August Larson
August Larson is currently a Technical Writer at Efinix, Inc., a semiconductor manufacturing company in Cupertino. At Efinix, they create and update user-facing technical documentation, usually relating to Efinix's Efinity software.
From August, you’ll learn how to maximize your internship experience, PWM class recommendations, and what your first job might be like!
Why did you decide to be a Professional Writing minor?
I was almost done with my double major in psychology and economics, so I wanted to add a minor in my senior year. Originally, I was deciding between the Professional Writing minor and the Linguistics minor since I took a class that applied to both. I felt that my major classes had been largely theory-based, and I wanted to try something new. I liked that the Professional Writing minor had more hands-on projects and taught professional skills, so I decided to pursue it. I also liked the internship requirement since I wanted more work experience. It led me to my first internship, and later to a job at Efinix.
What skills did you learn in your classes, and how do they help you in your current job?
The best skill I learned was how to adapt my writing style for various professional situations. I took a lot of the Writing in the Professions courses, like Business Writing (UWP 104A), Technical Writing (UWP 104T), and Legal Writing (UWP 104B). These experiences taught me what to expect for writing styles and desired skills in those fields. For example, I took Business Writing and Technical Writing at the same time, but they had opposite standards on document formatting and bullet point usage. I grew as a writer and improved my attention to detail and concision. When you start working, depending on the industry, you’ll have to meet different expectations. Whether you know your career path or not, you’ll learn how to adapt and pick up writing styles quickly.
How do you get the most out of an internship or a job?
During my senior year, I felt like I was trying to catch up on internship experience because I wanted to focus on my academics during freshman and sophomore years. It was a big adjustment to think about my future, get professional experience, and find an internship. Sometimes I felt like I was just sending applications into a “void”, but once I got my first internship, the ball really started rolling. My first internship ended up being with Efinix, Inc., and there I learned more about technical writing. For part of my internship, I helped translate complex engineering documents into easily understandable user manuals. At first, it was very difficult; I was dealing with software and acronyms I had little to no background information on. So, I often did personal check-ins and asked for help. For example, when I didn’t understand something, I’d discern whether the instructions or the terminology were confusing. If it was the instructions, I’d fix the wording, but if it was the terms, then I’d ask the engineering team for clarification. I had a lot to learn in my first internship, but being proactive and getting help were the best things I did to get the most out of the experience.
Was there a specific project or experience in the Professional Writing Minor that impacted you?
I took the Professional Editing class (UWP 112A), and it was one of the most valuable courses I had done in my time at UC Davis. If I had to rank it compared to my other classes, it would be my number one choice for usefulness. My job is a mix of writing, editing, and some design work. I find myself using skills from the editing class all the time because it really honed my attention to detail. The final project was a highlight because I got to work in a great group and present our work to a real client. Also, the Legal Writing class (UWP 104B) was very valuable. One helpful thing I learned was how to be a better peer-review partner. We edited each other's work for group assignments, and I got to see what types of edits people preferred. For example, some people wanted more grammar-focused peer review, while others wanted me to check on clarity or content effectiveness. That class and the other profession-based classes were like a personal litmus test to see if I wanted that profession as my career.
Another great experience I had was sharing a presentation with Dr. Andersen’s User Experience Documentation class (UWP 110). My presentation was later in the quarter and showed the cycle of how changes are made to data. I also did an overview of some of the technical writing experiences I had at my internship with Efinix. I also told them more about the project management software, Jira, and the XML editor, Oxygen DITA, that I used. By doing this, I was able to show students what software they may use when they get their first job.
What advice do you have for current students?
You can create your own opportunities if you seek them out or are willing to create them. I’m not just talking about the Professional Writing minor program or internship; I’ve learned there are new experiences everywhere. Seek out different student or professional organizations you're interested in and see how you can get involved. Also, reach out to your professors for career and resume help. Sometimes they’ll know about opportunities or could give you really great advice. Finally, do not be afraid of what you don’t understand. You can figure things out and know that the skills you’re learning are very applicable to many different career fields.