I can't even begin to say what a relief it is to be done with that last project which required me to work in a group with three others.  The other's where fine people but the stress from to project was definitely something which had weighed me down over the last few weeks.  I think the process of preparing for something (like the oral proposal) was bad for me.  I'm usually into "winging it."  But for the oral proposal I wrote out everything I wanted to say; prepared a speech so to say.  But the words just didn't come out properly.

But this next project (The employment project involves inventorying job skills, building resumes, analyzing job advertisements, and writing cover letters) looks tight.  It's just what I need currently.  I know that my resume is out of date and definitely need to be updated.  I have hopes that it will looks much much better than the one I had last summer which really wasn't any different than the one I created in 12th grade English.

Finding employment has never been easy for me.  To me it seems like some people never have trouble finding jobs due to family connections and whatnot...  I went through several interviews before I landed my first real job.  First there was K-Mart.  The K-Mart interview went well and they wanted to hire me but I failed their  online aptitude test and due to policy they were unable to hire me.  Then Golden Corral didn't even want me to wash dishes.  I applied at so many places but didn't get hired that summer.  I sucked too because my parents went on vacation for a month and I had to go stay with my grandparents since I didn't have a job.

A few months later I started making the rounds again and finally got called in for an interview at the local movie theater.  At this point I didn't even really care and had seen so many other people who I considered less qualified land jobs like it was nothing.  So I went into that interview and didn't really try to impress anyone.  But it totally worked.

That's when I began to learn something that I've found important when trying to get certain jobs.  This might sound a little bit ignorant and cocky but whatever this is my blog so I'm going to say it:  management doesn't like smart people.  Depending on the duties of the job I've applied for the management really could care less about how intelligent I was and (in my opinion) hired people on the basis of them not being smarter than management because that can control issues.

At the movie theater I learned lots of stuff.  I learned public speaking when I welcomed guests into the auditoriums.  I also learned time management skills and communication skills via the PTT radio systems we used.  And of course I handled food and cash. They loved me there and rehired me twice and are still looking forward to me coming back this summer (although that probably won't be happening).

While living in Tempe I found it difficult to find a job once again.  I was always taught to dress well and shave before interviews but that didn't work for me.  Maybe it was other things like lack of work experience,  So I decided to set the bar low and got hired at Raising Cane's as a cook (didn't even shave for the interview and I definitely needed a hair cut),  Fast food and poor hours but it was a job and I made the best of it.  I was valued there because I always came on time, ready to work, and I brought a good attitude.  I learned how to work in fast under stressful conditions but that't about it.  The best thing I personally got out of that job was how to interact with other workers and have a good time at work.  I eventually resigned and left on good terms knowing that they would rehire me if I ever wished to return.

After a few months being unemployed I decided to start looking for a better job.  My roommate convinced me to apply at the University Technology Office at ASU where he was working.  I went with my instinct and went into my interview very relaxed.  I didn't shave and I didn't wear a tie.  But it totally worked.  Now I'm the guy in the polo and nerd glasses who comes into the classrooms when the professors can't figure out how to get the projector to work.

I love my job and have practiced a lot of useful skills there.  Namely, writing emails to coworkers, answering phone calls, and related technological skills with computer systems.

I still have a lot to learn.  I'll soon be authorized to drive the golf carts around the campus after I finish the training course.  I'll also have to learn more about the computer systems with experience that comes with time.

But I'm exited to redo my resume and start looking into what jobs I am qualified to apply for and whatever else comes with this next project,

Peace out.

In the first chapter of the Markel's Technical Communication the reader gets a basic understanding of what technical communication encompasses.  It starts out by discussing a research study of over 400 companies and asking those companies what skills they felt were very important (Markel 3).  Nearly every company (more than 90%) said that these skills were very important:

• oral communication
• teamwork and collaboration
• Professionalism and work ethic
• Written communication

Beyond these another study discussed on page 3 says that writing skills are very important.

I bring this topic up because I'd like to talk about the progression of my technical communication skills.  I've gone from not really know what technical communication was (the beginning of the semester) to understanding that yes it's an extremely important skill.

In the past two months I've had both good and bad experiences which involved using technical communication skills.  I'm going to give a brief summary of these in somewhat chronological order to bring you up to date and then I'll try to conclude with my most recent experience followed by my predictions for the next assignments which I'll be working on.

At the beginning of the semester I started this blog.  Writing was never a major struggle but knowing what content to put in and write about was usually an area I struggled.  I feel like my blogs became less humorous and more monotonous for myself every week until we come to today which I present you the most boring blog yet. Maybe it's because I'm worn out, or it might be because I feel no inspiration to write anything clever in this blog anymore due what I perceive as a lack of appreciation from my audience.  Whatever it is you as a reader should know that my current effort of writing this blog is a complex of both love and hate.  I loathe the fact that I'm up writing this because of my commitment to post it within a time constraint (I mean it's been a long day and I'd much rather be asleep in my cozy bed),  On the other hand I'm a person who actually really likes to sit around and think about stuff (and I don't mean that sarcastically, I actually like to ponder).  Writing it down can really help me focus and reflect on things which I otherwise might not think of or be distracted from thinking about.  This blog has purpose for me.

My first project in English 301 was a bust.  I didn't do too well on it.  I had hoped that I would receive a good grade because I actually tried very hard to do a good job.  Unfortunately I must have overestimated my technical communication skills.  I apparently didn't understand the project and completed unsatisfactory work.  So I knew I would have to make it up on the other projects.

The next project was done working with a single partner.  This actually worked out quite well.  I discovered that my communication skills within a small closed group are rather effective.  We divided work well and it really wasn't too bad.  Our grade for that project was OK.

I've been trying to analyze and observe other outlets which I use technical communication skills.  I use these skill at my work all the time.  Often I have to send emails to supervisors to ask questions or report things which I've done.  The other week I had to compose a document which illustrated that I've satisfactorily completed all the training procedures.  I know I did a good job on that and impressed my supervisors.

Finally this last assignment I did in English 301 was a collaborative research project.  I disliked this project from the start and will be glad when I'm done with it after this week.  I've found that working in a larger group is much much more difficult than working with a single partner.  People don't communicate as well and it's hard to agree on things.  I often feel like I'm forced to agree to something because I don't want to start an argument which could create tension within the group.

It's often the things which things we dislike which help to form us the most and can help us learn. This experience working with a larger group has definitely made me rethink my place within the group and caused me to take initiative or to disagree and propose my own ideas which I think should at least be heard.  It's not comfortable to do these things for me but I suppose it's part of my technical communications training.  While I'm glad to be done with this project soon and won't miss it, I don't believe it was a loss or a waste of my time.

The next assignment is what I'm looking forward to.  Literally.  I should have a chance to draft a new resume which I really need to do.  I've done a lot since the last time I really did that (it was senior year in high school).

As I was attempting to convey in the beginning of this post.  Employers are looking for people skilled in technical communication.  I think I'm well on my way.

Until next time.

And just like that spring break is over and I'm back on my grind getting work done and creating blog posts...  I've been requested by my vast audience to include images in my post so...  Let's talk about memes for a minute.



I love memes.  They're hilarious.  I especially dig this one above because I can heavily relate to it.  So can most of the people who look at it.  What really makes memes so great is that they're easy to understand and relate to.  It could be argued that memes are a great advancement in human communications.  But I'd like to analyze this concept further.

Now let's hypothetically say I was working my job one fine day and it just so happened that day that there was absolutely no work which needed to be done.  After leaving my work I post a selfie on Instagram of myself in my work polo with a nice smile on my face.  I accompany the photo with text which basically says, "Today at work I did absolutely nothing.  I just sat around.  This is me leaving work." Except with more descriptive words.

That would be dumb.  Nobody does that.  As soon as I see someone post that I'm going to wonder, "Why are you telling the world you did nothing at work today?  Was the selfie really necessary?"

But when I see the baby face in the meme accompanied by the text it clicks.  It makes perfect sense and of course I know what the creator of the meme was getting to.  Not because I worked the exact same job he or she did and was there that day when he or she did nothing.  Rather because I've had a similar experience which I relate to.  Did my face actually look like the baby's face? No.  But it felt like that and that's all that matters.

But it's odd that something as vague, impersonal, and crude as a meme is so effective.  Memes seem to be a really efficient way of expressing an idea.  While I've established my love for memes, I believe that older media is much more powerful and deeper in meaning.

In the past people looked to literature such as Shakespeare to find concepts which they could relate to and which represent the human condition.  Artists (I'm not going to pretend I know an example for this) could paint pictures which did the same thing.  And even today I'd say that many music artists (especially hip hop) capture the essence of the human struggles and triumphs through their lyrics.

I just think it's crazy how an image with a virtually anonymous creator can accomplish or even come close to representing the phenomena of the human condition in ways which other artist spend years attempting to convey through their given medium.  

That took more words than I expected... Now on to the good stuff about English 301.

Chapter 18 of the Markel text book changed how I think about lab reports.  Don't get me wrong I still hate doing them but I think I respect them more now.  I never thought of a lab report as a persuasive argument (Markel 491),  The entire chapter really informs the reader of the importance of a lab report and also how to effectively compose one.  I really wish I had read this chapter when I was taking that Physics class the other year...  But now I know how to plan for creating a lab report if I ever decide to do research on something.

I suppose the project I'm working on now (the report on the Institute for Humanities) is kind of a lab report like document.  I'm creating a document which illustrates and describes my findings from conducting primary research on the organization's website.  So I think I can actually use this new found instruction right away.

There's a lot of information in chapter 8 which one might find interesting.  I've always liked writing persuasively rather than informatively.  I feel the need to convince people of something through examples.  I might not be the best at it but I guess that's why I'm reading this chapter.

I thought that it was interesting to learn the how claims should be presented (Markel 192).  There are different styles and patterns of presentation and how the persuasion goes down that differ between cultures.  I'm curious to see more examples of this and compare it to my own personal styles of persuasion.

What's really great are the logical fallacies which Markel brings up.  I'm sure I'm guilty of these on a regular basis and but I'm glad that these were brought to my attention.  I'll be on the lookout to see that I don't fall victim to one of the blunders.

That's all for now.  Have a wonderful day, World.

The month of March brings me to realization of a few things.  Firstly, it means that the school semester is basically half over.  That's nice because the second half always seems to go faster than the first half.  The next thing which strikes me about this time of the semester is mid terms.  Mid terms never seem to stress me out like they should but I still end up a little anxious about my grades in classes because I know that at this point there's only so much I can do to improve the grade.  But the best thing about this time of the year is spring break.  It's like a mini Christmas except you don't have to waste money buying people presents,,,

Looking into chapter 17 of the Technical communications book I'm starting to more fully realize the scope and purpose of the research project we're doing in class.  In the book it is written, "informational reports share one goal: to describe something that has happened or is happening now" (Markel 467).  How interesting it is that I'm in a research team and we're doing a report on somethings.  It's almost like I was meant to read this chapter!

In the book there a lot of pointers on how to create a good report.  To begin with it needs to
provide clear, accurate, and specific information to an audience" (Markel 467).  The first thing that strikes me is the last part of this quote from the book.  Audience.  In the project we're working on in class our primary audience is the same person who gives us a grade.  Our teacher and supervisor.

Now I don't think this is bad because there are of course several instances in the professional world where reports will need to be made to a specific person.  In my life I've completed a lot of reports like this.  Ever since I can remember I was writing essays about stuff and I knew that the only person who would be reading it was my teacher.  In some ways however I felt like it was really unnecessary to create such a document just for one person.  I feel like an informal letter or a small meeting would function just as well.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm glad I had the writing practice because today I know I'm a better writer than I was as a kid.  It's like what we discussed on the first day of class for English 301: how do you get better at writing/technical communication? practice doing it.

Only when I was in high school did I start having to create more interesting reports for a more diverse audience.  I remember doing some short presentations in science classes.  These were always very informal.  While some may have considered them "unprofessional" they were still very informative and I did my best to keep it humorous when possible.

Honors English is where I really started making use of my technical communication skills.  There were a lot of papers, a lot of peer reviewing, and of course many oral presentations.  Not to mention the plethora of reading.  I think what I learned most from all that practice was that you can write infinite words about a subject if you know what you want to say.

Last year I was in  APA 200; an Asian Pacific American Studies class.  For our final project we had to do what was called an "oral history paper."  Basically I had to find someone who was Asian/Pacific/American, conduct a length interview, and write a paper about him or her. It wasn't easy.  I got my interview done early enough but I had no idea how to create a 12 page paper out of that information.  I needed a thesis of some kind to get me going but I had nothing.  Eventually I created a semi-bullshit thesis by connecting the interview to a book we had read in class and once I did that then the paper wasn't too bad.

In this research project I'm working on now I find myself in a similar quandary. I don't really know what kind of a thesis we'll have for our document.  What'll probably have to do is analyze the data collected from not only myself but all of the team members and then come up with a thesis, and work with it as a team.

I think part of the goal of our research project is to create a recommendation report.  So basically we're going to tell our supervisor what we think the Institute of Humanities Research can do to be a better organization.  We will need to justify this through our research.

I’m hoping my team will be able to make some good observations over the next week or so.  If we do, we will be able to create something we can work with.

Tune in next week for more about adventures in English 301.  Just kidding next week is

S P R I N G   B R E A K

Every week and every new blog post I compose leaves me wondering how necessary it is to introduce the blog.  English 301, this is a blog about it.

The latest project our class has been working on involves what can be considered "communicating with the public."  Essentially we will be researching an institute and reporting our findings.  As with most assignments, it's a little bit more complicated than that. 

 Now we are working in groups of four.  This makes life pretty complicated.  Decisions are much more difficult to make.  In class we were tasked to choose an institute to do our report on.  I didn't really have much of a say on it.  I wanted to do the institute that had something to do with science but before I was even given a chance to say that it seemed like one or two of the group had already decided that they wanted to do research on the Institute for Humanities Research.  So i didn't really feel like trying to convince them otherwise so I just went with it.

So now that we've chosen an institute the quest for information begins. We will gather this info by conducting research.  Research will yield data which we can use in the report.  Our team will conduct both primary and secondary research. For my research I will go to the official website and record some statistics and other interesting data.

Currently I'm wondering what exactly this report is.  So I'm looking into the the text to learn more about it...

In the book it says that it is necessary for organizations to have accountability with the public (Markel 635).  Now a days people just want to know what an organization is doing.  They're curious and want to know who does what and how it all went down.  I guess I can relate.  I like to know who does what at Apple and I like to know all the inside info.  Unfortunately Apple doesn't like to share most of this information with me.

Also in the book we read about the impact public relations has on advertising and overall success.  Much of the advertising an organization gets these days is though word of mouth.  So if the public can easily find information about an organization then that organization will likely be talked about a lot.  On the other hand an organization like Apple kind of does the opposite but still gets talked about.  Perhaps because they're so secretive.

There's an entire section on collaborating with the public through social media (Markel 648). I think it's very important to know about this.  Social media is probably the most powerful venue of both advertising and sharing information.  For an organization to be able to use social media effectively is a subject of much interest.  Websites like Twitter and Instragram provide the public with a primary source of news from celebrities.  This is something with is pretty new.  In the past all information we read was secondary. If you knew something it was most likely through secondary research from a book, newspaper, or magazine. Today we can simply look at someone's Twitter posts to gain a direct quote from them.  Furthermore we can look at websites of organizations firsthand to gain information.

Another component to think about in this report is the audience for our report.  Typically I would have thought I'm writing this report for the general public.  For anyone to read.  But our team has decided that we will write it for an audience which is our supervisor.  So basically we are creating a report on the Institute and we will report our finding to our supervisor, or basically our teacher for the class.