Name
Instructor
Class/section
24 March 2014
A Career in the Finance Department Being above the age of a traditional college student, I have had the experience of working as a general laborer for the last twenty-five years. I have worked long hours in a physically demanding job for low wages. I believed that I would retire from the cable industry until I injured my foot and was unable to climb light poles. The injury to my foot changed my destination and my outlook on life because it gave me the opportunity to follow my dream of obtaining a college degree and start a new career in Finance.
Being a non-traditional student, the things that have influenced my career choice are different than the average high school graduate. My career is one that I will enjoy, and by enjoying my work I will do it well. “When we use our natural talents, time moves fast and we tend to receive compliments for our abilities. Knowing where our natural talents lie is the key to choosing the right career. Of course we’re capable of doing other things, but those other tasks usually feel more like work.” (Smith).
My dream career is in business and finance, because I enjoy relating to the public and I can handle the stress of being in front of people. My business career choice has better working conditions which are physically easier on my body and will facilitate a healthier lifestyle. The pursuit of a college degree yields availability to earn higher wages and therefore affords me the ability to enjoy a more comfortable financial situation. At my age, the program at ETSU has encouraged my professional development and helped me with all aspects along the road to successful graduation. The program located available financial resources, academic resources, and provided excellent professional guidance. All these benefits combined have helped me to fulfill a lifelong dream to obtain my college degree in business, and work in Finance as a loan officer in a bank. I have worked the last twenty-five years in the cable industry as a lineman. I worked long hours in both the heat and in the cold. During the winter months, climbing light poles and pulling wire in the cold rain and snow made for some very difficult days. The weather was an element that was beyond my control and I had no choice but to make the best of it, as it was part of my job. The winter months were cold and wet, while the summer months were hot and dry. Working in the July heat, sweating and crawling beneath houses was a requirement in my job as a cable technician. Because I worked many years in an uncontrollable environment, I chose a career in banking because it has been a lifelong dream and because I will be able to work in a controlled climate. A controlled work environment is one of the reasons I chose business as my major with a concentration in finance. Choosing a business program as my major will also allow me to live a healthier lifestyle because I will have time to eat better and exercise. In my previous job as a cable technician, I had no time to go to the YMCA, because of my hectic schedule and being on call. I mostly ate on the run in my truck and never had time to sit down for a meal with my family. A career in finance, working normal business hours, will afford me the privilege to be able to eat a healthier lunch, one that is not handed out from a window to be eaten while traveling to the next job. Working in the business world, because I will finish the day at five in the afternoon, I have more quality time with my family and even more time to be healthier by being able to exercise after work. It is common knowledge that those who are more educated have a tendency to earn higher wages while living a more comfortable lifestyle. My dream job has always been in banking, but when the opportunity arrived I had no idea what type of wage I would earn upon completion of my business degree. It has always been my belief that a better education would yield better wages. After