Writing is a life skill; something we all need to get through life. The better your writing skills are, the better able you are to improve your standarad of life. Writing is not something you learn for school assignments and never use again once you graduate — it is something you will use for the rest of your life.
I’m a writer, so OF COURSE I think writing skills are important. After all, I have to know the rules in order to break them effectively. 🙂 But writing isn’t the ONLY job I have, and I use my writing skills on a daily basis for my day job. Those skills have made me a better employee and have helped me rise in stature with my company.
Don’t believe me? Check out what my friends at Grammarly.com have to say about it. (Click the graphic to enlarge it.) The folks at Grammarly.com polled people in the workplace and found that those who had fewer errors in their written work were PAID better. Who doesn’t want more money?
Think about it from an employer’s point of view … wouldn’t you want your employees to sound professional? Wouldn’t you presume that those who made fewer errors while writing were the same employees who paid closer attention to the task at hand? Those who write with fewer errors also tend to sound more professional when speaking, so it relates directly to the first impression you make when meeting someone.
So how do you improve your writing skills? Grammarly has a free grammar checker. Use it for your next writing assignment … see what you think.
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2 Comments on “YWS: Writing as a Life Skill”
Oh man, this is SO true. Also, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had business or science majors laugh at me for being an English major because I wanted to not only study literature, but also work on my formal writing skills. Little do they know how much writing is actually involved in their field too (in *any* field, really), and how a lot of those big paying positions they have their eyes on first require them to write impressive articles, resumes, and cover letters to back their skills or research.
A lot of people really don’t put as much weight into their writing skills as they should. 🙁
I am so with you, Nicole. Part of my job description as a system analyst/process efficiency expert involves writing technology letters to explain the system implementations, working on standard process documentation, etc. I don’t even want to get into the volume of emails, which must be clear enough to be understood by people not only in the US, but overseas where English is not the first language. Clarity is key.