Personal and Professional Development - Research Paper Example

Personal and Professional Development Direction-Mission-Values My direction and mission is a vision of success and happiness. I recognize this is a complex notion. While many view the American Dream as a cliché, I still believe it is alive and achievable in the 21st century. In this way a large degree of my mission is achieving this dream. This involves attaining a stable career and a family. Within these considerations I have significant values in terms of meaningfully contributing to society. I believe that a profession and a life well-lived should go beyond simply making money, but should do so in a way that is both meaningful to society and challenging to the individual. In these regards, it is my hope to secure a professional position with advancement opportunities that fully maximizes my human potential. In this way I will be able to go to worth with energy and passion, knowing that there is no better professional situation on Earth for my skills. External Environment There are many external factors that could potentially facilitate or hinder my quest to achieve my goals. In terms of professional goals I recognize that I would eventually like to attain a graduate degree in accounting. While my parents have generously aided me in attending college to attain my undergraduate degree, I recognize that attain a graduate degree will require me to take on increased financial responsibility. This will then pose a challenge for me to overcome. Another external challenge is the need to attain a job after graduating from college. I also recognize that I will have to be able to register for the necessary classes and get the necessary professors that will be educate me and point me in the right path on my journey. While there are a number of years before I will enter the job market, I recognize that the current economic climate is highly challenged. The United States is in a recession and subsequently jobs are limited. This will subsequently place a great challenge on me. Another external consideration is the need to potentially gain an internship. To a degree gaining an internship is contingent on internal factors, but I also recognize that attaining such a position may also involve external factors. In this way there is the potential that I will need to have connections or another way of getting noticed. Finally, I will have to successfully navigate the geographic distance from my family. Currently my family lives many hours away. While I communicate with them regularly I recognize that they cannot offer the same support system I had when I was living in the same home. Internal Environment There are many internal elements that will constitute potential obstacles or help to me in achieving my mission and goals. One of the greatest challenges will be staying motivated and on-track. I recognize that the university environment is a challenging experience. In order to graduate I will necessarily have to complete a set number of classes each semester. While I have been partially been successful in this goal, I also recognize I could face potential challenges. For instance, there is the potential that I become involved in a relationship that would limit my dedication to my scholastics. If this relationship were to sour I recognize that I could potentially become depressed or emotionally unstable. This would then be a major factor to overcome in maintaining on pace with my goals. Another internal challenge I would potentially face would be successfully completing all my courses. My major is accounting and while I recognize I have an aptitude for many of the course requirements, there are also potential requirements that I may have challenges with. For instance, I am required to take a number of English, science, and foreign language courses. There is the potential then that I would struggle with these courses. Additionally, I recognize that I it will be challenging for me to attain high grades in the challenging math courses that are required for my major. In addition to these internal elements, I recognize that I will have to remain healthy and focused. This involves maintaining an adequate fitness routine. There is a further challenge then in ensuring that I am able to balance school, social life, and fitness together. In high school these elements were structured already for me and I simply had to fill in the blanks. As a university student there is a tremendous internal challenge balancing these components. Prior Business and Liberal Studies My previous business and liberal studies have contributed greatly to who I am, what I know, and my future. While I have not completed extensive college level business courses, the courses I have taken have instilled in me the recognition that business is a highly competitive environment and that I will need to develop strong skills to succeed. While there are many specific things I have learned from my business studies, perhaps the most pervasive recognition is that I enjoy business processes and have a strong aptitude for them. Particularly I came to recognize the importance of organization and accounting. My success in these areas demonstrated to me my aptitude and potential. My liberal studies, particularly in English, led me to reflect on what I want out of life. I came to recognize that I need a deep sense of personal meaning that will drive me. In searching for this personal meaning I then came to consider that I must be challenged and maximize my human potential. The natural recognition then was to pursue a career in business, specifically accounting. Ultimately, then my studies in business and the general liberal arts demonstrated to me my greatest aptitudes and future career path. The Plan There are a number of steps I will need to implement to achieve my mission and goals. The following plan constitutes an examination of these steps and the ways that I will implement them. The first step in the plan is graduating from college. As noted the greatest challenge in these regards is passing all the necessary classes. While I understand I will have to take difficult classes, my plan to overcome these with a high grade is to space the difficult classes out. This way I will take the most challenging English and science classes at the same time I have to take the classes I am the strongest in. For instance, I will take English at the same time I take Financial Accounting. The same is true of the upper-level mathematics courses I am required to take. This way I will be able to spend adequate time studying for the classes I am weak in. Another noted challenge will be procuring money for graduate school. I can accomplish this by taking out student loans. I can then pay the loans with the job I receive from completing this higher-level degree. There is then the challenge of the geographic distance from my family. While I will miss their direct support, but remaining in direct contact with them through the telephone and social media I can gain their support and influence in challenging matters. There is then the challenge of balancing my social life, school, and fitness. In this way I will ensure that my scholastic pursuits are the main focus and that the other elements contribute to this focus, rather than the other way around. Finally, if I am successful in all these steps I will accomplish my final goal – namely procuring a fulfilling and challenging job. Read More