Arguably, internet searches are one of the most common reasons we go online. It seems simple enough: type in what you're looking for, and in return you get a (long!) list of possible websites that contain answers.

Yet we've all experienced frustration in the search process, when we can't find what we want easily, though we know it exists somewhere.

This essay will give us the opportunity to practice some advanced search techniques that we may not have used before. Our goal will be to try out two new techniques, and compare how effective they are for meeting our search needs. Specifically, we will search out information about our dream jobs--the career we hope to one day attain. (If you're independently wealthy and just in school for the fun of things, you're welcome to consider ideal volunteer positions rather than careers...)

We will try several of these strategies as homework assignments throughout this module. You will pick two to focus on specifically in your essay, from these options:

Essay Requirements:
This essay should be at least 750 words (about 3 pages double-spaced, depending on your font size). Your essay should also include a title. We will be incorporating MLA style & citation elements into this essay--more on this to come.

This will be a thesis-driven essay, meaning that your essay will need to include a statement that indicates which search strategy is better for finding accurate, useful information about your chosen career. Assume that your readers are people like yourself who are interested in the same career.

Want to see what this might look like? Check out a couple of previous students' essay drafts.

**Special Note: unlike other essays to come, we will NOT be doing an in-class peer review of this essay, nor will you be required to turn in a rough draft. If you want feedback on a draft before you submit the final, I encourage you to talk with friends, family members, and/or the Writing & Tutoring Center, which has an online submission option. I will also be happy to read and comment on rough drafts, no matter what stage of the process they're in, as long as you get them to me at least 48 hours before the final due date.

All of the assignments leading up to the final essay due date will help you build the essay in small pieces, so as to minimize the stress level of completing this task.