The Difference Between Academic and Professional Projects

Lately I've been contemplating the difference between academic and professional projects. One of the great things about my freelance work with the writing center is that it has given me a feel for creating documents outside of the classroom.

While class assignments are definitely beneficial, there are some major differences when it comes to professional work. For instance, when an assignment is due in class you turn it in, hope for the best, and move on (unless the professor allows a second submission). You may have worked on it for a couple of sessions, but most likely due to the chaotic nature of student-life you just might have created it the night before.

In a professional situation, where there is a client with needs and money being spent to receive a great product, things work a bit differently. I've learned that deadlines fluctuate because people want the best product (in some situations, not all) and that you never deal with a document once and then move on. The genre guides, for example, have went through the hands of on average four people multiple times being written, edited, re-written, formatted, re-edited, re-formated, approved, re-edited again, re-formatted again, etc. It's really amazing when I think about it. There are clarity issues and typos and new points of consideration that someone else or I just keep discovering.

I know that not all professional projects will be of the same nature or have the same time schedule or flexibility as this project has, but I think comparing it with my academic work is useful nonetheless. You just don't necessarily submit a document in a professional setting and move on. That document might persistently keep returning.