Writing task 1: Job advice part 3
Let’s continue working on the informal letter task below. In this lesson we’ll look at bullet point 3.
You recently received a letter from a friend asking for advice about whether to go to college or try to get a job. You think he/she should get a job.
Write a letter to this friend. In your letter
- say why he/she would not enjoy going to college
- explain why getting a job is a good idea for him/her
- and suggest types of job that would be suitable for him/her.
Our letter so far:
Greeting
Dear Jim,
Purpose sentence
Thanks for writing, and I’m happy to give you my opinion on whether you should continue with your studies or look for work.
Point 1
If your goal is still to become a computer programmer, I honestly don’t recommend the college route, mainly because colleges don’t offer specific programming courses. I think you would be frustrated and bored studying a lot of general IT topics.
Point 2
The best way for you to develop your programming skills would be to work on real projects as a junior employee in a company. If you can surround yourself with experienced programmers, you’ll learn so much, and your career will really take off.
Point 3
I would suggest looking for a local software company where you’ll be part of a small, dynamic team. Alternatively,…
Ending
I hope you find my advice helpful. Let me know what you decide to do!
Best wishes,
Simon
Study task: Can you write one sentence to finish bullet point 3? Begin with the word “Alternatively” and offer a different suggestion.
Comments
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Alternatively, you might consider working as an apprentice for a tech giant in town to understand its outsourcing process more thoroughly.
Excellent. No mistakes!
Alternative you can apply for the programmer trainee programme organized by a global renowned technology firms such as Microsoft, Google.
Good ideas, but here are a few small corrections:
– AlternativeLY
– you COULD apply… (‘could’ is better for a suggestion)
– a GLOBALLY renowned
– firm (singular because you wrote ‘BY A…’)
– Microsoft OR Google
Alternatively, you could look for an apprenticeship with a more experienced programmer or a small development firm.
Excellent!
Alternatively, take a short-term programming course to master a computer language before you find the right niche.
Great sentence. I would just add “you could” before “take a short-term…”
Alternatively, you can apply for a junior position at a global company with many experienced colleagues.
Excellent. Just write “you could” instead of “you can” – “could” is better for hypothetical suggestions.
Alternatively, if you work in a branch of an oversea company, you will be a specialist in specific topic of programming.
Good ideas, but I would make a few little changes:
Alternatively, if you COULD FIND work in a branch of a MULTINATIONAL company, you WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPECIALISE in A PARTICULAR AREA of programming.
Alternatively, being an apprentice at a multinational tech giant is also a good start in getting to know what is really going on in the tech world
Good sentence, but I would make a few small changes:
Alternatively, BECOMING an apprentice at a multinational tech giant WOULD BE a good WAY to LEARN what REALLY GOES on in the tech world.
Alternatively, you might consider getting a position, an internship job perhaps, at a big multinational IT company as it will certainly look good on your CV.
Excellent sentence. Just one change:
…IT company, AS THAT WOULD certainly look…
That surely will lead you to work collaboratively and help you increase your IT knowledge by working on various projects related to their programs in a very short period of time.
Although you didn’t write an “Alternatively” sentence, you did develop the idea in my first sentence. So this works too.
Just one change: Instead of “That surely will lead you”, I would write “That would give you the chance to work collaboratively and…”