Tuesday, March 17, 2020

The eNotes Blog The Writers Diet Is a Trim Essay a GoodEssay

The Writers Diet Is a Trim Essay a GoodEssay WARNING: your writing may be headed for a coronary. No, this is not an indictment of your eating habits. (Believe methese days I can hardly put fingers to keyboard without a sugary coffee and half a bag of Cadburys mini eggs in me. I am intimately familiar with the ailment that is writers bum. Ergo, I am NOT the person to school anyone on the  deviousness  that occurs between hand and mouth.) I am, however, qualified to speak on the trimness of your writing itself. Back when I tutored students for the SAT and ACT writing exams, eloquence was a prominent focus of the grading rubric. And while eloquence to me, as a Literature and Creative Writing major in university, harkens back to the masters of languageDickens, Bronte, Austeneloquence (dubious quotation marks and all) to the standardized testing officials actually means quite the opposite; sentences should be devoid of descriptive words, lean to the point of dullness, about as tasty and filling as a leaf of lettuce. It was soul-crushing to teach, though perhaps a necessity when it comes to teaching high school students how to write effectively. Thats why I found The Writers Diet, a new tool that objectively assesses the leanness of a writing sample, so interesting. Could it be a helpful tool for students? A measure of eloquence? To find out, I gave it a whirl with one of the best opening paragraphs in the history of the English novel. Oh my dickens! Look at that lovely paragraph splattered with ugly neon highlighter. Whats even more injurious to the eyes? The Writers Diet tests fitness rating, which breaks down on a smug little bar graph the faults of A Tale of Two Cities. Alright, so I get it that this test is a totally algorithm-based assessment, and that I chose one of the most flowery writing samples in existence to try it out. But to say that Dickens is beyond flabby is frankly insulting. The only way the WD test could redeem itself now was by casting its harsh neon criticism across the greatest assault to English literature I know of Fifty Shades of Grey. So yeah, turns out that the passage about the girl feeling adventurous because she borrowed her boyfriends toothbrush is officially Fit trim. Nice one, Writers Diet. As it turns out, there is no objective assessment for good writing, because no algorithm can calculate style. And what I didnt mention before is that style is the one factor of the SAT/ACT grading rubric  that separates a mediocre essay from a great one. Its one thing to be able to simply state a message, and another to instill it in your reader. So before you forsake all commas, dependent clauses, adjectives and adverbs, take some time to become a master of the English language. Scratch thatbecome an apprentice of the English language. Even a small infusion of style will take you further than you think. After all, would you rather chomp into a low-fat, gluten free cracker or a dripping, succulent guacamole bacon burger? Yeah, I think I know your answer to that already.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

How to become a production worker

How to become a production worker As a consumer society, we own- and keep acquiring- more and more stuff. Much of that stuff is made all around the world, but many products are still produced here in the United States. Although the industry has obviously evolved since the twentieth  century manufacturing boom, production workers still have a place in the American job ecosystem. And if you’re interested in seeking out one of these manufacturing jobs for yourself, we have the info to help you make that decision. What does a production worker do?Production workers are very hands-on employees in a factory, working with machinery to fabricate or refine materials that are used to create and package products. Some examples are food production and packaging facilities, pharmaceutical production facilities, or plants that manufacture parts of a larger product. Production workers are needed to create everything, from tiny medical instruments to cars or airplane engine parts.A production worker’s tasks may inclu de:Operating machinery on a production lineProcessing raw materialsAssembling and finishing a productRefining and cleaning a product (like sanding, washing, or applying protective cover)Packing boxes or pallets for shippingProduction workers typically work full- or part-time shifts in a factory, plant, or manufacturing facility. These shifts may include days, nights, weekends, and overtime. This is also a very physical job, meaning that production workers may need to sit or stand for the duration of those shifts, depending on the task. There may also be protective gear involved (aprons, safety glasses, gloves, head coverings) as well, particularly if one is working with machinery.What skills do production workers need?Before you pursue a career in the field, make sure you work on building up the following skills- you’ll need to talk about them in an interview and use them from day one.Attention to detail: Carelessness and mistakes can have direct consequences for a product, c reating defects or slowing down production. Production workers should be able to spot and resolve problems on the fly.Working as part of a team: Production workers are always part of a larger team, with a shared goal of creating something for the company’s bottom line. If a person is unable to follow directions or understand how his or her piece of the process fits with others’, then the job might not be a good fit.What background do you need to become a production worker?There is no specific training program or degree for production workers, but most companies require the minimum of a high school degree (or equivalent). These jobs typically have on-the-job training to teach workers specific processes, equipment, or tasks directly associated with the job itself.How much do production workers make?According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for production workers is $32,380, or $15.57 per hour. This can change depending on the skill level necessary to perform the job or the complexity of the work.What’s the outlook for production workers?Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a slight overall decline for these kinds of positions as manufacturing faces some economic uncertainty in the U.S., there are hubs that are seeing a resurgence in these kinds of jobs, particularly in Midwest and Western states like Wyoming, Indiana, South Dakota, Texas, and Michigan.