Career Goals Related to Major, Essay Example

Introduction

Gaining academic qualification is, in my opinion, only as good as its capability to prepare the student to their future career. Unfortunately, not many 16-18 year old students are fully aware of their goals in life, and are just trying to explore their interests. As an international student, coming from a family that has built up their small business back in China, I always knew that I wanted to study business administration and management, as the freedom associated with running a venture and creating something that provides value for many people has inspired me greatly. I have been working towards this goal for a long time, and I believe that I am on the right path to become someone people call entrepreneur. Choosing General Management as my major, I am hoping to gain a better understanding of communication, systems, and business processes. One of the reasons why I selected this course is because it provides students with a full picture of business life, and allows them to make an informed choice about their career. I believe that gaining a major in General Management will allow me to succeed in my selected field, and become a knowledgeable manager.

Background Information

I am a highly self-motivated person, who – according to my family and friends – works hard to achieve goals. I understand that the education provided in business and management in the West is of the highest quality, and I am grateful for my parents to give me this never to be repeated opportunity. While I am planning to go back to China and help my family run their business, I decided not to specialize in any industry segment. The reason behind this is that after I gain enough experience in my parents’ business, I might be creating new ventures, for which I will need all the knowledge a General Management Course can provide. I was initially alarmed knowing that all the lessons would be in English, and while I studied the language previously, I thought that researching academic sources would be extremely challenging. Thankfully, mentoring during the course, and language /communication courses have helped me overcome the initial obstacles, and now I know that I will be able to succeed in America, as well as back in China. The course has opened my eyes up to new opportunities and allowed me to discover my strengths and weaknesses. I have now developed methods to overcome obstacles. In my opinion, one of the most valuable skills a general manager can have is problem solving. Without this ability, businesses would stagnate, and leaders would procrastinate. Further, I understood that the course would help me improve my oral and written communication skills. I was aware that communication was one of my main development areas, and have worked hard to overcome initial hurdles of using an academic and sophisticated language in writing and verbal communication. I think that managers and leaders need to become effective communicators, who can influence others to  work towards the same goal. Without this ability of leaders, no business can succeed. As I would like to secure an apprenticeship in the future to learn to apply the theories and skills learned during the course, I believe that this major will help me put the academic knowledge into practice. Overall, I am convinced that I made the right decision, and I will succeed in the world of business or employment: whichever I choose.

Interest in Major

I was always interested in running a business, and making something from nothing. I was admiring my parents working hard as a child, and I was ready to help out whenever I thought I needed to. As I grew older, I started to think that there were possibly better ways of running a venture thank sticking to the traditions and unwritten rules. However, without a degree and knowledge, ability to defend my arguments, I was unable to gain my people’s respect. Therefore, I proposed to go to school and learn as much as I can about getting better results, managing people, financing, investment in business, and maximizing returns.

As my parents understood that I was motivated by the wish to help them and make their lives easier, they agreed. I started researching career opportunities, learning options, and majors. Instead of focusing on one area of business, such as financing or human resources, I wanted to get a good grasp of general knowledge about everything. This was when I decided to pursue education and choose General Management as my major. While I was tempted about studying entrepreneurship in more detail, I soon realized that first I had to get a general understanding of how businesses work. General management covers a wide selection of business related subjects;  concepts of business, strategies, leadership profile development, and current issues, I made the final decision to apply for the course. I found the concepts learned in class straightforward, and easy to apply in businesses, and I like the practical side of the training, case study reviews, and research of industries in particular.

Work Experience and Internships

Before gaining work experience and internships, I studied the potential benefits of  applying my knowledge in real life situations. Bukaliya et al. created a study focusing on aspects of work experience and internship programs that help students understand more about their approaches towards leadership, management strengths, and weaknesses. The authors state that the main benefit of internships is to gain hands-on experience and fully understand what their chosen career involves. As the authors conclude, internships and work experience programs “assist the internee to bridge the gap between the academic learning process and the practical reality” (Bukaliya et al., 122).  They also help students decide whether or not their chosen major is suitable for them, or they should focus on other academic subjects. As a summary, internships help  bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application of knowledge. I am looking forward to completing my first internship assignment, preferably with a small or medium sized local creative business that focuses on effectiveness, communication, and innovation. I believe that a real life work environment would help me identify my strengths and development areas, in the light of the requirements set by employers. While I intend to work in my family business after graduation, learning on the job will have several benefits for me in the future. Butts signifies the importance of learning work ethics to become a more effective leader. Understanding principles, rules, and ethical considerations based on situations that come up in real life business environments will benefit me in my future career. Walo measured management competencies of students before and after completing an internship. The author  (Walo, 18) found that “pre-internship mean scores were significantly lower than their post-internship”.

Strengths, Weaknesses, and Major Choice

I believe that I am an organized and focused person, which makes me suitable to pursue a career in general management. However, I also believe that my communication skills need to be developed further. While I do have a precise idea in my head most of the time, I often have difficulties communicating them. I am also a shy person, which is a disadvantage in the business world. All businessmen I know are confident and are able to influence people. My main development area, therefore,  is communication. In the academic subjects, I believe that I am capable of synthesizing information and drawing connection between related issues. I am also a logical person, who likes exploring causes and effects. In the general management field, this can be useful, as I am less likely to get lost on details. I, however, do not like focusing on tedious tasks, and I do not think that I am good at administration. I will have two options: learning the basics of administration and accounting, or assigning this task to somebody who is more likely to complete it better than me.

Therefore, my main strengths are focus and ability to synthesize information, grasp content, and draw conclusions, while my main weakness is being shy, withdrawn, and less analytical. I will focus on my written and oral communication skills in the future, in order to overcome these weaknesses.

Trade Publication Analysis

Trade publication selected for analysis is from the Global Trade Magazine, titled: “Mexico vs. China: Who has the edge in exports to the US?” (Quintero). The publication was selected because it focuses on the competitiveness of China, the country where I would like to do business in the future. The argument made by the author is clear, and is supported by statistical data, graphs, and quotes. I believe that the language of the trade publication is easy to understand, while it provides in-depth  information for those who are looking for reliable sources. The author also utilizes rhetoric tools to increase credibility, quoting experts and figures from reliable sources. At the same time, I like the article because it has a clear message and logical conclusion. After providing historical and international policy background for the reader, the author expands on the details, and draws the following conclusion: “Therefore, if Mexico wishes to take full advantage of its competitiveness with China in the future, there are some policy changes that need to be made.” (Quintero, para 6). I like the above sentence, as it clarifies both the findings and the thesis, while providing clear recommendations for business owners. I have learned from the above article that using simple, short sentences to conclude findings and get the clear messages out in business communication has several benefits. I will try to implement this rhetorical tool and logical approach towards business arguments in the future.

Scholarly Article Analysis

The scholarly article selected for analysis is the above mentioned internship related study created by Bukaliya. Appeared in the International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications, the scholarly article is well-structured, and precisely organized. It includes an Abstract and keywords, which make the article easy to locate and analyze. Abstracts are necessary to help researchers look through the topic without having to read the entire work. Further, the journal article is sectioned to different parts, such as Introduction, Background, Problem Statement, and the main body. I like the way the author sets the topic apart from other authors’ approaches, and provides essential information for readers before presenting the logical argument. The article also has a review of the theoretical framework used, and a strong set of recommendations, based on the findings presented through charts and graphs.

Industry Interview

I recently interviewed a small business owner about the challenges today’s managers face. Owning a small vintage store, the businessperson told me that small and medium size brick-and-mortar businesses today face a great global competition. The main competition is online auction sites and classified pages, according to the manager. Unlike stores that need to pay rent and property tax, people selling items online have a cost advantage, and this is the main challenge of small specialized businesses. He also indicated that he is moving towards selling online, too, to sell items that have been in the store for a long time, increasing the liquidity of the business, which I found a good idea. The interviewee spoke in a clear, conversational tone, and used body language to support his arguments.

Narrative Analysis – Small Business Issues

For the narrative analysis, I selected Barber’s article in the Entrepreneur Magazine titled: “6 Things I Wish Somebody Had Told Me When I Started My Small Business”. The article is a useful and practical guide for people who are thinking about becoming entrepreneurs, and would like to avoid encountering serious problems. The logical bullet-point approach makes the communication simple and easy to understand/read. In the end of the article, the author also gives readers a summary of her experience, as well as a guidance. The rhetoric tool used is pathos, bringing personal experiences in the article, and adapting a conversational style.

Works Cited

Barber, Leslie. “6 Things I Wish Somebody Had Told Me When I Started My Small Business”. Entrepreneur Magazine. 2014. <http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236499>

Bukaliya, Richard, Mashonaland East Region, and Zimbabwe. Marondera. “The potential benefits and challenges of internship programmes in an ODL institution: a case for the Zimbabwe Open University.” International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications/www. ijonte. Org (2012).

Butts, Janie B. “Ethics in organizations and leadership.” (2012).

Quintero, P. “ Mexico Vs China: Who Has The Edge In Exports To The U.S.?” Global Trade. 2015. Web. <http://www.globaltrademag.com/global-trade-daily/news/mexico-vs-china-who-has-the-edge-in-exports-to-the-u-s>

Walo, Maree. “Assessing the contribution of internship in developing Australian tourism and hospitality students’ management competencies.”Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education 2.1 (2001): 12-28.