Chris Hecht

Being a Student and a Professional. Is It Possible? These days, students are getting more and more involved in professional organizations and seeking professional opportunities earlier and earlier. Whether its an internship, part-time job, etc., students are integrating themselves more to prepare for the professional world. The problem within that though is how difficult is it for students to transition from being just that, a student, into being a professional at the same time? Researchers have been studying discourse community for quite some time. For example, an article written by Anne Beaufort, which discusses overlapping discourse communities offers solid insight into how discourse communities are bound to cross paths in human interaction at any given time. In Beauforts article, she gives an example of an event in which different representatives of discourse communities are present and how they all experience the same thing, but because of the different discourse communities these representatives have been assimilated into they think about what they are experiencing differently as well as focus on different aspects of what is going on. Another researcher of discourse community, Elizabeth Wardle, talks briefly in her article about authority within discourse communities. She states, authority is bestowed by institutions, can be just as easily withdrawn by those same institutions or its members, and must be maintained through appropriate expressions of authority (p. 157). Authority is important within a discourse community because if one cannot effectively write while at the same time have their writing held in high esteem or often referenced, then what a person has accomplished could be for nothing. One of the things I will be examining in

this paper is how one gains authority in a discourse community, and some of the problems and methods of gaining that authority. As far as ethnographies go, one writer, Seth Kahn wrote an article titled Putting Ethnographic Writing in Context, which is great for a reader who may particularly know what an ethnography really is. In plain terms, Kahn states, one of the driving forces behind assigning ethnographic writing is that people learn more from direct experience than second-hand experience (p. 178). Within my research that is what I intended to do. I wanted to have the direct experience in which Kahn was talking about. It is imperative that within ethnographic writing a person does their best to get that first-hand experience, which will in turn make their writing more effective. The purpose of my ethnography within this paper is to discover how students can gain authority within professional associations on campus and also how students shift from different discourse communities based on whom they are communicating with, whether it be a professor, student, co-worker, etc. I wanted to find out also how authority is gained within a professional student organization that is run by students. I wanted to know how exactly authority is gained, as well as what problems or issues students came across as they gained authority, and whether or not they feel they have gained it at this point in time. I went about gathering my research two ways: an interview with the president of my pre-law fraternity, and observations from weekly meetings as a fraternity. I interviewed the president of our fraternity, who for all intents and purposes will be referred to as Sarah, who is a junior. Our schedules did not allow us to meet face to face for an interview so we had to conduct the interview over email. Some of the questions I

asked were just generally about the transition that students have to make to be successful in overlapping discourse communities, in this case being a student as well as a professional. The other method in which research was gathered was first-hand observation at our weekly chapter meetings. Within these meetings the members that are present must be able to switch between being light-hearted and friendly among their peers, to being professional when tasks need to be taken care of. I felt that email was a better way of going about gathering my research because it gave Sarah free reign to answer the questions fully without feeling pressured to cut off at any certain point. Had we done the interview face to face then she may have felt at some point she was rambling and cut herself off before she could give a full in depth answer. Its like an interview for a job. She may have only scratched the surface because she didnt want to take up too much time or something of that nature, which would not have been the case. Also, the observations from the meeting were a good way of gathering information as well because at the meetings students have the opportunity to be both professional and just regular students among their peers. The first question I asked that I was most interested in hearing her response was, as a student and as a professional, how do you make the transition from speaking or writing with students to professionals? This question was essentially the basis of my research and the core of what I wanted to know. Upon asking that question, Sarah responded with, I view students as professionals. In order for students to gain respect from their peers, professors, and others in the community, I believe that its important for students to conduct themselves with respect and professionalism. This sort of lays the framework for the rest of this paper as I find out how one can transition between different

discourse communities. Sarah went on to say that, in todays society, I think students have a certain pressure to maintain professionalism inside and outside of the classroom. This is to say that within the college community students must be able to gain confidence in being a professional not only outside of the classroom in different professional discourse communities specific to their interests or majors, but must also be professional in the classroom, as their teachers can form certain impressions of students based on how they conduct themselves in the classroom. As the interview progressed, in regards to the struggle that students may experience when transitioning from student to professional, in her personal experience, Sarah had this to say, I think you learn as you go. Each step of the way, as you mature, you slowly understand the workings of businesses and what it means to be professional. This was a great quote because it sums up the college experience of becoming professional in simple enough terms without being too simple. Its obvious that with a highly variant student population it is easier for some students to transition to professional while still being a student more easily than others. Thats just the nature of it, but at the same time those students who cannot transition between student and professional as easy as others are the students who find themselves struggling to get into professional organizations on campus, or even find a job on campus. On the other side of this though, in a more broad sense when speaking about students in general outside of professional settings, in order to gain experience in professionalism, she stated, in addition to professional organizations, internships and job shadowing are two other great ways to gain experience on how to conduct ones self in the professional world. With that being said, students dont necessarily have to join

professional organizations on campus in order to gain experience, but in some instances, it helps students gain the experience necessary to achieve an internship because it can prepare them for the interviews and the composure that is necessary when in a professional setting. In regards to research I also wanted to know how authority is gained as a student among peers. Sarah is the newly elected president of the pre-law coed professional fraternity on campus and with that she had to immediately gain authority over her peers within the fraternity. When asked about how she had to gain authority so quickly she had this to say, I think I conduct myself with a tone of seriousness, and the other members know that I have high expectations for everyone involved. This shows that Sarah saw that with this sort of opportunity she had to establish herself the way she wanted, and establish herself quickly. With this sort of position within a student run professional organization, it can be hard to gain authority, or in some cases keep it. One possible disadvantage of a student run organization is the fact that it is indeed run by students. The issues of respect that can formulate if Sarah were not to take her position of President seriously could be lingering. For example, within the fraternity there are a considerable amount of seniors within the organization, and with Sarah being a junior could cause problems of seniority. Some students could have the idea of who is she to tell me what to do? Im older than she is. This and other problems can arise if one does not establish authority quickly. In Sarahs case, she established herself early on in her membership within the fraternity. She said, I always tried to be the head of one of the committees, so I think everyone knew that I had initiative and was capable of being a leader. Sarah joined as a

freshman and becoming head of a committee shortly after joining can be daunting for any student, but it just goes back to the aforementioned quote. She established herself early in order to set herself up for future success within the fraternity. This can be a lesson to other students in professional organizations as well. Within the fraternity there are different committees, such as Fundraising, or Career & Professional Programming. Within these moments when the students are in their committees, it is a bit of a light-hearted atmosphere. Students are presenting ideas to each other and there are negotiations made between students as to the best way they can implement their ideas. However, once Sarah, the president, calls the committees to come together, the committees buckle down and present their ideas to the fraternity and to be effective and have their ideas considered they must be professional, and serious about what they are presenting. Off the cuff jokes are made sometimes, as we are students and friends, but for the overwhelming majority of this allotted time, students are serious about what they are presenting. The committee of Career & Professional Programming is designed to give students an opportunity to practice professionalism in settings outside of the classroom. This committee has performed many tasks that give students a chance at gaining experience speaking with professionals and conducting themselves as such. For example, belonging a pre-law fraternity, they contact lawyers (some of whom have graduated from Ohio University) and they come in and speak to the group. Other things that the committee has done is set up resume workshops, usually about twice a semester, to help students figure out which things they should put in their resume, in regards to particular experience for example, or help them see what a good resume looks like.

One recurring event that this committee puts together as well that is arguably the most beneficial to students within the fraternity is having speakers from different professional backgrounds come in and talk to members of the fraternity. These professionals range from lawyers (since it is a pre-law fraternity), representatives from nonprofit organizations, and most recently policymakers from the D.C. area. Students that do attend usually come with questions that pertain to what the person is speaking about, as well as questions they find relevant or interesting so that they may gain a better understanding of how to be a professional. The opportunities that this committee gives to the other members of invaluable because helping students become better professionals is something that is always necessary to gain more knowledge in. In analyzing my results I found that this research shows that it is in fact possible for students to be able to switch back and forth between discourse communities of being both a student and a professional. While the transition may be harder for other students to handle and can give them issues, other students can learn from what Sarah had to say and take it to heart when they begin their professional ventures in college or after. Students in academia today have a wide array of opportunities to get involved with professional organizations, all it takes is the drive for students to want to gain that professional experience and to find a professional organization suited for their taste. Again, the quote from Kahn articulates this perfectly, one of the driving forces behind assigning ethnographic writing is that people learn more from direct experience than second-hand experience (p. 178). If students want to become more professional then they must find ways to get involved.

Ultimately, what this research displays is that, while students find themselves in a fortuitous position these days in college in regards to professionalism, it is their choice whether or not they get involved. The professional organizations that exist give students vital tools to gain jobs on campus relevant to their field, internships, or even a career upon graduation. This research could also be important to students that are struggling with finding their place in the professional world because as Sarah, the president of my pre-law fraternity said, I think you learn as you go. Therefore, students dont need all the experience in the world to get involved. They just need the desire to learn and if they have that then they will slowly but surely they will find themselves in the professional setting/position they desired in the first place.

Works Cited Beaufort, Anne (1999). The Institutional Site of Composing: Converging and Overlapping Discourse Communities. Writing in the Real World. 31-61.

Kahn, Seth. (2011). Putting Ethnographic Writing in Context. Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Vol. 2. 175-192.

Wardle, Elizabeth. (2004). Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces. Enculturation, Vol. 5.2, 153-167(Class text pg. numbers).

Appendix Sarah. (2013) Interview via email. 1. As a student, and as a professional, how do you make the transition from speaking or writing with students to professionals?

I view students as professionals. In order for students to gain respect from their peers, professors and others in the community, I believe that it's important for students to conduct themselves with respect and professionalism. In today's society, I think students have a certain pressure to maintain professionalism inside and outside of the classroom. Therefore, I speak and write to students the same way that I would with professionals. The only exception would be that I make more jokes to my peers and keep the conversations a little lighter than I would with professionals. But, again, it depends on the situation. Every professional atmosphere is slightly different based on the profession, people, etc. 2. As president of the pre-law fraternity on campus, how did you gain authority amongst the other students? I think that the other members are all respectful and understand the roles everyone plays within the fraternity. I have been a member since I was a freshman, and feel like I gained respect the last few years by stepping up and helping with whatever I could to make the organization stronger. I think I conduct myself with a tone of seriousness, and the other members know that I have high expectations for everyone involved. In my speech, I laid out all of the things that I would expect and want as the president so everyone would know exactly what I had in mind for the future of the fraternity. 3. What was the hardest part about gaining authority as president of the pre-law fraternity? It was definitely an interesting transition going from member to leader. But I always tried to be the head of one of the committees, so I think everyone knew that I had initiative and was capable of being a leader. I think it's a good thing that I have such a strong relationship with the majority of the members. I originally thought it would be a conflict to be friends with the people who I am now technically in charge of and responsible for, but it has honestly made the process easier. I feel that when you have a good relationship with people, then they will try harder to make sure they are responsible and do what they need to do. Because if they don't, then they are personally letting you down. 4. What do you think students struggle with the most when learning how to be professional? College is a great time and place to figure out who you are and what you want from life. I'm not saying that after four (or five) years you should have it all figured out, but it's a

great way to practice. One of the great things about an organization like our pre-law fraternity is that we have events and opportunities for members to practice being in a professional setting. We host events where members learn what business professional versus business causal dress is and where members (who are 21+ and up) can practice drinking is a social setting with other professions. This cocktail party is always a successful event. I do think that students are in an interesting place in life where they want to be professional, but still want to enjoy life and have fun. In addition to professional organizations, internships and job shadowing are two other great ways to gain experience on how to conduct ones self in the professional world. 5. Did you struggle with transitioning from being a student to being a professional as well? That's a great question, and I'm honestly not sure how to answer it. My parents always treated me with respect, which resulted in my acting responsible and professional at an early age. I started my first job when I was 16. That was good practice for activities in high school, and then later on college. I think you learn as you go. Each step of the way, as you mature, you slowly understand the workings of businesses and what it means to be professional. There are times that I wish I could just sit back and enjoy things without the stress and responsibility of being in charge, but honestly I wouldn't give it up. The reward and self-fulfillment that I feel after each successful chapter and event outweighs everything else.

Chris Hecht Eng 3840j 11 April 2013 Reflective Essay

When we first got this project I wasnt sure where to begin. I had a couple of ideas of how I could go about completing this project, but I wasnt sure which one would be the most beneficial for me. Since I am very interested in criminology I wanted to try and interview two people; a professor of mine that teaches my criminology class, and who is also very knowledgeable in the field, and my brother-in-law who is a juvenile probation officer. When I talked to my professor after class he asked me to email him about the interview, and so I did. He took quite a while to respond, actually after I had changed the layout of my project. I also didnt feel entirely comfortable interviewing my brother-in-law because he has only been working in the field for about a year and I wasnt all too sure about what information he could give me, or how effective it could be. It was after this I decided to change the layout of my project. Since my professor took a while to get back to me I wanted to be able to get started on the project and be able to get a good amount of research and work done, without having to worry about whether or not my professor would ever get back to me. I was talking with Matt (a member of class) about what he was doing on his project, just to see if he ran into the same problems I did. He told me about how he was going to do his project on overlapping discourse communities, in regards to students being professionals. I thought that was a good idea and upon hearing that I immediately knew what I could write about. The only thing I was worried about was whether or not I had actually copied Matt, but I think that my paper will show different ideas from his, and that I displayed different knowledge from him in regards to my analysis and so forth. I know I presented this to you on the lab day we had last week and I had told you that my professor did not respond to me and that I was worried about the information my

brother-in-law could give me. I think that going about this project a different way was good for me because I know that I have struggled with being a professional up until this point in my college career, as well as feel professional. Sometimes in certain situations I will feel that I am not seen as a serious professional because I am a college student, but at the same time I feel that people can take me seriously as well. I feel that it is a mixed bag. Once I interviewed the president of my pre-law fraternity I felt a lot more confident going into this paper because she gave me good answers to the questions I asked, and also it was very easy for me to observe how we as students are also professional within our weekly meetings. I think that once I got everything together it was easy for me to analyze what it was that she had answered in comparison to the readings that I used in my paper, such as Beaufort and Kahn. Overall, I am happy with the work I did, especially after having to change my original idea due to the issues that I had. I think that in some places I had trouble trying to articulate what I had to say in a better way than I did, but all in all I did my absolute best to get my research, gather results, and analyze those results in a manner that hopefully you see fit. In regards to past projects I wouldnt say it is better than project two but this project was a different beast entirely and in the end I did the best I could.