Letter to Cousin

To My Dearest Cousin Chanae,

I still can’t believe five years have passed since we came to USU as freshman. Time sure does fly. Now you are off to Tahiti, graduated, and saving the world. I know you asked about my classes I am taking this year and what they entail. Well, I would love to tell you specifically about one class. The course is titled Professional and Technical Communication. The title itself looks intimidating and confusing but is actually fascinating once its understood.

Professional and technical communication are most often understood as professional and technical writing. To make more sense of my class, I want to define each of these types individually. The definition of professional communication is very self-explanatory.  That is, use the communication sills you have in various aspects of the professional world. The second part of my class is technical communicators. Technical communicators take complex documents or manuals and translate it so it is less complex. In better words they translate these documents so people like you and me can understand what it says. Not only do they translate documents they also gather information and data and the process of translation continues. Chanae I’m sure you are wondering by now why this is so important. Although the title seems boring, this skill is in high demand.

I’m sure you are aware that our economy right now is struggling. Although the economy is improving from years past, as graduating students we still need to be the best of the best in order to secure a good job. I’m here to tell you that if you study professional and technical communication you will learn how to critically think and analyze situations. This degree is becoming more popular because it prepares students for the real world. Professional and technical communication are important because they teach us how to convey our message efficiently and effectively. That being said, when times get tough in the work place and you are kept on the payroll due to these invaluable skills, remember this letter.  I hope you can see from this small explanation that professional and technical communication is key ingredient for individual’s future.

To my amazement, this class has not been taught at USU for the last four years.  It seems like a class that will help students branch out of the norm and push them to communicate and articulate thoughts quickly would have been in the curriculum from the beginning. One aspect of the class that I found particularly intriguing deals with the use of social media for class projects. We will be doing everything through blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other similar sites. Our world has changed vastly in how we communicate with others. A lot of communication happens through social media sites. For good or bad we need to be able display ourselves through these means, because it could be the way future employers find us. 

I hope you are having a wonderful time in Tahiti. I also hope you have a better understanding of what it is I’m doing in my final stretch of school before graduation. I can’t wait to see you!!

Your Cousin,

Jessi