Carlos Fernandez
Writing For Engineering
Professor Bubrow
12/13/2024
Reflective Essay
My College Journey: Skills and Challenges Learned
As a first-year computer engineering student, this semester in my English class has been a great learning experience. Since English is not my first language, I found some assignments, like the group proposal and technical description, to be challenging. However, I learned important skills that will help me in my future studies and career.
The first assignment I worked on was my resume. Since I am new to college and don’t have much job experience yet, it was hard at first to create a strong resume. However, I had experience working in a taxi company as a dispatcher, which I was able to include. With help from a very special person who has supported me throughout my first year of college, I was able to make a more complete and professional resume. This person helped me not only with this assignment but with many aspects of my college journey. With their guidance and by adding my volunteer work, I was able to present myself more effectively for future job applications.
Next, I worked on my cover letter, which went along with the resume. Writing this was a bit difficult because I had never written a professional cover letter before. I applied to a desktop support position at HTC Global Services, so I had to write a cover letter that highlighted my skills and experiences in a way that would appeal to the company. Again, with the help of that same very special person, I learned how to present my qualifications in a way that would attract potential employers, which will be helpful for future job applications.
The lab report assignment involved a lot of research and taught me how to use APA citation for the first time. The report was about rolling a dice 100 times and recording the results. I had to analyze the data and present my findings clearly. Learning how to use APA citation was important, and I also learned to use the CCNY library to find sources to support my work. This assignment helped me organize my ideas and think critically about the results of my experiment.
The group proposal was one of my favorite assignments. I enjoyed working with my classmates to create a proposal about building a student center at CCNY. Even though I had some language difficulties, I liked collaborating with others and sharing ideas. Working together taught me how to communicate better in a group, and the process of drafting and revising our work helped us improve the proposal. This was a good experience because I learned how important teamwork is in professional settings.
The technical description was the hardest assignment for me. My topic was about the future of 5G and 6G networks, which I found really interesting. Preparing the 8-minute presentation was tough because I had to present it multiple times. I was nervous about speaking in front of the class and making sure I explained my ideas clearly. But this assignment helped me improve my public speaking skills. With the help of that very special person, I became more confident speaking in front of many people. She gave me amazing advice every day when I was home, which helped me feel more prepared and less nervous and I feel really grateful for that. It also taught me how to combine information from different sources and explain it in a simple way so others could understand. Even though it was challenging, this project helped me grow the most.
Throughout the semester, I also learned to think about my audience for each assignment. Whether I was writing a resume, a cover letter, or a proposal, understanding who would be reading my work helped me make it better. I also used technology, like Google Slides for my presentations and Blackboard to submit my assignments. These tools helped me stay organized and present my work more clearly.
In conclusion, this semester taught me many important skills that I will use in my future studies and career. I learned how to write a resume, use APA citation, work on a group proposal, and improve my public speaking skills. Even though the technical description was the hardest assignment, it helped me learn the most and improve my ability to explain complex ideas. These skills will be useful in my future as an engineer.
