Educational and Career Goals, Admission Essay Example

It is my greatest hope to become enrolled with the graduate school at Penn State University.  I strongly believe that this school will provide me with the opportunities and education necessary to help move forward in my career as well as learn the essential skills toward performing at a higher level of excellence in the field.  The Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources and Employment Relations program will provide a strong educational background and business skills to help me successfully build upon my current work experiences and background.  Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to have been hired as the benefits and compensation manager for a company.  This is a position that I have held for over four years now and it continues to provide me with challenges and excitement every day.  While I truly enjoy my current position, I deeply wish to further my career and move up in the company as a director to oversee the various human resources functions within an organization.

While I enjoy the complexities of payroll administration, benefits compensation and working with insurance coverage, human resources is a very broad field that naturally comes with many challenges and adversities.  I have always worked hard to overcome adversities in my professional and personal lives.  Recently, I graduated from Cedar Crest College with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a main concentration in Human Resources.  While I attended school, I was working full-time and have been providing a loving and fruitful home for my beautiful twin boys as a working single mother.  This has not been an easy task by any means, but I know what it is like to be faced with difficult odds and having to overcome problems in creative and innovative ways.  Human Resources is very similar because there are issues that can come along each day that task the mind, bend the rules and force professionals to make difficult decisions.

Based on my experiences and knowledge in the field, I am confident that Penn State University is the best opportunity for me to achieve my ultimate career goals while still providing a good life for my family.  My short-term goal is to earn a masters degree and ultimately move up in the ranks of my company and our human resources department.  However, I ultimately would like to work as a college professor helping to bestow knowledge to students from my own experiences and the educational background to help mold strong young professionals in the field.  I realize that this is a long road that will not be traveled lightly.  My family and my career are very important and also very taxing, but I have an excellent support network in friends, family and colleagues to help guide me and assist me along the way to reaching my goals.

Above all else, education is extremely important to me.  I believe that my efforts will demonstrate to my children the rewards of pursuing higher education.  Ending the educational journey with a Bachelors Degree is not enough for me, and I do not want that to be enough for my children. Furthermore, I value the recognition that a Penn State education and degree offers. The strong reputation of the Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources and Employment Relations program is phenomenal.  As a nationally-recognized university and program specializing specifically in Human Resources, this is an opportunity I would cherish ceasing to help achieve my career and personal goals.