Writing is typically something that most people learn early in life. Starting from elementary grade levels, we are taught to express ourselves in written form. As we progress through the educational system, our writing becomes more coherent and detailed, reflecting the knowledge that we have acquired as we have moved through our educational quest. Once we reach the high school and college level, the disciplined structure of styles become more important and they are used more frequently. I have gone through this transition along with most other people. It is for this reason that I assumed that the subject of Technical Writing would be a refresher of information that I already knew. I was wrong is many ways. I have learned a great deal in this Technical Writing course, not only have I learned about the subject itself, but also about my strengths and weaknesses as a writer.

The Course
The course has very specific objectives that were designed and executed in a manner that allowed one concept to build upon the previous one. For instance, one of the first objectives was to understand how technical writing is essential to my career. Presenting the importance of the course and topic from the very beginning grabbed my attention and made me realize quickly that this was a course that would be a challenge and that should be taken seriously which was not my initial idea of technical writing. The next objective focused on the target audience which was followed by a focus on writing style. Because the style of writing employed depends on the audience for which the writing is for; the transition between concepts was smooth and made sense. From these lessons, I learned that technical writing is a skill that must be honed and mastered in order to perfect. I also learned that it plays a critical role in the understanding of the information that one tries to deliver. For example, two concepts that would be very useful in my career are ensuring that my writing is clear and concise, and designing documents that are easy to read that contain information that is easy to locate, retain, and understand. In the medical field there is simply no room for ambiguity because peoples’ lives are on the line. These two concepts will help me convey the needed information in a manner that will be quickly and effectively understood by fellow medical personnel.

The Assignments and My Learning
Looking back, I also learned a great deal from the writing assignments. The biggest lesson that I learned was that I am not as great of a writer as I thought I was and that I had a few things that I needed to work on. For example, I struggled with the Audience Analysis Memo as well as the designs strategies component of the Instructions Memo. Looking back now, I see that my areas of struggle with these two assignments are linked. Because it was difficult for me to analyze the strategy and design of an existing memo, it was difficult for me to implement an effective one into my own. This also explains why, as a communicator in the workplace, I am great at identifying the information that needs to be given, yet I struggle with the method and structure of delivery. For these assignments, I quickly realized that I needed to re-evaluate the elements of an effective strategic design; write the memo; and then analyze the effectiveness of my own design. Simply put, it was a process that I needed to learn to implement based on the information being provided and the needs of the audience that I was delivering information to. I was able to re-visit my old skill of identifying the information that needed to be communicated and gain a new skill of strategically designing my message.

My Future Career
My future career is in the nursing field. In any aspect of the medical field there are many people involved in accomplishing the common goal of providing quality healthcare to those who need it. The ability to accomplish this goal requires that communication amongst the many players is swift, concise, and accurate. It requires that we not have to search for the meaning of pertinent information and that the overall message is clear. My increased ability to meet these requirements makes me an even better candidate for my healthcare professional aspirations. It also prepares me for the other courses in my degree plan that encompasses the concepts of critical analysis of information and the strategic presentation of information.

Questions
Exploring a topic like technical writing can raise a great many questions. The first question that I had was how the topic was relevant to my career goals. This was quickly learned in the first week of the course. After a few more weeks, I began to wonder why this topic isn’t taught earlier in the education process, for example high school. The information is extremely beneficial and, if presented earlier, can become more adequately honed by the time it is of critical importance in the professional world.

Conclusion
Overall this has been an enlightening experience. I am very pleased with what I have accomplished and I would recommend this course to any college student. I have learned a great deal that I am certain I will carry with me through my educational and professional career.