The written word is the primary form of communication for nearly every person in every profession, and developing your ability to write is one of the most beneficial things you can do as a college student.
Writing is so much more than novels and news stories. It’s the measure by which your ideas are deemed worthwhile. No matter your area of study, how you express your ideas is what most affects people’s perception of them.
“Regardless of what field you go into, written communication is a part of every person’s life,” senior integrative studies major Mo Mohamed said. “It looks great to employers, and even if you want to own your own business you’re still going to be doing a lot of writing.”
In a 2013 survey by Hart Research Associates, employers were asked what skills they valued in graduates, and which areas they thought colleges should place more emphasis on. Of the 318 respondents, 80 percent said that the ability to effectively communicate in writing was an attractive trait for any prospective employee.
Another survey conducted in 2015 by Burning Glass Technologies reported that employers viewed writing as one of the top five skills required for any occupation.
“U.S. companies spend approximately $3.1 billion on remedial writing training each year for their employees,” said Dr. Lara Smith-Sitton, the director of Community Engagement for the KSU English Department. “While this is very costly for business organizations, it affirms that there are likely significant opportunities for professionals, including recent college graduates, who made writing a priority in their college careers.”
While the perks of being a skilled writer certainly include doing well on essays and written exams, the real benefits come after college. As you enter the workforce and establish a career path, the way you write will be a determining factor in your upward mobility. It goes a long way to know the proper tone when emailing a coworker or intern as opposed to a company’s CEO. Your voice, and your ability to tailor it to different audiences, can be the key to your success.
“Today, more than ever, all professions benefit from writing,” said Dr. Kim Haimes-Korn, a professor in the English Department.
“It is not enough to have content awareness alone. Everyone, no matter their discipline, needs to learn how to communicate ideas in rhetorically agile ways that consider purpose, audience, subject and context for any situation,” Haimes-Korn continued. “People with strong writing abilities align themselves for success in ways that open up a range of possibilities and directions.”
Effective communication is a skill anyone can develop. A common belief is that to write well, you must write with grand, extravagant sentences. However, big ideas do not always come from big words. Knowing how to make a statement that is clear, direct and powerful is just like any other talent that takes practice and patience. Regardless of your major or career goal, learning to write well is one of the most beneficial things you can master as a student.
