Week 2: Did I Choose The Wrong Degree?

As a writer, who is also a Communication major, this article was right up my alley. For the people who know me, they know that I'm an introvert who doesn't have much to say. I have been told time and time again that I'm a great listener; I (try) and make you feel like what you have to say is important. While I don't have much to say verbally, I have plenty to say in my writing. When I decided to become a "writer", and I put that in quotations because I like to claim myself to be, even though I don't have any work out there yet, it took my a while to put myself out there. As a communication major who is pretty savvy when it comes to social media and marketing, I've decided that self-publishing was the way to go for me. While I do respect the publishing industry in high regard, with my background I feel that it would be the right fit for me. With that being said, that would mean that I would have to market and advertise myself, and not just put my book out there, but also put my face out there. The shy introvert that I am would have to strap on her big-girl pants and not just have to sell my writing, but I will also have to sell myself verbally.

What really stood out to me in this article was comparing extroverts and introverts, and how the latter is pegged as "dangerous" and "lonely". While those aren't the writers thoughts, I can see how they have been attached to that preconceived notion. In my Communication in Organization course last semester, we discussed how introverts are struggling in the workplace. Many progressive companies such as Facebook and Google have gotten rid of cubicles and developed open work spaces. Those may work for extroverts, but where can an introvert go when the mere presence of individuals starts to exhaust them?

One sentence that really stood out to me was "All of us are consumers of ideas more than we are producers of ideas." In a social setting, a lot of "extroverts" feel the need to share their thoughts and opinions, whereas introverts may have felt the same way, but didn't feel inclined to do so because they are shy, or don't feel comfortable doing so. But most of the introverts I know find that they have a strong voice in their writing and are comfortable with sharing ideas and opinions openly, whereas the extroverts I know can't express theirs that way.

I have to agree with the writer that we should bring writing back into the English curriculum. For me, the biggest problem I have in college is that I don't have the ability to raise my hand in front of a full classroom and share what's on my mind. And because I can't do that, I always fear that I will loose participation points. I understand why professors make students raise their hands to participate, but I would much rather have weekly essays or writing prompts where I can freely share my ideas. It's not because I'm shy that I don't want to share my ideas, it's just that sometimes I can't find the words to say, but I can definitely write them down. But maybe that's just my generation where we tend to hide behind a computer screen, and in my case, a Google document, and share my ideas and opinions freely for fear of judgement. But whatever the case, writing can you find your voice and sort through your thoughts and feelings, and hopefully makes you learn something about yourself.