot of the basics such as formulating a thesis and writing in the outline of introduction, body, and conclusion. I also know how to write from a neutral, third-person perspective (i.e. without the use of “I,” “we,” or “you”).

WEAKNESSES

Having said that, there are some areas that I could improve upon. Avoiding the negative is still a struggle and it is a habit that is going to be harder for me to break. Sometimes I still write in the passive voice but I have made great strides to write with an active voice this term.

FUTURE CAREER

Technical writing is useful in any industry. I will definitely be using the skills I learned in this course; the most important of which is writing with a “You-Attitude.” I used to really dislike writing in the second person, but feel like I have really mastered writing with a “You-Attitude” and I am confident that I can provide better constructive feedback in the future.

OVERALL

I am thankful for the skills that I have developed by taking this course. The peer reviews, both conducting and receiving, were especially helpful in identifying the parts that I can improve upon. Generally, I am very pleased with my progress throughout term and will apply the skills that I have learned in my future career.

PROCESS

The process of making a web folio is a lot harder than it looks. It takes time and effort to create a well-designed web folio. Luckily, using WordPress saves time because it provides ready-made themes and all I have to do is choose one that matches my style. I found my original theme to be too minimalist so I chose another one that is still clean but allows for a cover photo. WordPress makes it simple for me to upload pictures and files with hyperlinks. Coming from a computer science background, I know how to create websites with HTML and CSS which made formatting the résumé easier, especially in making the section headings bigger.

CONTENT

Ensuring that there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes in my web folio is important in appearing professional. The guidelines laid out in the Technical Communications textbook helps immensely when it comes to creating a web folio. While proofreading my old documents and blog posts, I realized how much I have grown and developed as a technical writer. My Best Works page contains four pieces that are original and presentable.

My cover photo is one that I took a few years ago while I was learning how to fold origami Yodas. It allows my sense of humour to shine through and helps me in showing people what my hobbies are. Complex origami pieces take a lot of patience and perseverance. I want employers to understand that I will be patient with co-workers and customers and I will persevere in fixing bugs and get the program to work!