It’s easy to underestimate the value of your own writing, especially when your skills are lacking.  Kentucky Wesleyan provides many resources and opportunities for students to improve their writing skills.  If you’ve had an internship in the past perhaps you remember keeping a journal throughout or writing a reflection paper on the work you did.  Maybe you’ve been to the Writing tutors in the SSC or (more recently) had a Peer Writing Fellow for a class.  These are just a few of the resources KWC provides for students, but a lot of students really don’t see why they should advance their writing skills.  Well, the QEP, the program that sponsors all of these resources, has a lot to do with it.

The QEP is a program that helps students at Kentucky Wesleyan achieve a certain level of academic and professional writing.  Though KWC is a small college, it is a reputable institution for students thanks to being an accredited college which means the United States recognizes it as a respectable learning institute.  This gives you an edge when employers review your resume.  The QEP’s job is to make sure that students have the resources they need to become effective writers no matter their discipline.  English majors/minors aren’t the only ones writing papers.  I’m willing to bet my bottom dollar that every single course you’ve ever taken at Kentucky Wesleyan had a writing assignment big or small.  Being able to write clearly and properly is a vital part of adult life – professionally or casually.

Andrew Moran, a Business and Finance expert, noted that not every job requires an enormous amount of writing but there are still basic skills that professional writing can accomplish:

1. Enhance business Communication
2. Demonstrate your intelligence and knowledge in a field
3. Highlight credibility
4. Get persuasive points across
5. Improve office administration
6. Increase confidence
7. Demonstrate courtesy and respect
8. Can improve your thought process
9. Allow talented staff to stand out
10. Enable you to build an impressive online presence

Note how only about half of the items listed are specific to writing for careers.  Having good writing skills can be a source of confidence, improve your thought process, and help you become more persuasive in everyday life.  Acquiring good writing skills makes you smarter and improves skills that have little to do with you getting a diploma.  Don’t think you have to be the best student-writer on campus to get a good job, but don’t sell yourself short in not applying yourself to your writing by thinking there’s no benefit.  What you write is important for yourself and for your institution.  If you’re unsure where to start or just want to improve your skills then consider going to a writing tutor.  Reach out to faculty who can point you in the right direction.  Writing is more than just a thing that you do in classes to get a grade.  It’s an essential life skill.

(If you want to read Andrew’s full article, here it is: The Importance of Good Writing Skills in the Workplace).