The Best Academic Preparation for an Editorial Career

The Best Academic Preparation for an Editorial Career The Best Academic Preparation for an Editorial Career The Best Academic Preparation for an Editorial Career By Mark Nichol I was painfully amused to find in a recent job listing the perpetuation of the absurd notion that a degree in English or literature, for God’s sake is the ideal preparation for work as a writer or editor. The listing required candidates to have a degree in English or literature. Now, there can be some merit in having earned an English degree, but English majors do not necessary master composition, much less the finer points of grammar, syntax, usage, punctuation, style, and the other components of writing, and revision of assigned papers is of little use in acquiring editing skills. I recall taking an English course in which the instructor spent most of every class period reading aloud word by word a manuscript he had written about grammar and asking students to identify the part of speech of every word. At the end of the term, despite this intensive analysis, I was no more knowledgeable about grammar than I had been at the beginning of the course. And few English majors endure this type of experience. Nevertheless, they do receive some instruction in writing, but it is mostly holistic – how to evaluate an argument’s logic and validity and how to organize one’s thoughts in writing. But little guidance is offered in the subtler qualities I listed above. A literature degree is even less useful; its basis is literary criticism, and though students write essays and term papers and theses, the focus is on dissecting the themes of literary works, not on developing coherence and clarity and conciseness. English and literature courses do not teach one how to choose just the right word. They do not assist one in structuring strong, active sentences with specific nouns and vivid verbs. They do not help one build narratives. In short, though some English and literature majors may develop into great writers and/or editors, an English or literature major is of little use to would-be masters of the language. On a related note, I am puzzled when I see job listings that require a degree in, say, economics or math. I’m lazy about laissez-faire, and I wouldn’t know a cosine from a stop sign. But I’ve edited scholarly books and textbooks in both subjects. I’ve worked on several science books, too, though I have only the gleanings of lifelong learning, rather than a degree in biology or physics or astronomy, to support me. What academic preparation, then, should students and employers value? Well, how about theater arts? That’s the degree I earned, and I’ve been gainfully employed in publishing and journalism since I retired from the stage more than a quarter century ago, soon after collecting that inestimably valuable diploma. (Trust me, though; I’ve experienced plenty of drama not to mention farce and tragedy in editorial working environments.) But, seriously, folks, what prepared me for my career was, first, a natural facility for writing a foundation that supported the edifice of practical experience. Even though I had no interest in journalism, I walked into my college’s student-newspaper office after my first day of classes and never looked back. I learned to tell a story writing is, at its fundamental level, nothing else than storytelling producing over a hundred articles, reviews, and editorials, and editing hundreds more as I took on steadily increasing responsibility. (And when I did take journalism courses, when students were assigned to write articles, I handed in pieces I had already written for the school paper.) Based on my experience, if there’s any degree employers should value when hiring for a writing or editing job, it’s one in journalism, or mass communication. But I didn’t earn one, and I know people who did earn one who shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a keyboard. The most useful predictor of a job candidate’s ability is how well he or she writes on an assigned topic or edits a brief manuscript provided as part of the application process. Possession of a certain degree, by comparison no matter where it was earned is nearly useless. (And job history isn’t much more pertinent but that’s another topic altogether.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs EnquireDifference between "Pressing" and "Ironing"20 Ways to Laugh

Endothermic Reactions Demonstration

Endothermic Reactions Demonstration An endothermic process or reaction absorbs energy in the form of heat (endergonic processes or reactions absorb energy, not necessarily as heat). Examples of endothermic processes include the melting of ice and the depressurization of a pressurized can. In both processes, heat is absorbed from the environment. You could record the temperature change using a thermometer or by feeling the reaction with your hand. The reaction between citric acid and baking soda is a highly safe example of an endothermic reaction, commonly used as a chemistry demonstration. Demonstration Do you want a colder reaction? Solid barium hydroxide reacted with solid ammonium thiocyanate produces barium thiocyanate, ammonia gas, and liquid water. This reaction gets down to -20Â °C or -30Â °C, which is more than cold enough to freeze water. Its also cold enough to give you frostbite, so be careful! The reaction proceeds according to the following equation: Ba(OH)2.8H2O (s) 2 NH4SCN (s) Ba(SCN)2 (s) 10 H2O (l) 2 NH3 (g) Materials 32g barium hydroxide octahydrate17g ammonium thiocyanate (or could use ammonium nitrate or ammonium chloride)125-ml flaskStirring rod Instructions Pour the barium hydroxide and ammonium thiocyanate into the flask.Stir the mixture.The odor of ammonia should become evident within about 30 seconds. If you hold a piece of dampened litmus paper over the reaction you can watch a color change showing that the gas produced by the reaction is basic.Liquid will be produced, which will freeze into slush as the reaction proceeds.If you set the flask on a damp block of wood or piece of cardboard while performing the reaction you can freeze the bottom of the flask to the wood or paper. You can touch the outside of the flask, but dont hold it in your hand while performing the reaction.After the demonstration is completed, the contents of the flask can be washed down the drain with water. Do not drink the contents of the flask. Avoid skin contact. If you get any solution on your skin, rinse it off with water.

Human Resource Management, Causes of a problem Case Study

Human Resource Management, Causes of a problem - Case Study Example These systems were very successful regarding the Chinese culture of management but since the company wants to increase its global installed base there is a question on how it is going to achieve it by following the same human resource management practices. These are the following: increase of employee internal competition by implementing an internal ranking of employees. Employees are judged by all performance dimensions and they have to complete their tasks the same day and have continuous self-assessments. Each employee is almost an independent profit center so entrepreneurship is developed. Managers are also continuously appraised like employees and both are given chances to improve their performance by providing abundant training. A talent pool inside the company is also created. Haier has followed a product diversification strategy i.e. it has expanded to 86 different product categories. It is doubtful if Haier can pursue the same following strategy since product expansion requires heavy investment. Then a second part of its strategy was product innovation to niche markets i.e. developing products for specific market segments. Under careful consideration this is a strategy that can be pursued at the current moment. Globalization which is the third component of the strategy is expanding to other countries in all aspects i.e. production, alliances etc. Globalization can also be limited for the time being since it requires heavy financial investment when it comes to building new factory sites that can be quite risky at this period of time. Globalization demands also understanding foreign cultures so it requires further research on this issue. The fourth component was marketing initiatives that emphasized product quality and market research. Sending a message of quality is a right strategy when an organization wants to establish a successful brand name but there is a question on how Haier in the current economic crisis can keep on holding high product prices. The last component of Haier's strategy is the innovative human resource management practices. This has been proved successful for Chinese standards but there is a question on how these strategies are going to be successful in other countries and cultures. 2) Possible Solutions. A solution cannot be suggested without taking into consideration the global macroeconomic environment. In this case there is a global economic crisis the duration of which cannot be predicted. The global crisis has affected investments, consumers' purchasing power, belief in the stock exchange and the banks, banks provide loans to businesses by following very strict lending criteria and as a result of the above businesses limit their expansion plans, their profit margins are reduced and in many occasions they fire people. The consumers on the other side are in a psychological "trap", they feel insecure about their future therefore they reduce and change their consumption habits. They have become more conservative. Taking all the above mentioned into consideration, Haier has to limit its product diversification since it requires heavy investment in production and marketing and sales. The product innovation to niche markets requires usually an investment in R&D. Haier has to study carefully all its R&D expenses and do a very