Dear me from the future,

I have created this site as a way to look back on all the things I have learned in the Writing For Engineers class. It is also a reminder of all the work that was accomplished in ENGL 21007.

At first I was under the impression that this class would teach something about the vocabulary that engineers may use. Or perhaps maybe even just like any other English class, we would have to read a lot of boring material and write about it. I was wrong and looking back I was very close minded at the beginning of the semester. This class has opened my mind and taught me there was more to being an engineer than I initially thought. For instance I have learned the different rhetorical elements and why they need to be applied. I can say without a doubt I am much more efficient and persuasive at writing thanks to these rhetorical elements.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic I had to take this class online fully remote from home. I wish I could have had the opportunity to take take this course in person and work with my peers face to face. I often felt isolated and alone when the workload increased and got more complex. Luckily each zoom meeting was recorded so I could go back to each lesson at any point in time. Then there was the discord server strictly for ENGL 210 students and I can speak for everyone when I say it was extremely helpful. It was the closest thing we could get to interacting with each other. We would get know each other and assist one another when one of us was confused. With that being said, everything was behind a screen so it was difficult to get thoughts out at times along with conveying certain emotions.

One of the first we things we learned were the rhetorical elements. We use these throughout the semester in all of our writing and projects. These elements consist of: audience, genre, purpose, exigence, stance, and design. Once I learned these basic elements and how to utilize them before writing, suddenly writing was not as complicated as I previously thought.

The first project was the memo which was to report about a problem at City College of New York and then explain how to fix the issue. Me and my group discussed how the NAC library is very dirty and unsanitary which may drive students away. To be honest, before this class I did not know memo was short for memorandum let alone how to even write one. This is also where I learned the importance of audience.

The next project I worked on was the technical description. I chose to write about my Squire Affinity Series Stratocaster because it is an electric guitar which i personally use and I want to become an electrical engineer. I had to research the history behind the guitar as well as the company that makes it. It was interesting to learn the different compartments to the guitar and how some parts need others to work in unison in order to fully function. This assignment was the most interesting to me because I got to learn the insides and outsides of something I personally use and enjoy. This project has definitely helped me understand the level of specification that is required to be in any engineering field. I also learned how to properly cite and fully master the APA format.

The following project was the lab report. My group and I decided we should focus on the MTA system in New York City specifically the buses. Our lab report was about how we can increase efficiency in bus travel time. This project was bigger than the previous projects and took a lot more time and dedication as well as research. I described the problem and proposed a solution. The audience was important to figure out because we needed to get in contact with somebody who had the power to make the changes we felt were necessary. It is because of this project that I understand it is beneficial to figure out who the target audience is first and then to build around that information.

The last project was the engineering proposal. With this proposal we also had to make a presentation to go along with it which made this project our biggest task yet. We discussed the natural disasters going on in the planet and settled for wildfires. We noticed they are very common in California specially in Topanga State Park. We identified our audience and composed a team of different engineers in our group as well as creating a fire detection system. This project was made of many different components but we had to make a quick and brief persuasive presentation that would entail some of the more important information on the actual proposal. The purpose of this was to ensure our ability to captivate our audience enough to inform them but also to make them want to understand more and read our proposal after.  Even though this was the largest and most difficult assignment yet, I learned how much planning and discussion it takes to be an engineer. I learned how important communication is as well as the use of certain vocabulary depending on who the audience is.

This class was an interesting journey and really helped me improve as a student but as a person as well. It pushed me farther than any other class has ever done and awoken me to the fact that being an engineer requires patience and dedication because it is a lot of work. I will not forget all that I have done and learned in this class.

Sincerely,

Daniel Csukardi