Jasbir Kaur
Immediately upon graduation, Jasbir was offered a full-time job as a technical writer at an enterprise software company in Silicon Valley. She worked there for about a year before moving out-of-state to pursue a two-year master's program to gain a rigorous understanding of user experience (UX). After earning her MS in human-computer interaction, she began her first full-time position as a UX researcher at an education management software company. She is currently back in Silicon Valley working as a UX researcher contractor at Google.
How has your professional writing minor benefited you?
The skills that I've gained from the professional writing minor have consistently served me extremely well through my entire post-undergrad academic and professional journey. Moreover, I continue to utilize the writing abilities I gained through the minor in not only my full-time technical jobs, freelance gigs I decide to take on, but endeavors related to my personal life as well (blog, social media, etc.). The written word is how I communicate and connect—to some degree, that's something, as humans, we all do. From composing emails, to drafting research plans and scripts to run a study, to delivering clear and succinct presentations to leadership that help inform product decisions, these are all just a few ways that I continually apply my professional writing skills.
Why were you interested in pursuing the professional writing minor?
I believe what drew me to pursue the professional writing minor in the first place is because I've always enjoyed writing and had a knack for it. Being able to write “professionally” though, definitely requires a different skillset, and that is something that I acquired by pursuing the minor. And to be honest, it is hands down one of the best decisions I've ever made during my undergraduate career.
What advice do you have for current UC Davis students considering or currently completing the minor?
The advice I'd give to current UC Davis students completing or considering the minor is this: you can't deny the fact that we all have to communicate through the written word. And as we all get more and more technically savvy, we're writing out something, if not several times a day, at least daily. You might as well learn how to communicate professionally and set yourself apart by mastering the skills required to become a true professional. At the end of the day, whether you utilize these skills for your job or your side hustles and hobbies, you will largely use the written word to communicate, so do yourself a favor and start now in honing your skills to stand out as an excellent communicator. After all, clear communication allows the chance for people to resonate with your message, which oftentimes creates delightful moments of human connection.