It’s very important to understand that the traditional system of school - - college - - university - - career no longer works. Nowadays you need to learn new things on an ongoing basis without having an authority such as a school or university to push you
So, when you write an essay you should ask yourself whom you are writing it for. Do you write it because an anonymous authority might be expecting you to write it or do you write it because you want to share your thoughts and ideas with others?