Student Name
SNHU
MY FINALIZED WRITING PLAN 2
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
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”
MY FINALIZED WRITING PLAN 3
(Braaksma, 2005). This key point alone encompasses both the foundation for the author’s main
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
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
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
MY FINALIZED WRITING PLAN 4
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
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
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
Works cited
Braaksma, A. (2005). Some Lessons From The Assembly Line. Newsweek, 146(11), 17.