Writing

Back in highschool I took advanced classes to earn college credit.  One of those classes was British Literature.  I remember having been a straight A student, and getting one of  my first C's on a composition, and some comments that took a swing at my ability as a writer.  Several years later, I found myself in college, and writing for a professor, one of the first times in APA styling.  I got an even worse grade.  When trying to figure out where I went wrong, I went to visit my professor.  He sat me down, and proceeded to tell me I hadn't even tried.  Didn't really teach me anything, assumed I knew APA, and berated my writing for about 15 mintues, until I left his office in tears.

So when I landed this job I currently have as a development professional, I have to say I have been uneasy about my work in grant writing.  I had let the words of this one professor haunt me, and I just came to accept that writing wouldn't be something I was really ever good at.

Today I find myself in a class that intimidates me a bit.  Managing Operations and Technology.  The professor is very direct, something I admire and fear at the same time.  He knows exactly what he's looking for and when you miss the mark, he plainly (not quite rudely) says that it's not what he's looking for.  So I really revere and respect Dr. Cameron, and have been thankful that largely the class has focused on the group effort, and many of our grades reflect group assignments and papers.  In this class we have had 3 assignments that solely reflect our own efforts, and wouldn't you know, they are all written compositions.  The first individual project was a written review of The Goal.  The second was a midterm in class case study.  The last was my individual section of a group paper focused on CVS and the generic drug market impacts.  I received back on The Goal a 94- with comments "an excellent paper, and analysis overall".  The midterm wasn't as great and I got an 86.  Lastly was my efforts on defining the impact of the salient business issue and recommendations for CVS.  I was just coming off of a week long case of the flu, and was concerned about how well I could write on a dose of sudafed and benadryl.  The result- my best grade yet in this class- a 95!  Cameron commented that it was a "well-written, well-organized paper".  I must give credit that I received help from my fellow teammates in some final revisions, but this 5 worded comment was so impacting to me.  Finally- a great review at the scholarly level.  I really feel like I respect Cameron, and these grades weren't just given to me.  They reflect an honest and hard effort.

When I decided to go for my MBA, I knew it would provide me with business knowledge and shore up my inadequacies there.  However, a byproduct of all this paper writing for business has produced in me a stronger writer, and thus a stronger confidence in my abilities.  I certainly don't want this to come across as bragging, but this is a really big deal for me, and I know its important to celebrate these small wins if I'm not to burn out before graduation.  9 more months- it can be done, and done successfully!