As a Writer, My Mind Races off like a Nascar, but When It’s Time to Put My Ideas on Paper, I Crash into a Wall

“As a writer, my mind races off like a Nascar, but when it’s time to put my ideas on paper, I crash into a wall.”

My major is in Public Administration and the purpose of taking this course is not only to fulfill my degree requirements, but to gain more knowledge in writing skills that will allow me to excel higher in my career. After working as a weapons loader for twenty years, one would think that I would try to find employment involving aircraft, but I would like to take a different approach in my career field after the military. I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve and dedicate my life to my job and I have. Learned a lot of things in this field, but there are a few other civilian jobs that I am qualified to cross over into after retirement that involves me helping others in a more direct way.

When it comes to writing, I am aware of the simple mechanics such as grammar, punctuation, paragraph structure and transitional statements. Throughout middle school and high school, English was my weakest subject, so I dreaded signing up for this course. During my sixth grade year, I remember turning in a paper thinking that I had done well. I thought I had grasped the teacher's examples by proofreading, and making corrections, but instead my paper was returned to me looking like something off a horror film. My paper that I thought I had exceeded in was full of my teacher's penmanship that stated otherwise, which therefore lead to writing becoming my least favorite subject. Something that I can recall on is the structure of a paper beginning with an introduction, three topics containing two subtopics and ending with a summary.

Writing plays a major role in my job as a Weapons Load Crew Chief and I have come to terms with it, trying to make it second nature in what I do. Within the Air Force, being a good writer can deviate an individual higher than someone who may have a greater work output. It’s expected of me to be a proficient writer as I move up through the ranks into a more managerial position. To write a decoration or an Enlisted Progress Report (EPR) well takes myriad more of skill, and I have seen Airmen receive awards because their supervisor’s writing ability. I want to give my troops the best road to success for them to advance in their careers if they choose to do twenty years or more.

After this week’s assignments, I see the tasks as a little challenging and on top of being deployed and planning on the arrival of a newborn, I have a lot of weight on my back, therefore it is imperative that I practice time management. (I am a procrastinator with stuff I am unaware of how to complete.) My fourteenth year anniversary in the military is coming up next month so getting my Bachelors is my number one priority within these last 6 years.

I want to see a vast improvement in my critical thinking and effective writing skills and on how