Begin your post for this week with some
background: what is your current job, what program are you enrolled in, what
brings you to that program, and what do you expect when you graduate (change
jobs? obtain a promotion?). My
current job is a benefits specialist in the insurance industry. I come from an educational
background in early childhood, biology, and accounting. The program that I am
enrolled in is the training and development curriculum, and the global
e-learning aspect of the program is what interested me in pursuing my master’s
degree. When I graduate I hope to use my skills in the non-profit sector or to
advance in my current position.
Next, describe the kind of work that you want
to do and the type of organization or institution in which you want to work.
Use the WorkMatrixTM in the chapter titled “Getting a Job in
Business and Industry” to help organize your thoughts. Do you most desire
first, second, third, or fourth level service? Or would you rather design or
develop instruction? What features of work are important to you? What economic
sector do you want to work in?
Personally, I would like to use my expertise in the non- profit sector to help
people in low socioeconomic situations, elderly, and foster children. My first
desire is helping others, second is building relationships, third is giving
back to the community, and fourth is empowering others. The features of work
that are important to me are the portions that deal with the client base or
patrons. Military and the consulting sector are areas that I would also like to
work in, but as a contractor.
Based on these intentions, explain what you
need to learn. What skills and qualifications do you need? Will you obtain the
skills you need in the required courses in your program? What electives might
you need to take to help you develop skills specific to your aspirations? To be successful in any of these fields I will
need to sharpen my interpersonal skills, technical skills, management and
leadership effectiveness training. Many of the skills that I need I can learn
different aspects of them in my program, but most of them are things that will
be a personal challenge. The electives that I need will have to include
leadership, foreign languages, and organization based courses to succeed.
Finally, what organizations would best support
your continued learning after you graduate? Do you think you would benefit from
joining those organizations before graduating? Explain why or why not? The organizations that I think would help me
after I graduate are The United Way, Red Cross, and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency. I think an internship would be very helpful before I
graduated so that I may have the chance to see the demand for the
responsibilities needed to perform the job.