Setting My Sights

Running head: SETTING MY SIGHTS

Setting My Sights

Bruce Rice

University Of Phoenix

Setting My Sights

Only three short weeks ago, I was presented with the opportunity to attend school at the University of Phoenix in order to complete my degree. While I was certain that continuing school was one of my goals, I was not sure if now was the best time. Despite my wavering feelings, I made the choice to proceed. Still, while making the decision to begin attending college, I never really considered my lifetime goals as they pertained to education. While I was set on the most obvious goal of finishing college and graduating with a degree, it still felt unsettling to begin college in general.

To my surprise, we were presented with the task of writing a paper on our personal goals as one of the first assignments for this class. I was suddenly given the opportunity to analyze my personal goals with respect to education, work, and other aspects of my life. I came to realize that my primary personal goal was to expand my knowledge to gain a better understanding of myself and to determine my ultimate path in life. For me, these goals could only be realized by attending college. During my time at University of Phoenix, I will be investing my time and energy into the specific objectives of graduating and improving myself as a person.

The most obvious goal as a student is to graduate, yet it is not always the easiest to achieve. While this may seem rudimentary to some people, I am having a hard time grasping the idea of actually graduating and obtaining a degree. I likely feel this way for two reasons. First, because it has only been in the last few weeks that I decided the major I want to pursue. Second, the memories I have of not always being able to do the work required of me to complete the classes I have taken in my past school experiences. In order to overcome my reservations, I will have to display self discipline and personal commitment. Both of these attributes are critical qualities necessary to complete the courses required to graduate with a degree in Information Technology.

I also have several secondary personal and professional goals in my life; however, there are a few that I believe should be in focus while attending college. My secondary goals while attending the University of Phoenix begin with my abilities as a student. Maintaining at least a 3.0 average while attending the University is a personal goal I would like to achieve. This is especially important to me given the insecurities I harbour as a result of my experiences as a student in the past. In order to achieve this goal, I know I will have to focus harder on my abilities.

Several of my secondary goals are related more directly to my career as a Network Administrator and Information Systems Technician. I am most interested in increasing my knowledge of Networking, Web Development and programming. The upper level courses