13.2 The First-Year Writing Program and Your Career

In the recent featured report by Gallup, The State of Higher Education 2025, the most important motivator for individuals enrolling in higher education after high school is “expected future job opportunities.” As stated in the same report, “Career outcomes remain the primary motivation for pursuing additional formal education after high school, regardless of whether students are still in college or have paused their education” (16).

At Cleveland State University (CSU), faculty and staff understand that you attend CSU to better yourselves academically and individually, but of course, practically and professionally with the hopes of becoming employable and experiencing consistent growth in your future careers. As a Career Specialist in the Office of Career Development and Exploration at CSU, and a part-time instructor for the Department of English’s First-Year Writing (FYW) program, and the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Honors College, I observe, firsthand, the ways you can better leverage your theoretical learning and classroom experiences into practical tools that bolster employability and professional development.

Perhaps, most saliently, not only does the FYW program at CSU provide you with a tremendous opportunity to make substantive progress on your journey to employability but I often find that some students seem to overlook the potentialities that the FYW program offers that directly relate to career. Thus, as you progress through the FYW program, think about the things below:

Strategize the process of applying theoretical learning to the practical, “career:”

This takes a significant amount of time and critical thinking, but concepts like rhetoric, rhetorical awareness, and audience are all related to career (these are concepts that we cover in the FYW program). E.g., if you can write effectively for an audience and, or, simply understand the concept of “audience/writing to an audience,” you have developed transferable skills that are directly related to marketing.

Approach Assignments as Opportunities:

You will be assigned various projects, research tasks, and essays in the FYW program, some of which will allow you to be creative and provide latitude in the topics that you explore or research. Try to be strategic and deliberate:

• If you already have a career goal or interest, tailor your assignments to that goal or interest. If you do not have a career goal or interest, tailor your assignments, so they help you find your career goal or interest.

Add to Your Resume:

As you advance in your degree program at CSU, you will need to start building off your high school activities and jobs and including new experiences that represent your professional growth. As you start to modify your resume, think about ways you can integrate your theoretical learning.

• E.g., maybe, create a section in your resume that is titled, Relevant Coursework, and list the FYW Program and the ways you gained Competencies of Career Readiness (see below). Or perhaps, because you completed an essay or project and conducted real-world research on your career interest or field, you will want to add a Projects section to your resume, so you can expound on your work and the knowledge that you have toiled to learn.

While in the program, take the time to peruse the eight Career Readiness Competencies of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE): Career Readiness is defined as having the core proficiencies and traits needed to thrive in the world of career and smoothly transition from scholastics to the workforce. Career & Self-Development, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Technology, are all competencies that you will strengthen in the FYW program.

There is salient value in the FYW program, both academically and professionally. By remaining intentional, engaged, and focused, you will be able to make important connections (above) that will further strengthen your academics and lead you to professional success.