In Week 2, you prepared to write the Career Narrative Essay by brainstorming your goals, skills, and accomplishments. This week, you will turn those ideas into a working draft of your essay. You have already generated ideas; now you need to fit these ideas together in a series of interconnected paragraphs (an essay) that tell your story in a cohesive, compelling, and original way.
Read each section below. When ready, draft the introduction paragraph, at least 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. When finished, you will have the first draft of an essay.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
On or Before Day 7
Open a Microsoft Word document. Please save your document using the naming convention “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
Remember, you have free access to Microsoft Word via your Walden student portal.
Put your name and the date. Put an intriguing but professional title above your introduction.
Step 1.2: Write Your Introduction
The introduction for your career narrative should grab the reader’s attention, establish your perspective as unique and interesting, and lead into a thesis statement (one sentence only) that states the focus of your essay. Some elements of effective introductions are:
1. Grab the reader’s attention. The job of the first sentence is to get the reader to read the second sentence. This is a hook. A surprising fact, a quote, an anecdote (story), a vivid description.
2. Another option is to adapt the paragraph you wrote about in the Week 1 Part A discussion into a hook for your Career Narrative Essay. It focused on a critical moment when you realized your career path and could be a great opening scene to start your essay.
Now that you’ve thought about it, go into the Word document you created and write the hook for your Career Narrative Essay.
3. In addition to hooking your reader’s attention, you should introduce the topic you are writing about and establish its significance. By the end of the first paragraph, they should understand who you are and how this propelled you towards your professional dreams.
In your Word document, follow the hook by introducing yourself as a person and a professional. Write 2-4 sentences.
4. After explaining the topic, you will lead into the thesis. A thesis statement is one sentence that makes a promise to the reader about the purpose and direction of your essay. A thesis might be slightly different depending on the type of essay. For your Career Narrative Essay, your thesis should address the question below in some way, shape, or form:
If you could describe yourself as a human and a professional in one sentence, what would it be?
Your thesis statement should not sound like a resume or a fortune cookie. It should sound like you. Avoid announcement statements like “In this paper, I will discuss…” or “I am writing about…” or “I am going to tell you about….” Good writing does not need to tell where it is going; it just goes there.
In your Word document, end your introduction with your thesis statement. It should be a single sentence.
You have the introduction paragraph of the working draft done. It is now time to think about the body of your essay, which will develop the thesis in more specific detail. In the Career Narrative Essay, the body paragraphs must cover your goals, skills, and accomplishments.
This first body paragraph should explore your goals (big and small) throughout your career. What do you want to accomplish and why?
1. Read your goals from the Week 2 Brainstorming Worksheet and write a topic sentence that reflects on how your current and future goals will shape your career. The topic sentence should control all of the sentences that follow within the paragraph. Your topic sentence introduces your main idea and connects your goals and your career aspirations.
Topic sentence – Usually the first sentence in a paragraph letting the reader know what the rest of the paragraph is about.
In your Word document, start a new paragraph that follows your introduction. Begin this paragraph with your topic sentence. Write 1 sentence only.
2. The sentences which follow the topic sentence of this paragraph will explore specific, individual goals. Write at least 4-5 sentences that describe your specific goals clearly relevant to your career narrative. Keep in mind, you brainstormed many goals in the Week 2 Worksheet. Choose the most relevant ones, put them in logical order, and explain why these goals are important to you career.
In your Word document, follow the topic sentence with an exploration of specific goals and how they relate to your professional journey. Write at least 4-5 sentences.
3. Take a break. Then, go through the paragraph one last time. Read it out loud and revise to make your ideas and writing as clear as possible. Revise for content (what you talk about), and style (how you talk about it). Remember, all ideas in this paragraph need to clearly connect to your career goals.
Feel good! You just created two paragraphs. Now it is time to focus on the skills you have and the skills you will pursue in the future.
1. Read your skills from the Week 2 Brainstorming Worksheet and write a topic sentence that reflects on how you will use these skills to shape your career. The topic sentence should control all of the sentences that follow within the paragraph. Your topic sentence will introduce how your skills and career fit together.
In your Word document, start a new paragraph that follows the goals paragraph. Begin with your topic sentence. Write 1 sentence only.
2. The sentences which follow the topic sentence of this paragraph will explore specific, individual skills. Write at least 4-5 sentences that describe your transferrable, professional, and unique skills. Keep in mind, you brainstormed many skills in the Week 2 Worksheet. Now, choose the most relevant ones, put them in logical order, and explain why these skills will help you achieve your career goals.
In your Word document, follow the topic sentence with an exploration of specific skills and how they relate to your professional journey (write at least 4-5 sentences).
3. Take a break. Then, go through the paragraph one last time. Read it out loud and revise to make the ideas and writing as clear as possible. Revise for content (what you talk about), and style (how you talk about it). Remember, all ideas in this paragraph need to clearly connect to your skills.
Two body paragraphs down…one to go!
It is time to focus on your accomplishments and how they have empowered you to move forward professionally.
1. Read your accomplishments from the Week 2 Worksheet and write a topic sentence that reflects on how your current accomplishments intersect with your career goals. The topic sentence should guide the sentences that follow within the paragraph. Your topic sentence will introduce your general ideas about how your accomplishments and career fit together.
In your Word document, start a new paragraph that follows the skills paragraph. Begin with your topic sentence (write 1 sentence only).
2. The sentences which follow will explore individual accomplishments and link them to your career goals. Write at least 4-5 sentences that describe your specific accomplishments and explain their relevance to your career. Keep in mind, you brainstormed many accomplishments in the Week 2 Worksheet. Now, choose the most relevant ones, put them in logical order, and explain why these accomplishments are important to your career.
In your Word document, follow the topic sentence with an exploration of your specific accomplishments and how they relate to your professional journey (write at least 4-5 sentences).
3. Take a break. Then, go through the paragraph one last time. Read it out loud and revise to make the ideas and writing as clear as possible. Revise for content (what you talk about), and style (how you talk about it). Remember, all ideas in this paragraph need to clearly connect to your accomplishments.
Good work, you have drafted an introduction and three body paragraphs. Now it’s time to write the conclusion.
Write a paragraph that showcases you as a unique and effective professional. Is there a moment, concept, idea, anecdote, closing quote, example, or scene (from your life) that jumps out to you as a good way to conclude your Career Narrative Essay?
The conclusion for your career narrative should make a strong impression and put you and your goals into final context for the reader. Here are some strategies for writing conclusions.
1. Many conclusions circle back to an idea from the introduction. This gives the reader a sense of completion. Is there a creative way that you can return to your hook to create a sense of closure for your reader?
2. Try restating or exploring the thesis statement with new and interesting language. Some writers repeat their thesis in a completely different way in the closing paragraph, in order to focus the reader’s attention on it one last time.
3. Use a closing quote to put the topic into final perspective for the reader. Some writers will use an interesting quote to keep the reader thinking about the topic long after the essay ends. Does an interesting quote come to mind that you can use?
4. Conclusions might also look back to your past or look forward to the future. In your career narrative, you have the opportunity to reflect on what has already happened in your life and career or look forward and forecast into the future. Is there something from your past that would make for a perfect ending? Do you have a pressing mission or future goal in life that you want to leave your reader thinking about?
Just ask yourself, “What is the best way to end my story and leave the reader thinking, ‘Wow! I’m glad I read that!’”
In your Word document, start a new paragraph that follows the accomplishments paragraph. Write your conclusion of 5-7 sentences.
