Running head: MY FINALIZED WRITING PLAN 1

My Finalized Writing Plan

Student Name

SNHU
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My Finalized Writing Plan

The article “Some Lessons From The Assembly Line”, by Mr. Andrew Braaksma,

communicates the author’s experiences with trading time off from school with working long,

exhausting hours at various factories. He uses these experiences to not only accentuate the

importance of education but also as a way to convey the valuable life lessons he learned as a

result of counter-balancing his leisurely college life. I strongly agree with the author’s claim that

“people my age always seem to overestimate the value of their time and knowledge” (Braaksma,

2005).

Braaksma’s goal is to make students more aware of the need to appreciate their time and

to value their education. The long arduous hours spent at the factory helped him to not only

develop a deep-seeded appreciate for his continued education, but also taught him valuable

attributes (i.e. determination, discipline, patience, hard work, etc.) that he can use long after his

time at school has ended.

The audience that will be reading my essay consists of those college students forced to

work blue collar jobs in order to pay for their education, those from the middle class that work

leisurely to supplement their incomes (i.e. “beer money”), and those from the wealthy upper

class who doesn’t have to work benefitting from the full financial support from their families.

Braaksma has stated multiple key points within his article, however, I believe there are

three of these that stand out and effectively support hiss main goal. First, and most impactful, he

states “the things that factory work has taught me -- how lucky I am to get an education, how to

work hard, how easy it is to lose that work once you have it -- are by no means earth shattering…

has inspired me to make the most of my college years before I enter the real world for good”
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(Braaksma, 2005). This key point alone encompasses both the foundation for the author’s main

goal as well as my claim for his article.

Next he tells us that “my friends who take easier, part-time jobs never seem to understand

why I’m so relieved to be back at school” (Braaksma, 2005). This statement shows the

appreciation he felt for his time at school and having such great relief to be back, was not

commonly felt by his classmates.

Finally he states that “factory life has shown me what my future might have been like had

I never gone to college in the first place” (Braaksma, 2005). This further deepens his

appreciation of how he spent his time, with a greater awareness since he was able to experience a

hard-working life away from what he considered at college.

Aside from the key points mentioned above, Braaksma’s article resonates with me

because of my own personal experiences. This writing has led me to reevaluate a time in my life.

In 2007, I was coming back from a “leisurely” lifestyle in south Florida, returning back to the

Northeast in a time of hardship. In order to improve my situation professionally, I took a job that

required daily shifts as much as 16 hours long, up to 6 times a week, for almost 5 years. Being in

this situation caused me to have a new outlook and a newfound appreciation for how I was to

spend my time from that moment on. I realized that I wished I had also had more discipline and

dedication when it came to furthering my education. I now knew what it was like on the ‘other

side’ and I am now able to feel the relief of being back in school, learning to create a better

future.

My goal in writing my final essay is two-fold. I want to make people more aware of how

they spend their time and to value all of life lessons (good and bad) along the way. I believe this

is invaluable because once a person can truly appreciate their experiences (including with their
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continued education) that they will also be able to open up more possibilities in their lives. They

should continually ask themselves questions, such as: Do I value the quality of the work I put

in?; Do I appreciate the years I am spending on my education?; and, am I prepared for the

hardships I may encounter after school has ended, when I am on my own?

The revision strategy that I have found most helpful during the time spent writing my

writing plan (and final essay) essay is the peer evaluation strategy. I was able to obtain valuable

feedback from a fellow student. This feedback has helped me steer clear of potential biases in my

writing. Also, I was able to receive help in correcting any grammatical errors as well as tips on

better overall organization and fluidity to my writing.

My essay will benefit greatly by receiving outside feedback because I find that I function

on a higher level when I am challenged to take a step back and consider another perspective.

When I am put in a position to think differently, get out of my comfort zones, I find I am able to

excel and attain better levels of understanding.

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Works cited

Braaksma, A. (2005). Some Lessons From The Assembly Line. Newsweek, 146(11), 17.