Unlike many second-degree computer science students, ENGL 301 is not a mandatory course for me but I decided to take this course because I learned the importance of technical writing skills through experience while working for software companies. ENGL 301 provided an excellent learning opportunity to improve my technical writing skills and learn writing techniques that can make my writing more convincing and professional.
It was enjoyable to review my previous work and see what I have learned throughout this course. Since most of my undergraduate degree did not involve writing reflections, blogs, and memos, I consistently struggled to come up with words and ideas. In computer science, it is strongly emphasized to write code as simple as possible, and using fancy and unnecessary words is strongly discouraged. Also, I struggled to use the “YOU” attitude since this conflicted with what I learned from computer science courses. The field of computer science is extremely direct and people tend to be extremely detailed and organized. When coding, a single typo can cost millions of dollars for a company and therefore, it is crucial to be extremely explicit on the requirement and specifications. This inevitably makes it difficult to use the “YOU” attitude and it’s common for people working in this field to sound rude and unprofessional. However, I believe the “YOU” attribute is an extremely important skill in the workplace and a skill anyone should try to master.
My strength is organization skills and attention to detail. As a computer science student, I became accustomed to being organized and sensitive to detail, and these skills are represented throughout the course. Also, as I have a strong background in technology I was able to easily navigate through the website and create a table using HTML.
The skills I learned from ENGL 301 could be used to build a stronger resume, cover letter, and letter for requesting a reference. The “YOU” attitude is a powerful technique that could help me to communicate effectively in a professional setting and satisfy my need. As I will be working as a software engineer, I will be responsible to write technical documents and communicate with other programmers. Although I still have a lot of room to improve my technical skills, this course was an excellent starting point.