To whom it my concern,
As an Automotive Technician for the past 13 years, the skills I have developed in my trade are more mechanical and hands. Although the need to communicate clearly and efficiently has unknowingly kept my skills someone what sharp, I had not thought about an English class or writing a paper in many years. Coming into my first semester in college I was very nervous, as most are, and unsure of what to expect especially due to the 11 year gap between high school and college. With the Automotive industry being a very physical practice, I have found that during my career my body has taken a beating. Without a time machine or anti-ageing device of some kind, I feel like trying to peruse a new career would be beneficial to my future. None the less, this last semester has gotten me back into the swing of things, with some amount of confidence, to complete my degree.
My first entry is an essay about said current career as an Automotive Technician. I enjoy the field very much due to its vast amount of potential problems and what needs to be done to figure out the issue. With all the chemicals and fluids, I have learned a lot about fluid dynamics, thermal properties of fluids and different gasses, which once I realized what I was doing, it all just breaks down to some sort of science. The tools, computers, and diagnostic equipment I use daily has helped me build my problem solving and diagnostic work and which all let to me choosing my major of study.
The second essay was about the change in technology around the world and how it is effecting different business. This essay was helpful to regain some experience in taking a piece of writing and creating a summary about it while filtering out some one the article as well as addressing the main points. This entry also helped me try to identify if the author was trying to sway me in a particular direction or if it was just a generally informative. The process of the essay was important to ensure that I am capable of understanding the material at hand and deciding if it is a valid resource or not. All these skills, which I hadn’t used in a long time, took a bit of refining due to my lack of experience.
The final portfolio entry is an essay I wrote continuing on the reality of robotic invasion in the workplace, specifically the Automotive Manufacture Industry. I felt that most of the info I researched would be useful to know being in the automotive industry. Knowing how the parts work together and are installed in the vehicle would help greatly in figuring out what sources are valid and which facts are important. The process has been changed greatly, with added robotic workers everywhere, but it also has many of the same basic fundamentals as from the 1920s. This essay was somewhat difficulty for me to research due to difficulty finding specific information about the robots other than a few really great sources and one documentary. I do believe the use of humans employees will decrease with robotic increase but humans will always be needed.
Being the first semester, I am anxious to see what the future holds. I am sure with all assignments I need to complete I will achieve greater results. It’s not easy working two jobs and going to school full time but in the end I know it will all the work the effort. After having my nervousness wear away, I felt more comfortable in a school setting again and hope to contribute to great things in whichever field of science I decide to follow through with. Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed my portfolio.