I wrote the following for my in class recap of my learning experience, writing it really made me reflect on my life and the new paths that are to come.
The past 18 months has brought numerous changes in my life, both personal, and professional, which have one constant common thread running through them, my masters program. I understood that by pursuing a higher education I would gain many benefits and the probability of increasing my annual salary; however, I never expected for the changes to take the shape they have become. These new learning experiences have taught me that I am the only one that can limit me.
My parents have a grade school and high school education between them, the idea of college was just a dream for them hard work was their reality. Higher education was not within reach for them but advocated for it strongly with their children. The ethic of hard work and honesty has been taught so well to me that it is ingrained into my genetic code. I was the first of my family to pursue a college education, quite the achievement for my family. This was not enough. I pushed myself harder and I finished with the reward being a bachelor’s degree. For many it would have been enough. For me it wasn’t.
I was fortunate to find employment with a Fortune 100 company that encourages employees
to take advantage of the many benefits they offered. I decided to pursue my master’s
in business administration. The decision was not easy for me to make because I
was struggling between pursuing a master’s in Latin American history or
economics. I had never considered a business degree of any type. The deciding
factor was my natural aptitude and appreciation for the business field, and its
varied possibilities. I credit my father for that; he embodies the American
dream, an immigrant with nothing to successful business and homeowner. I always
rebelled against the idea of working in commerce or business; I dismissed it as
too plebeian. I enjoy the business realm
and now I wish I had done my undergraduate in business management or
accounting.
University of Phoenix was an
interesting learning experience considering I had only a one year break in my
studies from undergraduate to graduate. As well coming from a traditional
university to a school with a pedagogy built around working adults was quite
the adjustment. I have learned many
things from the program; however the most beneficial thing I learned was people
management. UOPX has built their classroom curriculum around learning teams
and teamwork. I was not exposed to this much during my undergraduate so had no
real experience with this setup. Then my natural talent for leadership emerged.
I learned a lot on how to work with others, lead without authority and
eventually project lead within each team and class.
My formal education has come to a halt for the foreseeable future. I will continue learning
and developing, I believe that learning should be a lifetime pursuit not just a small fraction of my life.
