A lot has changed in the past month, and I can firmly say I am coming closer to reaching the goals outlined when I began this course.
LinkedIn Profile
Creating a professional social media network (LinkedIn) as part of this class is something I thoroughly enjoyed. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to not only create a profile, but properly engage in the creation process with respect to this; an initial draft, peer review, and modifications. Following the tips outlined by my reviewer allowed me to craft a profile catered to the specific type of employer I was seeking to attract (software-related). I certainly would have otherwise put off the work until I applied for internships a few months from now, which would not have been an optimal solution.
Formal Report
When it comes to my formal report, I am satisfied with the progress of my report, now that I have changed topics. My new topic will grant me the opportunity to robustly collect significantly more data. I am not only glad that I have the opportunity to express my thoughts on this personal topic but also do so in a professional manner that can be used to call on actionable change. The formal report itself provides insight into how, in a professional setting, one can identify a problem and convincing an intended audience of such a problem. I have no doubt that the process of brainstorming and preparing my report proposal and outline will be relevant to my professional life; in the future, I will have to call upon what I learned during this process.
Peer Review
With regard to reviewing my partner’s proposal, I have learned that even seemingly perfectly working organizations have their fair share of issues that can be addressed. My partner’s proposal was professional, concise, and gave me a clear picture of how one can go about forwarding a formal complaint to a relevant audience, with sufficient evidence to back their claims. Furthermore, I also surprised myself in terms of what I can bring to the table. Given that the topic was accounting, I thought that I would not have much to offer in terms of feedback, beyond feedback with regards to grammar, organization, and the formal report process. However, I found that I could draw on my background in personality psychology to offer my partner some new things to consider when creating his draft. This not only revealed to me that I could surprise myself, but that others may surprise me in terms of the feedback they can offer, even if they may be unfamiliar with the topic I am covering.
Through the peer review process, I have learned even more about my writing. I certainly have a lot of work to do with regard to clarity and organization, which are two qualities that are expected of professional writing. I aim to in future, when writing, spend more time on brainstorming and studying the outline of what I am attempting to write; doing both will improve my clarity and organization. With regard to writing in general, both peer-reviewing and having been peer-reviewed involves the long process of brainstorming, writing iterative drafts and obtaining corrections from others. Getting feedback from others is a necessary part of writing, as one can learn plenty from others, and use what one learns to make corrections in one’s writing. Furthermore, brainstorming is absolutely necessary, where there is almost always more to consider, and in conjunction with peer review, can provide new avenues of exploration.