My Advice

It’s hard to believe that this will be my last blog topic for my business writing class. The semester has gone by so fast, but next semester will be here before we know it! As our last topic for the semester, we were asked to give advice to the students taking this class next semester. So, here’s my advice:

First of all, be glad that you’re in a client-based class where every assignment isn't a hypothetical, made-up, and “do this to get a good grade” assignment! Believe me, it looks like a lot of work, but you can handle it because the deadlines are very spread out and doable. The number one thing that will help you and make the class a lot easier is if you pick a good group…make that your first priority! There will be one day in class set aside for you to pick your groups. Really take advantage of this and find out with whom you want to work with. The most important thing is scheduling. Make sure you have similar schedules because you submit your proposal to the client with that group and do numerous class activities with them. Secondly, go to class, and go to your group meetings. For some reason, this is difficult for a lot of people! Also, be sure to stay on top of things and try to work ahead. The assignments are not that difficult, but it's a lot easier if you plan ahead (especially if your group has a difficult time meeting outside of class). Don’t hesitate to ask for help…Angie is always willingly to help you with anything. Finally, have a good attitude about the class. Colleen Barrett once said, “Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun.”

So that’s my advice for all of the students taking this class next semester. I have really enjoyed working with a client, and the class has definitely helped me improve my business writing skills. I probably learned the most from the mock interview--that was my favorite assignment! Of course, I’ll never be able to watch another PowerPoint presentation again without being conscientious about format and capitalization! In the end, having a client and working with them was a great learning experience that made the class even more interesting!


I would like to end this blog with a poem by Mary Schmich called "The Best Advice I Ever Had":

Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists,whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy.
Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life.The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them whenthey're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or ofwhat other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll everown.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, becausethe older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians willphilander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.