- Brief Introduction
- Beginning of Class Writing Assignment
- Click on the title of this blog post, “Week 10,” scroll down to the comment area, and write at least 250 words in response to this week’s readings. You can summarize the readings, you can relate the readings to your own experience or something else you have read or learned about, etc. Any writing of 250 words or more that are related to the readings are fair game for this weekly assignment at the beginning of class.
- Post your comment after 15 minutes even if you don’t reach the 250 word minimum threshold.
- Why we are doing this: It helps you organize your thoughts before discussion and it gives you regular writing practice.
- Discuss the readings assigned for Week 10.
- Discuss internships
- Where is everyone at in work or applications?
- Discuss the Professional Portfolio
- Include at least 10 deliverables (can be from internship, classwork, or your own initiative)
- Each deliverable needs an accompanying reflection of at least 250 words that describes the document’s purpose and context, your rhetorical strategy, and your methodology of creating it (i.e., workflow).
- In the coming classes, I will demo two different ways to create your portfolio so that it is public facing and easily linkable on your resume, LinkedIn Profile, etc.:
- Google Docs with a sharable link (an example)
- OpenLab/Wordpress website (an example)
- Weekly Log
- Remember to add an entry to your logbook for each week until the end of the semester and keep all of your logs in a single file (Google Doc, Word docx, OpenOffice odf, etc.). Include the first date of a given week for each entry at the top of the page. Write at least 250 words about your current or past experience as appropriate. For example, if you are currently in an internship, your logs should record your experiences, thoughts, challenges, solutions, etc. that you find significant each week. Or, if you have completed your internship, your logs can be about experiences, projects, interactions with people in the workplace, challenges, solutions, etc. based on your past experience. And, if you are continuing in a new internship for additional experience, you can write about that, too. The point is to write at least 250 words per entry with one entry per week about your experience in the internship.
- Why we are doing this: It helps you articulate your work experience so that you may better reflect on, consider, remember, and act on those experiences as you transition into the workplace. Additionally, it gives you extra writing practice, which research shows will automatically improve your writing ability.
- Review readings and homework for next week.
This week’s articles were about women in the workplace and women in the technical wrtitng field specifically. I learned that women face very similar challenges when it comes to the workplace and that starts with their status in the workplace. The women in the article all discuss this imposter syndrome, and in my opinion this isn’t because of their world ability, it’s because the men are dominant, even if they don’t mean to be sexist. One thing I thought was interesting was in the article reasonably bright girls, the author discussed dress codes being restricting. I feel like this will be more of a challenge for someone like me, if it was a challenge for her as a woman who doesn’t cover. In addition, the article about women making the workplace a better place for them, the author discusses setting their preferences with their managers in terms of covid induced hybrid and online work modes. She talks about how women who have kids and parents to take care of mediate this my demanding to be able to work hybrid and online. I think this is a great change because they get to work online and be flexible because they need it. The next article on how the workplace isn’t equal to women discusses tips on how women need to navigate the workplace more carefully because the relationships and social groups that they engage with affect their ability to get promotions and bonus.
The first article depicts the norm of society in the thought process of women being not as much of a valuable asset in comparison to men. Statistically, 39 female practitioners of TPC revealed that they use interactional power to maneuver within and around the system. Her personal experience with becoming a mother shows the obstacles that an employee has to face because they are women. She uses the word power imbalance and the inability to advocate for herself which in term directly link to her not being able to work in a protected and valued environment. Through the multitude definition the 4 discussed in the article pertain to the social privilege and powerlessness as a woman. Power is defined in multiple contexts as how institutions inspect workers to keep them disciplined and under control – this recalls the class we discussed corporate robots. The research she did acknowledges TPC women characterize their work positively nevertheless, problems still persist. She discusses how when she planned on maternity leave she prepared a document outlining her responsibilities and who would execute them.
The New York Times Article on women remaking the workplace to better suit their lives addresses the different concerns that arise with being comfortable in your work environment. The main quote is something that I fear may happen as I begin to work. I would like to be content in what I do for the years to come and not regret it in my later years, thinking about what could have been. The idea of the very thin line of boundaries and rudeness ponders my mind as I read about what Ms.Surya has to say about creating more boundaries. One thing that can be challenging at the beginning is the way to communicate with everyone, I feel as though personalities play a big role. In the survey outcome, 39% of women fear that flexible work arrangements have a negative impact on their career.
The last article pertains to how the workplace has not evolved into an equal working environment. The text consists of how the workplace does not maintain equilibrium amongst co workers of different genders. Throughout all the different advancements women being treated the same as men still seems to be a concept not comprehensible amongst opposite gender coworkers. These results contribute to a salary – pay gap and the outcome is in effect from unequal treatment towards women in the workplace.
The readings for this week were all about women and the challenges they face. The three readings tell you what you should do and gives advice. The “Reasonably Bright Girls”: Accessing Agency in the Technical Communication Workplace through Interactional Power is about the difficulties in the TPC workplace for females and strategies for empowering women. It tells of ways a woman can get power and makes changes. Women need to stand up for themselves and make their voices heard. They need to prove that they are just as good. How Some Women Are Remaking the Workplace to Better Suit Their Lives by Raksha Vasudevan is about how some women are setting new physical, emotional and cultural boundaries and remaking their work lives. Janie Sayavong is wearing a mask all the time at work to feel safe. She prefers people wear masks and her colleagues have been supportive. Ms. Sayavong is recovering from cancer and is in the category of high-risk women with care-taking responsibilities with aging parents and young children. The A.C.L.U. and Deborah Mihal, the director of disability services at a public university, filed a discrimination lawsuit because the governor made all nonessential state employees return to the office full time with only a couple of weeks’ notice. Ms. Mihal needs child care for her nine-year-old son. She was worried that what she could find on short notice would put her son at risk of the coronavirus. She says she is forced to choose between safety and a paycheck. The lawsuit argues that the order discriminates against women who usually bear caregiving responsibilities. Ms. Mihal’s employer has let her work from home and the lawsuit was dismissed. However, there is a complaint that argues that the governor’s order still disproportionately harms women, people with disabilities, caregivers and Black people. She like others are setting new rules for how and when she will work. “while employers still hold a lot of power, workers also need to create the post-pandemic workplace they want.” More people are sharing about their life outside work and identity. “A number of women reported coming together with colleagues who shared race, gender or other identity markers to support one another over a difficult year, and to set boundaries with employers on what they need to feel safe and productive at work.” The Workplace Still Isn’t Equal for Women. Here’s Some Advice to Navigate It. is about how the workplace is unequal for women. They might not get hired because they are mothers, they don’t have an equal salary, and when they are assertive or negotiate they are seen as “unlikable or demanding”. Imposter Syndrome tends to hit women and minority groups harder. “Working moms face the “motherhood penalty,” a series of workplace disadvantages like lower starting salaries and higher expectations for competence and punctuality — oh, and mothers are less likely to be hired to begin with, too. In contrast, through what’s called the ‘fatherhood bonus,’ men’s careers are believed to benefit when they have children.” Women need to fight being burned out. I think the advice given in the three articles are good.