never written a research paper in college or had an in class essay

[citylove101]

OP

Learn how to write well. I understand that an academic paper is not the style of writing that's needed in the work world, but it does give you practice in organization and structure -- two things most poor writers have big trouble with -- sentence structure, and tone. (I presume spelling isn't a problem for you). Also spend a lot of time reading well-written general interest magazines and newspapers to soak up the structure and tone, as well as popular histories on a subject you're interested in. Books by David McCullough or Doris Kearns Goodwin, for example, are best-sellers for a reason. People don't have to slog through them because the authors can make complex ideas clear and understandable.

You might take a course in technical writing, as has been suggested, since techies and various assorted STEM types are too often incapable of stringing together more than two sentences without making a reader groan. (Yeah, it's a stereotype, but that's been my experience). I have known people in financial, economic and scientific fields whose careers have been sidetracked or even derailed because they can't manage to convey what they know to their coworkers, their superiors, or a non-specialized audience. Think about it: What good is knowledge if you can't communicate it?

And the idea that all that communication is done in bullet points as one poster said, is totally ludicrous. At best, bullet points are an outline for an oral presentation. When your boss says "Send me a memo next week about how that would work," you'd better be able to write a cogent, organized piece that does just that. And yes, if you can accomplish that with a five-page paper on Keats, you can adjust and learn to do that for a five-page memo on macro-economic policy.

So learn to write. Start in school and it will be easier down the line. But learn anyway you can.

Good luck.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by stellastar2345

I think the most I have written is a page typed. How much do you think this will hurt me?

I am studying comp sci and econ with a minor in math.

I have an option to write an economics focused thesis paper. Should I do it if I rarely write?

How much it will hurt you will depend on what you want to, or end up, doing.

If you want to go to graduate school it will be an issue. If you want to go into management, it could be an issue. If you just want a job where you punch in and out each day, it probably will not be an issue.

Personally, I'd do the thesis. Take advantage of UGAs writing center if you need to. It will be another feather in your hat, another point on your resume, it will give you an edge in graduate school admissions and perhaps in edge in your job search as well. Despite what some may have you believe, communication skills, which the written language is surely a part of, are highly valued in the real world.

Originally Posted by capoeira

Generally the BS liberal arts classes require papers that the professors do not even read,they just send the pile of papers to a TA for grading. Most of my classes I never wrote papers for. I have never heard of anyone writing papers for Physics, Chemistry,Engineering or Computer Science classes. I have wrote compilers and operating systems but never any papers for computer science classes.

When one gets out in the corporate world there is very little demand for "paper writers". One generally does a presentation with bullet points in Powerpoint format. I think the only demand for "paper writers" would be the online services that write papers for other students.

Chemistry and Physics majors do write formal lab reports, as often as weekly (like I did) depending on school.

You find little demand for paper writers in the corporate world because they largely hire people, or subcontract, to specifically handle these tasks. So the need is there, and increasingly more so with the prevalence of online communications (website content, blogs, and so on) these days.