Sample Essay on: Why I Enrolled in College?

My College Enrollment

Abstract

Enrolling in college is one of the most important decisions that any person can make. Achieving higher education is not always for everyone, but most people agree that having a degree can serve you well in life and open up doors that without a degree would not have easily opened. College can be difficult and frustrating at times; however, for all of those frustrations that we can experience, we end up taking away many good memories and sometimes making friends for life. We also take away knowledge that we may not have previously gained and a different and more responsible outlook on life. This paper will discuss the specific reasons I enrolled and college and what I plan to do with my degree.

Enrolling in college was not a simple choice but for me it was a decision that I knew I had to say yes to. I enrolled specifically for the chance to earn a college degree. My career path of choice was in Information Technology with a minor in Network Security. I knew I wanted to do something within this career field so after some detailed research about it, I decided that this was the degree that would best suit me and my needs as well as bring in a decent income for my family. Also, with my minor, I know that I will be doing a service to any company I work for because I will be responsible for monitoring networks for any type of security threats and ensuring the continued safety of their systems ("KForce," 2010).

I also realize that college will teach me many of the skills that I need for this career field as well as enhancing ones I currently have. Fisher (2007) wrote about having skills that you probably do not realize you have and learning to utilize those to realize your fullest potential in the career that you want, in this case, specifically Information Technology (p. 72). I knew that by taking the time to attend and graduate college that I could gain a new career as well as earn an increase in my current income.

I hope to gain many things by enrolling and being successful in college. First, is the thing that everyone usually wants, the ability to gain an education and to be able to utilize it through life. I also wish to be able to gain a network of both friends and professional contacts that I can carry with me throughout the life span of my career. I also hope to meet professionals like myself that I can bounce ideas off of and also to take advice from when I may be struggling with work issues.

I believe that I am very well suited for academic study in technology. I possess the willingness to embrace any challenges that are thrown my way and will not balk at responsibility. I have no issues with staying focused on my studies, as well as allowing time for both personal and family pursuits. I believe that a well balanced person is able to handle issues and challenges without them becoming major life stressors. I also believe that I am self-motivated. I do not wait around for people to tell me what to do. I take it upon myself to seek out work or study and use it to further my education and knowledge base.

Of course, there are obstacles in life that will present unique challenges to me as I take the steps to earn my degree. My work schedule is sometimes hard to overcome but so far I have managed to keep up with my course work and other pursuits with no real hardship. I also struggle, as many people do, with procrastination. Time management can be difficult for many people and with the many demands of juggling a job, a family and academics, sometimes I procrastinate more than I really should.

However, in the end, I know how important all of these things are and make due time for each task so as not to get behind in any of them.

I also sometimes lack concentration. This I attribute to balancing the demands as a working woman with a family and so I have taken the necessary steps to correct this as well. I set aside time during the evenings where I know that I will not be disturbed. I do not have the television on and I make sure that my family knows that I am not to be disturbed except in the case of emergency. This ensures that I am able to have a specific time to know that I will be able to do my course work and not fall behind and it also lets my family know that I am pursuing something which will benefit everyone after its completion.

I know that enrolling in college is the very best decision that I could have made for myself and my family. It would have been a long road for me to learn the skills that I need for Information Technology and Network Security without the benefit of hands on training at a college. I was ready and continue to remain ready for the challenges that college will have for me. Although I have some things to work on, specifically my concentration and procrastination, I know that these challenges can be easily overcome with better time management and letting my family know that I need special time to finish my course work. College has been the best thing for me and I will continue to stay motivated and focused on any courses that I take so I can ensure my success in both college as well as any career path that I embark on. I will embrace any challenges I may face and will work around any obstacles that are presented to me. My end goal is to be a successful, highly educated professional in the work-force.

References

Fisher, I. How to start a career in information technology, 2nd Edition (2 ed.). Oakland: Ian K. Fisher.
Network security jobs after college. (n.d.). KForce.