Describe Your Career Progression

I see myself going in many different directions, but how I get there is pretty clear. I am going to Iowa State University and major in Agricultural Business for the first four years after high school. I plan to maintain my high marks in college as I did in high school. During college I hope to take on internships at businesses that I may have a possible career at. One of my main goals when looking for a career after college is to find a job that is both challenging and allows me to make the biggest impact on agriculture I am capable of. It is important to me to do something that I love because that is how I know I will reach my greatest potential. While I may not know what the future holds for me and my career, I do know that I will be making positive influence on the world of agriculture and the lives around

When we were little we were all asked the infamous question of, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Back in elementary school the most popular answers were teacher, fireman, and of course a superhero. As college students we are expected to know what we actually want to be, now that we are paying for courses that will give us the knowledge to excel in the field of our choosing. Some of us still want to be a teacher like we did back in the third grade but the majority of us have moved on. Personally, I want to be a Design Psychologist and to explain myself I am going to describe my interests, experiences and my personality to allow others to understand why I picked this career path.

Agricultural Communications curriculum will prepare me for a variety of jobs. The ones in my interest are photography, Web design, and radio and television broadcasting to name a few. This communication degree can branch off into many different things. Wanting to be around agriculture has persuaded me to choose this major.

These goals will help me be more successful in my future. With my major in agricultural business, I plan on becoming an agricultural loan officer to help farmers and rural citizens achieve their goals by obtaining funds to pursue their operation.

My career advancement includes five (5) years of growth at The Polo Club in Boca Raton, Florida. I am fortunate to have an amazing experience as the Director of Food and Beverage and advancement to the position of Assistant Club Manager. As an Assistant General Manager, I assisted the team in the careful administration of asset management with direct oversight for club operations and financial leadership; Food and Beverage, Social and Cultural Arts, Clubhouse-Common Area, Administrative, Golf, Tennis and Spa. I implemented a detailed payroll budget program including procedures and benchmarks utilized by all department supervisors increasing payroll control with a payroll budget of $18M and an operating/capital expenditure budget of $50M.

For my Career Exploration Project, I chose the career of legal secretary. In the practice of law, a legal secretary is person who works in the legal profession, typically assisting lawyers. I chose legal secretary, because I have been exposed and aware of this profession for a while. My mother has been involved in the legal secretarial field of work for about two and a half years now. Seeing lawyers and their assistants on television first interested me in the career, but my mother being a legal secretary furthered my interest. My mother took me to her place of business a few times. I wasn’t able to see lawyers in full action, but I got to see my mom and some other legal secretaries in meetings and conferences.

As students enrolled in High School we are often attacked with a barrage of questions; “What field are you going into?”, “Are you ready for college?”, “What are you interested in?”, and many others. When we answer that “we aren’t quite sure yet”, we are told we don’t have much time. The truth is that we really don’t. Our four high school years pass by in a blink and before we know it we are registering for college. Deciding on your major can be an immense decision that will affect the career you go into. There are many fields one can study when considering that pertain to agriculture; learning about them, deciding which job is for you, and preparing now, are significant factors to contemplate.

My life has been impacted immensely through my experience as a lifeguard and swimming instructor for the City of Ottawa. I have had a passion for aquatics ever since I was a young child, and remained committed towards my goal of completing various courses and certifications in order to obtain the lifeguard and swimming instructor position that I hold now. I work approximately thirteen hours a week at this job, on top of the hours I commit to my two other jobs. Aside from my paid employment, I have learned to manage my time effectively in order to participate in numerous extracurricular activities, as well as to maintain strong academic performance. As a swimming instructor, I am expected to prepare weekly and long range lesson plans for the

Agriculture has a story to be told, plain and simple. As agriculturalists in the livestock industry, if we aren’t able to tell that story, unfortunate things will happen. Whether it is facts to debunk Chipotle’s misconceptions over swine gestation crates, or an FFA chapter placing in state livestock judging on the flip side, effective communications professionals are needed to help tell the story of the industry that feeds each and every one of us every day. It was through experiencing some of these things, i.e. hearing some of the misconceptions in agriculture and watching outstanding youth in agriculture go unrecognized, that I learned agricultural communications is a career for me.

The only improvement I could think of would be if I could have shadowed a single engineer for a period of time to see exactly what his job consisted of. I was almost always busy with a project so I was not able to continually watch what they were working on. I understand that while I am there to learn, they also expect me to contribute to the overall goals of the company.

Describe your educational career and life goals. Explain your plan for achieving these goals. Include your degree/major, why you selected it, and how this degree/major will help you achieve your goals.

4-H has been a major part of my life. It’s funny that shooting sports has been a more major part of my life. Through this program I have learned many life lessons such as, how to be responsible, life is not all about winning, and how to be respectful to your peers.

The career goals I am preparing for include finishing my BSN, then continuing to receive my MSN, receiving my RN-C and becoming a clinical instructor for a community college. I plan to start taking classes for my MSN degree as soon as I finish my BSN because you must have a Master’s degree to become a clinical instructor. Becoming a clinical instructor has been a dream of mine since I started nursing school in 2009. When students come to the NICU for their observation day, I make sure to teach them everything I know about neonates because they only get one afternoon in the NICU and I want them to leave loving the specialty as much as I do. I want to teach clinical at a community college versus a four year college so I can encourage the nursing students to continue on for their BSN immediately upon completion of their Associate’s degree because “generally,

The career field I have chosen is Agricultural Management, also called Agribusiness Management.I wish to work in this field because I have always loved the prospect of managing a farm or a business, and this field calls for both. Agricultural managers need

This lesson mainly addressed aspects related to career development. This lesson encourages students to discover their academic and personal strengths, their skillsets, and their interests. Students then take those concepts and apply them to career exploration. They are able to link their strengths, preferences, and abilities to potential future career paths. Some of the specific aspects of career development that I addressed include applying planning and career exploration in setting and obtaining lifelong career goals, applying necessary skills for career readiness and success, and teaching students where and how to obtain information about post-secondary options. In this lesson students are encouraged to apply decision making skills to place different careers into the appropriate career fields. In doing so, they are also encouraged to begin thinking about careers that are of interest to them and what career goals they have for themselves. They will be given resources in order to continue career exploration outside of the classroom. While I do not expect sixth graders to fully decide their career path, it is my firm belief that it is never too early to get students thinking about careers and having them set goals in order to obtain the career and future that they desire. I also believe that this unit touches on social and emotional development as well as academic development. This lesson allows the student to collaborate with one another and work in groups as well as in pairs. This promotes relationship building and teamwork. It also allows students to take an inventory of their personal strengths and skillsets. This could boost self-esteem and promotes a sense of self-awareness. Lastly, this unit also encompasses academic development. Students will understand that good grades and academic success are key elements to obtaining the career that they wish to have. By being academically successful, this will allow them greater options and opportunity post high school graduation.