...The Winding Road to Success HCS/504 01,23,2012 Dr. Tracy Lane The Winding Road to Success The winding road to success is a road that leads to personal and professional growth. This road is not a road without challenges or obstacles. Her professional goal of becoming a health care organization’s administrator or chief executive officer is dependent on successful completion of her graduate degree in Master’s of Health Administration. Her dreams of completing a master’s degree and subsequently earning a doctoral degree have been her personal goals for many years. Achieving both her personal and professional goals would amplify her professional career. Pursuing her graduate degree has been a personal goal of hers dating back to her adolescent years. She is a strong advocate for continuing education and firm believer that education is the key to success. Openjuru (2011) stated “lifelong learning and lifelong education are two concepts that aim at widening access to and the participation of adult learners in the acquisition of new knowledge, skills, values and attitudes” (p. 55). She chose to pursue her graduate degree to improve her job skills and performance, advance her career, increase her financial earnings, and to influence her family’s desire to achieve more. According to a study conducted by Schlechter and Milevsky (2010) “parents with higher levels of education are effecting their children’s...
Words: 1175 - Pages: 5
...grab my books from the previous night’s study along with my car keys and head out the door. I toss my books into the passenger seat and begin my weekly routine of driving to East Tennessee State University’s main campus in Johnson City. It is quite a journey to take since coming from such a small town atmosphere. The whole way there I am constantly thinking; “It is way too early for this.” “Other people are not having to do this or drive this far.” “People who are not going to college are getting to sleep in right now.” “Is going to college worth the daily struggle?” That is when my better judgment kicks in and says, “YES! Yes, it is worth it! Now, get it done.” It will be worth it when I get into medical school and get the job of my dreams. People constantly ask how school is going. My generic answer is always “good.” I do not ever let the asker know how swamped with homework I am or how stressed about meeting deadlines I am or just the everyday pressure I feel for having to be successful in all of my classes. On the outside, I make it look easy and that college is a breeze but on the inside I am at war with myself. My constant mantra is “It will all be worth it in the end.” There are many benefits in going to college like: broaden horizons, more support, a better education, a feeling of accomplishment, even more job opportunities, and an enhanced life. You have to apply yourself first to get all these benefits that go along with going to college though. I have heard all my...
Words: 1570 - Pages: 7
...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success HCS/504 August 6, 2012 John Dean Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success According to Linda Weston Kramer “Retuning to graduate school is a major decision in one’s professional life. Although there are many benefits to returning to school to earn a graduate degree, it is also very challenging” (Kramer, 2007, p. 158.). This essay discusses various challenges faced by graduate students, and strategies to overcome the challenges, from personal perspective. Personal and professional goals It is important to set personal and career goals before pursuing graduate study. Students need to discover the various courses offered, and select the one suit for them. This contributes a great deal of success because they choose what they want to, and where they want to reach. Goal setting and working toward achieving the goal is the key for success. My main long-term goal is career development. I want to complete my program within two years and find a job in Nursing/Informatics and go up in the ladder. When considering my short-term goal, I want to keep my GPA above 3.5, and acquire as much knowledge from this program by using the resources available. I want to improve my communication skills both written and verbal, and graduate study is the best platform for achieving that goal. It is important to prioritize the goals and choose the right path. Self-assessment and closely checking the measurable...
Words: 1054 - Pages: 5
...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success When deciding to return to graduate school, a person has made an excellent step in advantaging their knowledge in their particular career field. Before returning to graduate school, most people have given serious thought to the time commitment that they will have to face for the next two to four years. They have had many sleepless nights and day dreamed about the stress they will face to complete a graduate degree. Therefore entering a graduate program should not be taken lightly. In many disciplines it is required to have a graduate degree to practice independently in that career field (e.g. Social Worker and Psychologist). Nursing is now requiring nurses to have a graduate degree to advance into management positions. Employers are demanding their nurses to have more than just the knowledge to care for patients. They want the nurse who is placed in a management role to have the knowledge to be a leader. Nurses are returning to school to gain more knowledge in their career field, increase effective communication skills, have a higher potential for promotion, and to have a greater earning power. When deciding to return to graduate school, a student must have a strategy that is going to get them through the next two-four challenging years of their life. Personal and Professional Goals My reason for pursuing a graduate degree is to gain more knowledge in the healthcare industry, become a more effective...
Words: 1152 - Pages: 5
...Road to Success Kyi Brown Sociology 185 Mr. Joe Smith DeVry University June 12, 2011 Road to Success Leaving home at eighteen to go out on my own and start my own life, there were many things I wasn’t prepared for. In today’s society people are to concern with living by the second, not by the minute, the hour, nor by the day. The second I receive my high school diploma I felt gratified. The next minute I was off the stage, tossing up my cap towards the sky, and then off to hugs and kisses. A quaint celebration and said goodbyes to fellow classmates. The following hour becomes your Hollywood moment, a benefit in your honor with family and friends, with flash burst from all the cameras. Congratulations! The next day you awake with something poking you in your side, finding you slept with your diploma all night. I rose up from a good sleep wiping the cold from your eye’s gazing at the accredited sheet of paper completely appeased. I was supposed to be satisfied with high school diploma, but I feel shallow as if it was all for none. Back to reality, my socioautobiography given my young age, I do not yet have a long life history to look back upon, which is why I have all the more reasons to thoroughly explore the 38 years of my conscious life to find solutions to the current situations. Most of my adult experience belongs to my children and my school era, an era indeed since my life could have ended a couple of times in the time when hustling was the most importance...
Words: 1244 - Pages: 5
...readers a look at how there are some students that may not benefit from a college education. He writes that the current school of thought is that communities should be preparing all students for college success, whether it be four-year or other post-secondary degree; therefore, the very last thing that should be told to students graduating high school is that they may not succeed in a college setting, even if that were true. He asks, “What if encouraging students to take a shot at the college track – despite very long odds of crossing its finish line – does them more harm than good?” If a student is way behind in reading and math when they graduate high school, they are less likely to succeed where they are expected to succeed in college level courses. “We shouldn’t force anyone into that route, but we also shouldn’t guilt kids with low odds of college success—regardless of their race or class—to keep trudging through...
Words: 831 - Pages: 4
...“I just want to live to see my grandkids graduate from college,” is all I heard from my grandmother growing up. As grandchild number five out of nine, I feel it is my duty to make sure my grandmother’s dreams come true. My mother is the mother of three, with me being the youngest. My older brother graduated high school and took the wrong road to success. My sister started college in North Carolina and got home sick. Now its my turn. Its left up to me to break the chain of not graduating college. College is the only way out for me. Being a person who wants to be very successful, college is the bridge to lead me there. Education is a major part of coming successful. Of course there are stories of people who didn’t graduate high school or...
Words: 278 - Pages: 2
...UMUC SWOT Analysis Strengths: * High quality academic programming at the undergraduate and graduate level with many programs accredited and/or aligned with their professional association * Excellent geographic location to provide service locally ,regionally ( Webtycho) * Diverse faculty in terms of ethnicity and gender * Highly qualified, experienced, and dedicated cadre of adjunct faculty and full- and part-time * instructors Weaknesses: * Lack of cohesion across all programs and areas in department * Lack of consistency of advising at the graduate level * Low graduation rates * Little to no testing for enrollment in undergraduate or graduate programs * Lack of global exposure to the college Opportunities: * Online classes make programs more available to those who may not wish to purse a degree bu a certificate, on-line classes make school more appealing to parents with smaller children and to professionals who cannot attend set classes * Diversity in the facility as well as in the students * Technology: being able to access your webtycho on a phone or tablet Threats: * Competing with big name universities who also have on-line courses * The rise of tuition * Technology: not being able to access your coursework form of technology i.e. smartphone, tablet How did the various SWOT elements get reflected in the recently unveiled UMUC Strategic Plan for 2009-2013 The UMUC SWOT report shows us how UMUC...
Words: 382 - Pages: 2
...The Pursuit of Happiness and Success Angela Morrow MGT/521 May 5, 2010 Donald Wicker “Success is not the key to happiness, “Happiness is the key to success; if you love what you are doing, you will always be successful. (Albert Schwetzer). Happiness is defined as a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure or joy. Success is defined as an event that has accomplished its intended purpose in mind. Happiness and success is what I am aiming for in life. To be able to have a life that is full of happiness is the ultimate achievement and I feel that if I am happy in what I am doing I will truly be successful. In saying that I feel that earning my Masters of Business in Administration degree will enable me to both be happy and successful. About 15 years ago while working for the federally funded program Head Start, My love for children was established and I just knew I wanted to teach, however there was one major road block in my way; no degree. So I returned to school to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. After I received my degree I was promoted to a teaching position. I was so happy but not satisfied; I once again returned to school and this time I obtained a bachelors degree in Psychology. I chose these two combinations because I always envisioned myself owning and operating my own preschool that would afford opportunities for the lower socio-economic spectrum of children in our society to engage...
Words: 627 - Pages: 3
...Strategies for Personal Success Yamicka Cassell University of Phoenix Abstract Deciding to return to school later in life is a huge decision. As a mature adult you weigh your pros and cons and try to make the decision that will positively affect everyone involved. There are certain roads that you travel when try to strategically plan your personal success. At first you may ask yourself many questions to get to your final answer. Is this the right decision for me and my family? Can I afford to go back to school? How will it affect my work schedule? After pondering this decision I researched and learned that 48% of college students are classified as adult learners. Of that 48 percent, half are women, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Department of Education's Projections of Education Statistics Toward 2004. (Alverson,2009) The status of the economy in America further pushed my decision to return to school and make myself more marketable to future and current employers. As she looked back on her life and pondered if she was going to take that huge step and return to graduate school she weighed her pros and cons. Making a life altering decision such as returning to school and working a fulltime job is a huge decision. For many, going back to school is to pursue a lifelong dream or to further an education that was never completed. There are several obstacles and challenges that will be encountered financial, personal and emotional...
Words: 1113 - Pages: 5
...A Road to Success Jeno Lark GEN/200 July 15, 2013 Kristine Faultner Personal responsibility is taking responsibility for one’s accountabilities and accepting the penalties for those activities. In the area of college success, students are accountable for his or her schoolwork. Blaming situation or other persons for disappointments and failures to obtain a degree or for college success will not change the circumstance that he or she did not live up to the integrities decided upon before registration. Preparing to suffer the consequences behind one’s actions is a correlation for being personally responsible. Generally it should be taken to mean that; to be accountable for his or her self, he or she would admit to his or her mistakes, make an attempt to make those mistakes right, and live in a way that does not harm others whenever possible. Personal Responsibility is imperative in everyday life as well as in school; it helps to succeed and excel in any endeavor or obstacles that occur in long-term or short-term life responsibilities. If one is not a responsible student you will not succeed in college, a responsible person can help him or her become a successful college graduate. A responsible student turn in assignments on time, practice time management and creates a life plan, so that he or she can excel in his or her life endeavors. Students who do not turn in an assignment or turn it in late usually use the same excuse – I did not have the time I needed to...
Words: 995 - Pages: 4
...will continue to get harder for college graduates to get jobs. Many colleges and universities do not do a sufficient job of giving college students the appropriate level of education that will help them obtain jobs and succeed overall in life after graduation. This is not productive because graduating college and getting a job is the main reason people attend college, students will have a better idea of what their job will entail, and when students prosper colleges prosper. Some argue that aiming learning towards one career is unproductive because jobs and the economy keep changing. While this is somewhat true, jobs do not change all that much. What you learn as an engineer, psychologist, or doctor will help you in these fields no matter what. It is true that colleges should educate students generally, and help them become a better individual who can think for themselves, however, there should also be a stronger focus on their desired career path....
Words: 1180 - Pages: 5
...First year students are not always prepared for college. During high school, students are taught basic classes that will help when they move on to college, these classes could be called degree building classes. The degree building classes are meant to teach responsibility, time management, and discipline. The things that are taught to students help the students to build up to a college degree with less difficulty. When student do not care about these classes, they will not be college ready because they are not disciplined enough to handle the deadlines, the volume of the work, or how to properly study. High schoolers who would like to continue onto college sometimes lack the support, and requirements to fully succeed. Grace Tatter states...
Words: 569 - Pages: 3
...researchers due to the alarming examination performance of students. In the report of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on performance of graduates in the different licensure and board examinations, data show that performance of graduates has been declining in the last ten years. The overall passing rates are quite low (around 36% on the average). In the 2010 professional licensure examinations given by the PRC, almost 70 percent of college graduates in the country failed and, last year, only 125,419 of the 345,182 or 36.3 percent college and technical school graduates passed their respective professional eligibility examinations as per PRC records. These statistics were based on the results of licensure examinations for 45 groups of professionals. Among the lowest number of passing rates were posted by: elementary teachers (15.4 percent); secondary teachers (23.3 percent); electronics engineers (23.5 percent); and registered electrical engineers (31.9 percent) (Philippine Education_Sector Assessment Project, 2011). What explains these performance discrepancies? Multiple reports indicate that academic success cannot be predicted by a single variable. It is dependent upon many factors; both cognitive and non-cognitive. Numerous studies have been carried out which focused on cognitive factors as predictors of academic success. Recently, there has been a growing...
Words: 431 - Pages: 2
...do for the rest of your life. My life was heading on a different road in a completely different direction. After being down this road for nearly three years, I discovered that I was not satisfied with my initial career choice. The road led me to Concord College. My educational plan is to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Special Education. I have a six year old daughter and a four year old son, that gave me complete inspiration for deciding on this field of study. Once both of my children are in school I plan to work towards my Masters in Education with a concentration in Reading. While at Concord this semester, I have several courses, outside of education, in which I have incorporated my passion for education. Upon graduation I will substitute teach for the Mercer County School System until I am offered a full-time position or until I begin my graduate studies. I hope to be placed in a preschool or kindergarten class because I feel that this is where it all begins and I want to be a part of their first formal learning experience. I have been placed in seven Mercer County Schools for field placements. I have had positive experiences at all the placements. I have seen how wonderfully a school has embraced an “open” school environment and overcame many obstacles that stem from this type of school. I have seen how standardized testing in the school system, puts a great deal of pressure on the teachers to make sure...
Words: 1025 - Pages: 5
