suggestions incoming sdsu students start thinking W r i t i n g

What:

Write a short op-ed piece that gives incoming SDSU students advice about why and how they need to start thinking about their career development as soon as possible.

Word Count:

750-800 words

See examples from the Daily Aztec: https://thedailyaztec.com/category/opinion/ (Links to an external site.)

Prompt:

One of the key goals of this course was to help you think about what comes next after SDSU. Let’s pretend you’ve been asked by The Daily Aztec to write a short op-ed piece that gives incoming SDSU students advice about why and how they need to start thinking about their career development as soon as possible.

Draw on your own experience as an SDSU student, including experiences from this course to write your Op-Ed.

What makes a successful Op-Ed piece?

1. Make your point, and do it well: Why and how should incoming SDSU students need to start thinking about their career development as soon as possible?  Get to the point quickly and convince the reader that it’s worth his or her valuable time to continue.

You cannot solve all of the world’s problems in 750-800 words. Be satisfied with making your point clearly and persuasively. If you cannot explain your message in a sentence or two, you’re trying to cover too much.

2,  Showing is better than discussing.  We tend to remember colorful details better than dry facts. When writing an op-ed article, therefore, look for great examples that will bring your argument to life.

3. Tell readers why they should care. Put yourself in the place of the busy person looking at your article. At the end of every few paragraphs, ask out loud: “So what? Who cares?” Will your suggestions incoming SDSU students start thinking about their career development as soon as possible? Explain why.

4. What is your call to action? The best opinion pieces have a clear, persuasive, and well-argued call to action. They should answer the question: What do you want the reader to do, think, or feel as a result of your piece?

Op-eds are, by definition, opinions and they should advocate persuasively for something. How exactly can or should an incoming SDSU student need to start thinking about their career development as soon as possible? You’ll need to do more than call for “more research!”