Why did I decide to pursue an MA in Professional and Technical Writing at UA Little Rock? My initial goals for this program were not only to improve as a writer but also to improve my skills in design and technology. I had no idea how much my design and technology abilities would change. In the program, I haven't just gained the skills to be confident in my work as a writer, I've also learned how to code websites, design help systems, build indexes, and create many more technically challenging pieces of communication. However, I didn't always believe I could succeed in this field.

​

Elementary school writing assignments never seemed hard to me. Although, I didn’t really do a lot of writing until I got to the sixth grade. My teacher that year taught me to love writing. She showed me how to make my writing expressive and detailed. It was a great experience, and I feel like it gave me confidence to focus on writing as I grew, eventually using it as a path to a college degree and a career. After graduating from Jacksonville High School, I eventually pursued writing in my college degree and as a career choice.

​

As an undergraduate, I chose Professional and Technical Writing (PTW) as my major because, honestly, it was something I was told I was good at. My first composition class was actually not too hard, so when I took Composition II, I began to believe that writing was something I could really do. One day after class, my teacher, Dr. Toran Isom, had a discussion with me about choosing PTW as a major. After that meeting, I was convinced. Joining the PTW program, I was able to start taking high-level courses even though I was only a freshman. I finally felt like I belonged; I had found my niche.

​

Despite my success as an undergraduate, entering the graduate program in PTW was a little more intimidating than I expected. However, a good journey doesn’t start with, “I had all the confidence in the world.” Even though I struggled early on, looking back, I can now see how the program helped me grow in three key areas: design, technology, and theory.

​

Design

One of my biggest strengths, I think, is my use of  design options. I like to try out many  different iterations of a design, ranging across different colors and fonts, in order to connect a design with my audience in the best way. I experiment with many different perspectives in order to make a design successful. I learned a lot of this process in a class called Document Design. I remember we were working on infographics. I was a little nervous, since we were using Piktochart, which was new to me. However, I ended up making three beautiful pictographs that not only conveyed helpful information, but also allowed my audience to access information quickly.

​

As a PTW student and designer, I’ve also learned a lot about the use of color. Color is a key factor when it comes to design, and it can really grab a reader's attention. However, you can’t just throw together a black screen with red text on it. You have to experiment with color, working with brightness and saturation, and even highlighting to emphasize text.

I made a lot of design choices on this very website you are looking at. My professors gave me critiques and suggestions to make the design as strong as possible, allowing me to meld a bold representation of who I am with professional, readable text choices.

​

Technologies

My skills with different technologies--from Robohelp and SnagIt to tools for designing and building my own website--have greatly improved during my time in the PTW program. If you had told me that by the time I graduated I could build a website, I wouldn’t have believed it. In Software Documentation class, I learned how to use new technology while also learning how to better collaborate. The first truly great group project I worked on was in this class. All three of us on the team were graduate students developing a project that would help our audience build an online portfolio. The other graduate students took screenshots and developed visual content, while I was in charge of creating the index. I was the only one of us who had taken indexing, which is itself a technology for managing data. The project turned out great; you can check it out under the technology tab in my portfolio.

 

All in all, my technology skills have improved tremendously. By taking Usability Testing and Design, Software Documentation, Document Design and Writing on the Web, I’ve learned essential ways of using technology to improve my designs and reach audiences.

​

Theory

My understanding and use of theory has improved as well, partly by asking the question "Why?" The big takeaway I’ve gotten from this program is to question everything. In my theory classes, we always seemed to dive deeper into the discussion when someone questioned something and thought about it from a new perspective. In many of my classes, questions are answered by the teacher, but in my theory classes, it felt like the students moderated the discussion. If the students needed inspiration, the professor would chime in, but the professor would mainly sit back and allow students to learn from other students. I remember in one essay for my Rhetorical Theory class, I wrote about ceremonial rhetoric, which is basically praising or defending a person or object. Revising that essay was a lot like class discussion: I learned from the process never to settle. With more questioning, a project can almost always be made more user-friendly, more effective, or more readable.

​

Conclusion 

The PTW program, overall, has prepared me very well for the career world. I’m currently working at UA Little Rock as the Dean’s Assistant in the College of Social Sciences and Communication. The dean has told me that one of the things on my résumé that stood out to him was that I was a PTW major, which I believe gave me a leg up on everyone else who applied for the job. My professors were not only helpful in the classroom, but they spared me their time outside, giving me help on my résumé and digital portfolio. An hour in class can only teach you so much, but when the professor supports your learning outside the classroom, you are able not only to sharpen your skills in their class but also in others. I’ve learned so much in this program, from interviewing skills to concepts like "saving face." The program has prepared me to learn new technologies and taught me that it’s okay to make mistakes. As long as I get back up again, I’m still on the way to achieving success.

​

​

​