Friday, October 23, 2009
Personal Philosophy, Career Goals, and Academic Opportunities
We would like for you all to think about your personal philosophies. In regards to your professional life, what are they? Personal philosophies are your values and beliefs, and we want you to talk about how these are incorporated to your professional life and goals after college. Would you say your philosophies are interdisciplinary? Why or why not? I try to take aspects from many parts of my beliefs and intertwine them together to create my personal philosophy; it’s generally not just one thing. Also, how have your career goals altered since you first started thinking about them? A lot of times throughout college people change majors and have several different goals for the future. I know I’ve changed quite a few times since I first seriously thought about it. How about you?
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One thing that I strongly believe is that you should never have to work in a job that you dislike. That is my biggest reason for going to college and getting a degree; I don't want to work at JCPenney's for the rest of my life. :) So, I am working at making sure I like what I am doing, and college has helped me to figure that out. One thing about me, is I get bored very quickly, so IDS is a great major for me because I am studying so many different things at once, that I never get bored. Since I started college, I have had the same career goal; to have my own production company. The only thing that has changed is the way I get there. I decided that it wasn't enough to just have a film degree, but that I needed more. You can't run a successful business with knowledge in just one area, running a business takes many different knowledges and talents. Another big philosophy of mine is that you should use your knowledge for good. So I also have a career goal to use my films for good; to teach, to inspire, and to enlighten others.
ReplyDeleteKassi,
ReplyDeleteI am very glad you are so confident in your personal philosophies, and happy to say they are very close to my own. I also think it is a crime to be in a career you don't enjoy, and that a successful business or person cannot limit themselves to only one field of study. There are so many aspects to any kind of business or career, it would be unbeneficial to only learn one area. I think these personal philosophies will take you very far in life. You already know what a lot of people don't figure out until they are much further along in life (and stuck in a depressing job). Be proud!
My personal philosophy about my professional isn't technically 'personal' in the sense that I thought of it, but it is personal in the sense that I apply it to my individual life. As a Christian, I believe all work is to be done for the glory of God and the good of humanity (1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17). The implication of this for me is to seek a a kind of life that best maximizes my God-given talents in the life situation that I have been placed in and to do it to the best of my ability.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I add "in the life situation that I have been placed in" is that someone may have similar gifts and abilities and interests as me, but their life situation (their childhood, their resources, etc.) is going to be different from mine. So even though both of us may be excellent teachers, for example, our life situations may dictate that one of us teach secondary school and the other graduate school.
I would agree with Kassi that we should seek to avoid working in a career we strongly dislike. I don't believe we should seek misery in our work, so we ought to pursue careers we can enjoy. I also agree that we should use our careers for good, as I stated in my first post. I would venture to say that even if you personally enjoy it, if nobody is helped (encouraged, instructed, counseled, challenged, etc.) by your career, then perhaps that is not the right career choice.
ReplyDeleteJust a footnote to that - sometimes we must forfeit "the ideal career" for something less glamorous in order to be loving to those around us. For example, my father grew up poor and didn't have the opportunities I had to pursue higher education, as he had to work two jobs early in life to support himself and eventually my family. He has worked for the USPS as long as I've been alive, and that is not his "ideal career." Yet he had to give up pursuing such a life as a young man in order to provide for his family. Now he is at the point where he could pursue higher education if he desired, but at this point in his life he is content with delivering mail. So that's just one example of someone whose life situation limited his options in terms of career development, yet still found joy and avoid misery in their work.
I neglected to answer some of the questions in my first post...
ReplyDeleteI would assert that my personal philosophies are interdisciplinary for the simple reason that I integrate theology with everything. Whether it's my philosophy of work, philosophy of education, philosophy of recreation, I always try to understand these things from a Christian perspective.
I have altered career goals several times over my brief life. Initially I wanted to be a math or English teacher because I love to teach and help people. I actually work as an English tutor as Polk State College, so that is still part of my life. In fact, I am considering obtaining a teacher's license as a back-up plan because it's a career I believe I would enjoy doing. However, my main goal is to be in ministry, either teaching in a Bible college or seminary or working in a church. I suppose my career goals will continue to adapt as I narrow down precisely what type of ministry I will do as time goes on.
Matthew,
ReplyDeleteI agree that many people do not have the resources to achieve the career they would love the most, whether it be a lack of education or taking a higher paying job to take care of their family's basic needs. As IDS majors, we happen to be some of the fortunate ones who have been given the opportunity to go in whatever direction we wish. I believe it's important to take advantage of this situation and use it to direct ourselves in the direction that would make us the happiest. I'd say this is a pretty common theme among IDS majors.
I would have to strongly agree with you Matthew. Many IDS students are looking for something that they will enjoy learning and ultimatley enjoy a carrer in!
ReplyDelete