Personal Research Paper

I wrote a teaching narrative for a column in this issue of The Advocate, in which I described a twist on the traditional research paper for English 101, so I thought I’d include it here in case anyone's interested. This assignment is good for community colleges, where students are often more career-minded and a little less patient with deconstructing metaphors in French theory (though French theory is, of course, no less important).

The purpose is for students to research their own projected careers so that they can anticipate requirements (including time and money) and choose appropriate internships and classes along the way. I adapted this from an assignment Dominique Zino passed on to me from her 101 class (thank you, Dominique; I love this assignment). Unfortunately, I can't attach documents to posts in this blog, so I'm including it as text. Feel free to copy and paste, adapt it, pass it on, and do let me know if you have any suggestions.

Personal Research Paper

Requirements:

• approximately 5 - 6 pages
• MLA format
• summaries of 3 sources due Tuesday, May 1
• annotated bibliography with 5 sources due Wednesday, May 3
• draft due on Tuesday, May 8 (conferences)
• paper due Thursday, May 10

Research Question: How can I achieve the career I want
in 10 years (or less/more)?

There are two major parts to this paper: the what and the how. You may decide to change your chosen career as you research the process to getting there, but that’s quite all right. It's why we do research: to explore all our options before making a choice.

1. Career: What is your ideal profession (not lifestyle)?

• income you can expect, mitigating factors (gender/race, ability, location, availability/demand, education)
• working conditions you can expect (long hours, travel, stress, conducive to having a family, early retirement, vacation time, burn-out rate for others in the profession, etc.)
• type of personality and skills needed (verbally proficient, social, competitive, decisive, analytical, etc.)

2. Steps: How will you make yourself a serious candidate for the profession of which you hope to be a part?

• degree and classes, as well as GPA and requirements for transferring to 4-yr college
• experience (internships, volunteer work, skills you can acquire at certain jobs now that will be helpful later)
• other certifications
• contacts (who you know now and how you can make more)
• length of time required to achieve career
• amount of money required

Caution: For this assignment, avoid diary entries in which you write what you hope will come true. Give a pragmatically delineated plan that maps out how you can move from point A, the person living the life you have at present, to point B, the person living the life you want. Demonstrate how this plan works.

Tip: If you know someone currently in the profession you’re interested in, ask as many questions as you can. A formal interview may be included as part of your bibliography.