Pursuing A Career In A Higher Education

My mother worked four jobs at once to make financial ends meet, while always stressing the importance of education and financial independence to my brother and myself. My grandmother only achieved a second grade education due to the financial constraints on her family at a young age, but still in the end managed to make certain that of her children and grandchildren had what was needed to flourish and become successful, educated members of the community. The tenacity and history of these two women I still carry with me today. Their struggles have inspired to me to only want more from life, but also serve as a positive role model for the younger members of my community. I observed from other family members how an education can open a multitude of doors and opportunities. I want to make the biggest and most significant on my community and on my family as possible, and the only foreseeable path is to achieve a college education to gain the necessary skills, knowledge and connections needed to flourish and implement positive

Pursuing a post-secondary education is very important because without that extra education you will not be able to get as good of a career as you would with a post-secondary education. With that extra education you have more opportunities of higher paying jobs and healthcare coverage. Also when students go to college they have a chance to listen to the Professors lecture on their personal field of study, so they know what they are talking about. With a college degree you are also open to more promotion opportunities. Also when you go into the college life it is a time where you get a big taste of the real world, you start to be independent, learn to save money and pay bills.

Going to college and being in a university setting was the first time my perspectives and ideas were broadened. I was able to see the world outside my small suburb, and learned harsh realities, which I was sheltered from my whole life. Social justice advocate, Bryan Stevenson, expounds the idea of getting proximate to issues that one cares about. For me, getting proximate was accomplished by being on a university campus, and learning from the ideas of others, as well as new, first-hand experiences. As I was supported and encouraged in my growth at Loyola, I want to provide the same assistance for other students. Through my years I have excelled at organization and coordination, skills that I hope to apply in order to help students in a university setting. More so, I want to help support students who enter college, those who wish to expand their knowledge, viewpoints, and minds. Higher education would offer me a unique opportunity where I would be able to support students in their growth as a person, while offering encouragement and assistance to students throughout their college

As a senior in high school, questions regarding college and my plans for the years following graduation are asked to me on a day-to-day basis. College is definitely the most important thing I am focused on this year, and although a college degree is highly valued in the job field today, many argue that not everyone should attend college due to the fact that it brings a new level of responsibility that many cannot handle, many careers now do not require a four-year degree, and because students no longer have the desire to learn.

After working in and educational environment where the students are unemployed or underemployed, I went back to get a Psychology degree to see what made the students think and do as they did. Then after that, I wanted to obtain my masters in Adult Education, since I enjoyed facilitating adults for many years. I enrolled in Troy University in October, 2014. I chose curriculum and instruction because I wanted to become more equipped to effectively facilitate adults with the content that they need to learn. The more that I know about the subject, the better I will be to teach the students what they really need to learn on the topic. What makes me happy is when students enroll for the employment and job readiness course and come to class with the goal to help themselves. The show that they want to learn all that they can to better themselves by gaining more skills to enable them to better provide for their family. On the other hand, what makes me sad is when students enroll in the course because they are made to come and then once they come, they don’t try to get involved to better themselves, because they don’t want to be there to help themselves or their family in whatever situation they are currently in. I have a desire to be able to develop my very own curriculum of choice in the future. In the future, I would also like to move to another state and gain more experience with other cultures in an educational

Ever since I started to seriously think about my future, I had aspirations of getting a degree and becoming a professional. Specific careers have changed constantly, ranging from becoming a teacher to an engineer. As I got older, I began to assess my strengths and weaknesses as well as my likes and dislikes. I know a college education is essential in today’s economy and society. Doors are opened to those with college degrees and a better lifestyle is guaranteed. A college education is not only economically beneficial but intellectually as well, for it provides a unique learning experience as it caters to an individual’s interests

Families of first-generation students do not know how to assist their children when it comes to exploring different careers, or searching for scholarships. These students can easily get discouraged as they do not have a role model figure to look after. In a study by Royster, Gross, & Hochbein (2015), it was mentioned (Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie & Gonyea, 2008; Lloyd, Leicht, & Sullivan, 2008) that parents that do not have the firsthand knowledge of academic resources or college expectations do not encourage their children to challenge themselves with course that will lead them to be college bound. In addition, students may not feel motivated or supported by their families. It is important to understand that early exposures to college or career conversation do not necessary starts until their high school years.

Throughout my professional career in higher education, I have grown a strong interest in serving non-traditional and community college students. This unique population thrives when they have access to student support services and transformative educational opportunities. I have the desire to be in a position where I am able to dictate how these students are serviced and, or how accessible educational opportunities are to them. I received my Bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University in Family and Community Service with aspirations of being a social worker, but shortly after leaving the institution I gained employment in Thomasville City School system. There I had the chance to mentor and teach transferable life skills and soon realized

I want to achieve the completion of my degree within the next two years. Obtaining my degree is very crucial for me to continue to work in the field of education. Allowing me the opportunity to showcase my life experiences with my portfolio through early childhood education and communication experiences will help me reach my goal of a degree while also cutting the cost of courses at Governors State

Because of this circumstance, I have decided to utilize my college experience as an opportunity to learn more about myself and what I love. Many youth feel as if they need to plan their lives out ahead of time and that they should know what career to pursue by the time they graduate; being lost and confused about the future, however, is not only limited to our teens. For this reason, I wish to encourage my peers to treat their college experience the same way. Finding out what we are passionate about and pursuing it is important not only because it allows us to avoid ennui, but also because it is a powerful motivator that helps people grow and reach new

The purpose of life is to attain happiness, and it is said that we do so by getting a valued education, a career that helps cultivate society, obtaining a life partner and bringing up a family to pass down the legacy of one’s achievements. Most people believe that the more education one has, the more opportunities will come quickly and the easier life will be. As young people, we are always told this by parents, teachers, and within the media. As college students seek a college education and pursue higher degrees, they still struggle to obtain work in their field. Instead, they accumulate a mountain of debt and most must rely on the support of their families. Unlike the traditional belief that education opens the doors to opportunities, it is my belief that social connections and experience are what grants a person opportunities so that they can achieve their goals.

As a first generation student, academic promise hasn’t always been a focus of mine until my high school years. Coming from a family where the only post-high school education is whatever training you receive at work, it is hard to relate when the possibility of university is so far away. Four years after high school, I have not only worked full time but also received my associates degree from my hometown community college. That is all great thanks to the family that have raised me, and taught me that hard work is the only work capable of doing. My parents never had the opportunity to attend college, so they taught me what they knew in life instead; where manners are always required, hard work is mandatory, and when finished with that work; you

I’ve always been the type of person to always plan ahead, to always assess each defining factor, and to always prepare myself for whatever life throws at me. As I type this, I look back and evaluate as well as reflect upon the very occurrences that have led me to where I am today: my family-my parents in particular, as they never made it through to college-so this process is new to everyone within my household, my own failures and successes, my community, and my education have all been vast influences on my character, especially my growth as a young adult. Recently, I’ve been pondering as to what will define me as an individual; what will have the greatest impact on me that will distinguish me from others, and more importantly what will help me apprehend my own goals? Everyone can say that they’re lives being the way they were guided them to the path they ended up on, and I know that is true too, but I feel there’s something more prominent as to why a person chooses to pursue a particular goal, career, or other dealings. This realization arose from my participation in the Regional Program for Excellence, a program that provides students with internships in fields they’re inquiring in before entering college, and my inquisitions regarding the significance as well as the impact on my rapidly changing life.

As soon as I got to high school, everyone started asking me what I wanted to do after high school and what my goals were. What high school freshman knows what they want to do with their life? Very few, and I wasn’t one of them. I always knew that I would probably do something in the health field, partly because that’s what my dad did, but also because I’ve always had a heart for helping people, especially children. It wasn’t, however, until Junior year when I got my first job that I knew what I wanted to pursue as a career. Now before I go into what that career choice is and why, there is something which the reader must understand. My dad went to college and got his Master’s degree, my mom only had her high school diploma. Both of my parents agreed that all of their children should go to college, so for me the question wasn’t “should I go to college?”, but rather, “where should I go, what should I do, and how will I stay out of debt?”

I am originally from Shreveport Louisiana, my family moved to Texas in my late teens and lived in Longview until enlisting into the United States Marine Corps as a Flight Mechanic on the KC-130T. I currently work as the Assistant Superintendent at Gavilon Grain in Saginaw Texas where we service the local flour mills. I have been accepted to UNT and will begin classes in the fall for a BAAS in Applied Technology and Performance Improvement. My educational career goal is to attend law school and become an