In the last few weeks, I had the opportunity to sit, look back and analyze the important events have had the biggest impact in my personal and professional life. This formed one of the most emotional experiences in my life in that I found myself completely in control and comfortable enough to dig deeper into my past, analyze my present and peep into my future. The truth in this life is that life transpires and evolves even when we are not ready to move along with the pressures that it presents. The most important thing to uphold always is the ability to with the circumstances and challenges that come along our paths in our endeavor to achieve the best out of this life.
My academic journey has been surrounded by challenging experiences that have formed experiences in my life and have shaped me to the person I am today. While my desire in life was to be one of the best professionals in Finance, I still do not believe I was prepared adequately to handle the challenges that this program had in store for me. When I joined college, I was still very weak in mathematics and finance skills that were mandatory units for my career. In order to assess my personal and professional life at the time I joined college, I must first identify where I were then and where I am now in regard to my professional and academic development. This will give me the opportunity to have a fresh look at the details that surrounded both my personal and professional life during that time in life. I must point that I was very raw in a number of critical learning techniques when I joined college. This was because the nature of academic life in college was so different with that of high school that I had to make both personal and professional adjustments to succeed and enjoy my life in college.
Learning, as process and an integral part in both personal and professional life played a very critical part in the development of my self as a person. This is view of the fact that the ability to make the best out of my classroom walls and practical lessons provided with the opportunity to view my life in different perspectives. In addition to the above, learning was the pillar in my life that gave me the capacity to capture the important elements in the process growth and development and gave me the strength to appropriately identify proper tools of self assessment. In the beginning of my college life, my social skills were at their lowest levels in that I was not very good and kind to myself and others. This weighed down on my participation abilities because I was unable to develop quality relations and powerful conversions. According to Harvard and Hodkinson (1995), “a Powerful Conversation produces three outputs: an advanced agenda, shared learning, and a strengthened relationship.” I therefore found it very hard to effectively participate in group discussions and involve others to view things in my way.
While I analytically reflect on my professional competence in problem solving, written and communication skills, I have to admit that these skills needed improvements. I found a lot of difficulties in solving both academic and personal problems because I was not prepared to deal with the challenges that college life presented to me. While my high school experience gave me the opportunity to sharpen my communication skills, I found out that there were still problems in dealing with written communication. This was more so because of the fact that written communication skills in college require more than just basic knowledge in writing. The presentation of reports, term papers, essays and course works presented a lot of difficulties to me in that I lacked the skills in powerful communications.
The above difficulties and challenges in communication during the beginning of my college life were also compounded by lack of confidence in my self. According to Harvard and Hodkinson (1995), “Confidence can be said to be the converse of anxiety; it makes numeracy as natural as everyday language in that individuals who are quantitatively confident customarily use mental estimates to compute, interpret, and check other information”. Techniques in information searches, retrieval and proper utilization required some periods of sharpening. This was demonstrated in the problems I encountered while developing my class reports and assignments. I could spend endless amount of time in the libraries and the internet in search of relevant information that were necessary for the completion of my assignments.
I have developed and matured in a number of areas that are directly linked to my abilities to improve on my professional and personal development. One notable improvement and growth I have recorded is my ability to communicate. The importance of effective communication in professional and personal development is perhaps best presented by Jones (2007) in succinctly stating that “As I reflect on the importance of communication, I am convinced that the foundation of any meaningful relationship is trust; and, trust is the result of effective communication and investment in building relationships.” I totally abide with this argument because I found myself completely in balance with my friends and lecturers because of my abilities to effectively communicate.
The increasing demands for professionally written class reports and assignment and constant exposure to research materials sharpened my skills in research. This is in particular reference to problem solving, written and oral communication skills, information retrieval and utilization and collaboration. I must stress that I have recorded big improvement, growth and development in the above areas that I feel much more confident and able to balance the pressures that have along as a result of my desire to achieve the best in the course of my studies. I am therefore most comfortable in communicating with my fellow students, teachers, parents and other members of the community while at the same time getting the best out of them. According to Jones (2007), “Personal Growth started as a way of opening people’s perspective to see more options and possibilities for success and joy in their personal and professional lives.” My courses have expended my perspective on the best way to approach problems and given me the capacity to view challenges analytically.
The two general education courses that have played significant roles in my capacity to solve problem, communicate effectively and apply the best techniques in information retrieval and utilization are fundamentals of Mathematics and communication skills. The role of mathematics in sharpening one’s abilities to solve both personal and academic problems is illustrated by Jones (2007) in stating that
Mathematics in Academic and Practical Contexts: Using mathematical or numerical tools in specific settings where the context provides meaning. Note, problem-solving tactics, and performance standards all depend on the precise context. Knowing how to solve quantitative problems that a person is likely to come across in a civic, professional, or personal environment.
The second general education course that had the greatest impact in my current and potential employment was communication skills. This is because the ability to develop excellent communication skills determines a lot about the small things we do in life. In the college setting, I believe my ability to present myself in regards to personal communication and professional undertake my assignments formed the cornerstones for my success. I selected these courses as a result of intensive guidance and counseling I received form a career guidance and counselor who emphasized the importance of these courses. If I received a second chance to go through my college life then I would have made adjustments in a few areas in regards to college life. One thing I would have wanted to do differently was to begin looking at life from a serious perspective on the first day I joined college. This is because of the fact that I took so many things for granted and failed to realize the importance of collective responsibility and team work.
In addition to the above, as an aspiring business student, I would have majored on Business Law in my third year. This is because of the fact that I have come to realize that knowledge in Business Law and ethics play a fundamental role in recruitment of trainees. Due to constant rising of legal cases due to employees’ unethical conduct, companies have realized the need to recruit only those with strong backgrounds in Business Law.
The successful completion of my bachelor’s Degree in business is the best thing that has happened to me. I view myself as walking along the right path to conquering my dream. I desire to be one of the best financial analysts and offer my offer best to the world. The importance of completing my program in regards to my personal and professional development cannot be undermined. Without the successful completion of my studies, I would have not fully appreciated the critical role of life long learning and its role in personal growth and professional development. I believe I am prepared to tackle the challenges in my personal and professional life with ease than if I would have not received the chance to pursue and complete this career successfully.
In the next five years, I plan to develop my career and participate in programs that are relevant and capable of enhancing my capacity to discharge my services to the best of my ability. I will continue to enhance my communication, interpersonal and educational skills for I believe they form the pillars behind my continued push for success. In addition to the above, I will join a number of professional bodies that not only relevant to my career but will also foster room for personal and professional development within this career. This will involve active participation in business related conferences and workshops worldwide to expand my knowledge in business through the integration of different cultures. Lastly, I will enroll for a Masters Degree in Business Finance in the next two years to continue with my journey towards success in my field. I strongly believe that I will continue to work hard and perform better in my studies now that the foundation for success has been laid.
References
- Harvard, G.R. and Hodkinson, P. (1995). Action and reflection in teacher education New York: Greenwood Publishing Group
- Jones, S. (2007). A Personal Reflection Paper on the Importance of Self-Analysis of Communication and Listening Skills for the School Leader.