I have set many personal goals for myself as a University of Illinois student. Before beginning this paper, I spent some time thinking over what it is that I value and evaluating how the goals I have set reinforce those values. "Goals enable you to put values into practice." (Carter, Bishop & Kravits, 1998, p.326). My first goal is to complete my degree. My second, to further educate myself. The third goal I have set is to expand upon my leadership skills. Finally, my fourth goal is to be a role model for my employees and for my family. I am excited to have started this journey with a clear picture in my head of what I want my achievements to be. As stated in Keys to Success: How to achieve your goals "The pursuit of personal and professional goals gives your life meaning." (Carter et al., 1998, p. 324) Next, allow me to elaborate on each of the goals I declared above.
My main goal is to complete my Bachelor's degree in Management within the next two years. I attended college after completing High School, not knowing at the time what I really wanted to do with my life. I always knew I would go directly to college, but I did not take the time to explore many options. The end result I focused on was just getting a degree, not the type of degree. I thought an Associates degree would be all I would ever need. In this day and age, potential employers will not even look at you unless you have a minimum of a Bachelor's degree. I was lucky enough to land a position in a fast growing marketing firm, without a Bachelor's degree, which launched my career in the business world. I have been working in a corporate environment for the past eight years, and have been in a direct management role for the past four years. Once I stepped foot out of the restaurant industry, and into in a business environment I felt like a fire had been lit inside of me. I am confident that the corporate environment is where I want to stay, so I thought; why not earn a degree in what I enjoy most? .