Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success

Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success

Ryan Velasco

HCS/504

February 7, 2012

Jose Pecero

Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success

The desire to succeed at anything in life can be determined by an individual's determination, focus, and perseverance to achieve the ultimate goal of success. At some point, everyone experiences the need and desire to succeed. Whether it is a job promotion, getting an A on a paper that has been so rigorously worked on to complete, acceptance into college, etc. Everybody individually views levels of or success differently, explaining why accomplishing individual goals are weighted uniquely from person to person. To help accomplish these goals, aiding toward success, short and long-term goals are imperative. College success is important to students because it demonstrates that they are meeting the expectation to achieve desired learning goals and thereby, improve their chances of meeting long-term personal and career goals (Kim, Newton, Downey, & Benton, 2010). Success does not come without failure and the ability to recognize barriers and challenges is vital not only with meeting goals, but also with personal communication as well. All in play a vital role in personal success.

After graduating with my Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing at California State Los Angeles, I with my next challenge; pursuing a career as a registered nurse, and passing my state board examination. After successfully passing my board examination, I took the next step, which was working in an acute hospital setting. After a few years of gaining necessary experience, I began imagining myself as an educator in the hospital and what was necessary to achieve this. First thing that came to mind was graduate school, which has led me to become a proud student of University of Phoenix. Not only am I returning to school to obtain my Masters of Science in Nursing, but also I have also decided to direct my studies in education. This allows me the opportunity to become a clinical educator, and even an instructor. Given that this is my passion in the nursing field, it seemed to be the obvious direction to head in.

Whatever the process for establishing long-term goals, it needs to include planning mid-term and short-term goals, which should be limited to a period not longer than 12 months (Davidson, 2011). Setting goals for success is imperative, granted the importance of short and long-term goals. I have directed my short-term goals with the successful completion of each course I will be taking during my graduate study. This will lead to the accomplishment of my ultimate long-term goal, successfully completing my graduate study,