Personal and Professional Goals, Essay Example

How will your Administration degree assist you in attaining your personal/professional goals?

“Reflection has been named as one of the key competencies needed for effective leaders particularly as the workplace grows more complex and multicultural” (Roberts, n.d.). Although I was recently laid off due to the recent recession, I have always desired an opportunity where I could apply my leadership skills and my ability to work with people. I decided to obtain a degree in Administrative Management (BSAM) because I knew that this opportunity could take me in a number of different directions. My primary goal is to become an entrepreneur with a concentration on property management and/or property development. I once heard someone say that real estate is one of the most precious commodities on earth as God is not creating anymore. There may be some who believe that anything in real estate is a loss cause due to the recent mortgage meltdown, however, I do not view the current situation with real estate as a long term one. Obtaining an Administrative degree will allow me to pursue other areas, as well, until [and unless] the real estate industry resumes its upward or consistent path.

There are others which this degree has prepared me for other than real estate.  I believe that any job in government or private companies can also be a long term asset for me, as well. Many researchers and analyst believe that jobs in the healthcare, education or finance industries are more stable fields than others. Obtaining a degree in Administrative Management also prepares me for a position in the finance industry in auditing. While these are my two primary interests, my degree also prepares me for a future for other possible interests in the following areas:

• Office management
• Project management
• Customer service management
• Retail
• Human resources
• Training

Are there any plans for further education?

Increased education often sets individuals a part from the rest. I believe that the more education I can obtain will help differentiate me from other employment candidates. The chart above is from the United States Department of Labor and confirms my beliefs. Research and studies indicate that increased education pays in higher earnings and results in lower unemployment rates.

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projects

Figure 1. Bureau of Labor Statistics. From “Education Pays” by U.S. Department of Labor. (2010).

Furthering my education and will also equip me with the necessary knowledge and information to excel my career development and promotion opportunities. Although it took me being laid off to actually realize that this educational opportunity was critical to my future success and the success of my family, it has also helped me understand the power of education and the fulfillment of learning.

Individuals are never too old to learn. Technology is continuously advancing, society is experiencing transformational changes in how individuals communicate, businesses are quickly altering how they conduct business and most importantly, employers have increased expectations of employee performance and production. Today, in retrospect, I cannot imagine what my life would be like without obtaining this degree and as I look into the future, I can certainly foresee the need to possible obtain transcend my endeavors to graduate school to obtain my Master in Business — Accounting or Management and possible a Ph.D.

Did the overall degree program meet your expectation?

I was very pleased with the professional staff and well developed curriculums. I feel that the professors had a sincere interest in providing the right climate and culture for learning. Although overwhelmed at times, the professors provided adequate time to complete assignments as well as assignment extensions where needed. Most all of the classes allowed for group activities and nurtured a teamwork environment.

As it relates to the program specifically, the program offering for the Adult Division at Barry University meets most requirements for general knowledge; however, I would have like to go a little more in-depth in regarding the following areas:

1. Accounting Principles – understand advanced accounting rules while preparing and developing financial reports and statements.
2. Management Restructuring – Realign organization strategy with company vision, mission and overall objectives.
3. Project Development – Create a project team to outline strategies and methods to address initiatives, new product and service lines, corporate acquisition realignments and continuous improvement processes
4. Project Management – Management projects from start to finish by coordinating resources and special matter experts.
5. Developing and Writing Business Plans and Proposals – Understand the fundamental concepts of developing a business plan and business proposals while also understanding what investors look for in business initiatives.
6. Developing and Writing Marketing Plans – Understand the fundamental concepts of developing marketing plan while also understanding what consumers expect.
7. Organizational and Departmental Finances – Understand the inner workings of organizational and departmental finance and how each area of the organization collaborates to maintain financial revenue and expenditures.
8. New Business Finance Strategies – Learn about the various finance options for funding new business ideas (i.e. angel investors)
9. Navigating Internal Office Politics – Although this area may be viewed as subjective, I would have liked to gain more knowledge on the basic office politics or norms.

Where there any particular courses in the degree program that you feel were especially beneficial to you?

“One person – or animal – alone does not have all the talent, skill, or ideas to accomplish a complex task. But by working together, individuals in a group can achieve far more than individuals working alone” (Galanes & Adams, 2004).

As mentioned in my comments regarding internal office norms (politics), it is important to me to understand how work groups think, behave and respond to each other. I am sure that each employer is different in how they build and apply teamwork; however, I would much rather have some working knowledge of this area prior to beginning a new job. One of the classes in my degree that addressed this area and provided some information as to how to manage the process of working in groups/teams is the “Group Dynamics and Decision Making” class. Some of the critical takeaways from this class centered on:

• Remove self from the group and be part of the group without losing individuality and creativity.
• It’s not all about me.
• Allow space for other ideas and creativity.
• Trust others and their decisions and recommendations.
• Everyone does not have to agree with my ideas and recommendations.
• Go with the flow of the group.
• Judgment blocks success.
• Don’t be afraid to grow, learn and be innovative.

The new corporate trend of group dynamics in the work force or office is important to career development and promotional opportunities. One completed course contributed to a more effective working office environment when working with others on projects.

“According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, workplace stress is the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker.” It can be caused by a number of internal and external factors that impact most modern organizations on a regular basis” (Human Capital Advisor, 2011).

Workplace Stress Factors

Figure 2. Human Capital Advisor. From “How to Reform the Zoo: Dealing with Workplace Stress” by HR Operations, Leadership, Organizations, Performance. (2011).

Initially, I did not see the benefit of taking a Theology course since my professional or personal goals do not center in this field nor did I ever expect to apply the information learned in this class. After attending the class, I realize that understanding other religious and cultural concepts will play an important role in understanding how others feel, think and behave. Additionally, there are so many factors that create workplace stress and many of these factors are uncontrollable [See Figure 2]. I am a people person and I do have a genuine concern for others; however, I must make myself and my family a priority if I am to excel. Working in groups becomes an issue only when you have to depend on others for performance based functions. Working in teams often mean that group performance will determine individual pay. As a result, building solid relationships with team members can impact my personal compensation so having a compassionate ear to others and what they may be going through is critical to ensuring my individuals success and the success of others.

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for improving the programs?

The first recommendation that comes to mind is integrating strategies and approaches to prepare students for the corporate environment.  I touched on this somewhat in discussing teamwork. For example, although students are presently working while obtaining their degree, they only have knowledge of that company or position unless they have an extensive working background and often, that is not the case. My suggestion is to implement a program or opportunity to meet other business professionals in different position and companies (profit and non-profit) or within the discipline in which you are obtaining a degree. Creating this opportunity will allow students to gain insight on the aspects of that position or that industry while understanding the internal practices of the organization. If this cannot be accomplished, a simple implementation of having access to the business professionals via e-mail, telephone, teleconferencing or even Skype can serve as an option in the event of us not being able to meet them personally. A great title for this type of meeting is a “Campus Town Hall.” I really believe that students as well as the university staff would benefit from this type of interaction. I also believe that the visiting organizations will learn more about the quality of students that are available for their organizations.

Conclusion

I am very excited about starting a new career and a new life. I am very grateful for this opportunity and I thank everyone at __________________for the hard work that they put into assisting the success of every student. Sometimes it takes hardship to enter into our lives before we realize that we must take on new opportunities and careers to advance ourselves, our families and those we care most about. Losing my job to the economic recession was very hard for me. I actually never thought I would be in that situation.  Although it was an extremely difficult time initially, I am very thankful for what it ignited in me. I have heard many individuals talk about their new business ventures, academic goals and overall changes in their lives to better themselves during these tough economic times. This confirms that I am not the only one who feels this way and have taken the opportunity to improve. The strength and resilience that I see in myself and the American people makes me proud to be an American. I know that sometimes we take our freedom and opportunities for granted but there are always those quick reminders to let us know that we should take advantage of the opportunities around us.

Another benefit that individuals can receive from attending college has very little to do with college at all but it certainly involved learning. By obtaining my degree and working with others, I was able to meet several wonderful people in this process. Individuals who come from various backgrounds and cultures and individuals who were very open to learning about my experiences and future endeavors. It is very easy to become complacent in centering ourselves on those who are “like or” or that we are comfortable with; however, the true test in life comes when we are placed in uncomfortable and unfamiliar territories. I have learned a lot about others and their experiences in life but I have also learned that as different as we are, we all truly want the same things: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

References

U.S. Department of Labor. (2010). Bureau of Labor Statistics: Education Pays. Retrieved July 7, 2011 from web: http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm

Galanes, G. and Adams, K. (2004). Effective Group Discussion: Theory and Practice. New York: NY: McGraw-Hill Companies

Human Capital Advisor. (2011). How to Reform the Zoo: Dealing with Workplace Stress. Retrieved July 7, 2011 from web: http://humancapitaladviser.com/?p=532

Roberts, C. (n.d.). Developing Future Leaders: The Role of Reflection. Retrieved July 7, 2011 from web: http://www.midwestacademy.org/Proceedings/2006/papers/paper20.pdf