Professional Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Professional Development Plan - Essay Example In general, I would characterize my performance during the first year of my studies as satisfactory, taking into consideration the complexity of business management, as a field of knowledge. The first year of my studies gave to me a valuable lesson: existing skills, no matter their extension and uniqueness, can be always developed and improved in order to secure professional development in the long term. Communication seems to be my key strength. Also, the ability to prioritize activities and develop effective schedules would be included in my strengths. During the first year I’ve realized that I also have the following strength: the ability to identify solutions even under severe pressures. To the above, I should add my ability to keep my control and to take initiatives when immediate decisions have to be taken and where there is no time for checking all existing alternatives. Despite my strengths, there are areas of improvement so that I’m able to develop my career in business management: Primarily, I should improve my cooperation skills. Even if I’m able to communicate effectively I’ve noted that when having to work along with others it is often difficult to align my schedule with that of my colleagues. This problem in cooperation is possibly related with my weakness in meeting strict deadlines, especially when I am given no room for making suggestions and for taking initiatives. Improvements would be also required in regard another area: my ability to organize tasks. During the first year I was asked to participate in class activities, usually developed by groups of 4-5 students, and in personal tasks, i.e. in projects assigned to each student personally. I’ve realized that I had difficulties in developing tasks simultaneously especially since my cooperation skills are rather low, as explained earlier. As a result, I faced

How I stopped smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How I stopped smoking - Essay Example The researcher tells that it was when he had been smoking for over four months that his school arranged a guest speaker. He had occupied a seat in the front row, where he could clearly read the subject, the discussion was going to revolve around. It was smoking, and its effects on an individual’s health. The researcher found it offensive. He knew for sure that all the smokers were going to feel guilty about their habit, and would be looked at by their friends through the corners of their eyes. He had mentally prepared himself for the same, because almost everybody in his class knew that he had been smoking for the last four months. They were not impressed by this! He can tell this because they made several unsuccessful attempts to convince him to work his way out of that habit, but he was too committed to it to accede to their proposal. The lecture started and the guest speaker explained in what ways a cigarette ruins an individual’s health. He told about the various wa ys in which individuals get at the cigarettes, and one of the most obvious ways was in which the author had done so i.e. through friends. The discussion that followed provoked his mind to seek answers to many questions. Did he know smoking was bad? He certainly did! Did he know it’s expensive? Yes, he did. Was he fulfilling his desire on the cost of his health as well as pocket? Yes, both of them indeed! Why did he start it at the outset? He had started smoking in order to look mature, impressive and inspiring. Did he impress anybody? He doesn’t think he did. Indeed, he depressed quite a lot of people! ... Did I know smoking was bad? I certainly did! Did I know it’s expensive? Yes, I did. Was I fulfilling my desire on the cost of my health as well as pocket? Yes, both of them indeed! Why did I start it at the outset? I had started smoking in order to look mature, impressive and inspiring. Did I impress anybody? I don’t think I did. Indeed, I depressed quite a lot of people! They took my act of getting at cigarettes as childish. They thought of me as a highly immature person. Having known that it is bad for health, when I smoked made me look altogether insensible to all of my friends. Was the original purpose of it achieved? No, it had rather ruined my impression in my social circle. After the first sequence of questions made me realize that what I was doing was wrong, the next sequence of questions made me decide between whether I would continue with my habit or smoking or quit it. I resolved to go with the second option, because I had not been able to convince myself in the first session. It came to my mind that damage to health for four months is too less as compared to what it can be if I sustained the habit of smoking for four years, or perhaps, forty years! I had just started to damage my health and it would be very wise to just stop doing it, before it gets late. The third session of questions made me work the best way out of the problem. In order to get rid of smoking, I could either reduce the number of cigarettes I smoke on daily basis, and keep reducing the quantity to half in subsequent weeks, but it would take a lot of time and unnecessary calculation. I could quit smoking straightaway, but it would be too abrupt to do it, and I may not feel so positive about quitting once