Striking the Right Balance: Leveraging the Combination of a Finance Major and Professional and Public Writing Minor

Matthew Pazdziora

Matthew Pazdziora, pilipili Class of 2021

Major:  Finance
Minors:  Professional and Public Writing + Management
Alumni

Matt leveraged the combination of his Finance major and Professional and Public Writing (PPW) minor to land a job at Electric Boat. He is now a Senior Program Rep for Materials Management within the Supply Chain Organization. A huge advocate for the PPW minor, Matt believes the writing techniques he learned in his PPW classes have had a tremendous impact on his early career success.

PPW courses such as Writing for Business Organizations and Writing Grants and Proposals helped him develop important professional writing skills. For example, Matt comments that “striking the right balance of maintaining a professional tone while also stressing the urgency of a request is essential in my position. Clarity and concision are also important aspects of communicating effectively. No one wants to reread an email to understand the request. A clear subject line and front-loading of essential information will lead to less confusion and allow for the timelier completion of projects.”

Four years post-graduation, Matt confirms what he learned in his PPW classes: effective writing is essential across all industries and can elevate the value of an employee.