Walden’s Outcomes and Your Goals (2015)

Part I

It has taken a number of years to figure out what I would like to do professionally. I have spent the vast majority of the past 17 years in the IT industry. I got involved in this field out of necessity, but not necessarily out of love for the field. I grew up programming in Logo and Basic, and I learned the ins and outs of computer networking. I’ve spent the past several years gaining expertise in this field and becoming an expert in what I do as well. I decided to take more control of my life and focus on something that I love. Therefore, I have decided to to transition to psychology. The overall goal is to leave IT completely for a field that would use a different set of skills.

While I was working on my Bachelors, I gained an interest in several areas of interest. Part of this was geared by the news and the growing sentiments of American and world politics. September 11^(th) changed the way a lot of people view Arabs and Muslims (Rousseau et al., 2011). With the shootings and killing of unarmed Black men, a spotlight has been put on racial profiling, injustice within the American judicial system, and the high rates of killing of Native Americans, Blacks, and Latinos by police officers (Apel, 2014). Aside from those areas of interest, I also have an interest in the psychology of religion and spirituality. In the end, my aspiration professionally is to continue on the path of being a research psychologist.

It is my belief that my education at Walden University will help me attain these goals by honing my skills in qualitative and quantitative research. Likewise, through writing discussion posts and research papers, I will learn how to perfect my writing style and research skills and become a subject matter expert in my field. The classes that I am taking are geared towards preparing students to become scholars. This is done providing them with the skills to be able to perform in an ever-changing job market.

Part II

Having a commitment to lifelong learning is the university outcome that resonates the most with me. Walden’s outcomes make mention that we should be able to demonstrate this (Walden University, n.d.). Since I first attended an institution of higher learning over 17 years ago, I have continued to learn on my own. This has been apparent in the field that I am currently in. I value education a lot and it was important to me, that once I was ready, to return to school to complete my degree program. Although I still continue to learn and research things that have nothing to do with my field, completing my doctoral degree is at the top of my list.

Taking the knowledge that I have gained and using it to impact society and the community is the next outcome that important to me. From the moment I started learning at Walden University during my bachelor degree studies, I have been taking and applying what I have been learning. I spend a lot amount of my time volunteering with several organizations and I have done so for many years. I can now backup my experiences with factual evidence. This has been a huge perk that my education has brought me. In the things that I like to talk about within my community, I have learned to be more resourceful by knowing how to find information.

The ability to communicate my ideas and also understanding the rationale that’s born forth from them has is important. It is my belief that people do not communicate as effectively as they once had in the past. We’re in an age where everything is digital and our interactions with people are no longer face to face, but instead from behind a computer monitor. Instead of writing letters, our thoughts and ideas are communicated to others in 140 characters or less. Therefore, knowing how to communicate is a lost art form. If a person is unable to convey their thoughts to someone, they will not be very successful at what they do. This plays a large role in leadership as well. When a leader has a clear vision and he or she is able to communicate it, people will follow them.

Finally, Walden’s University outcome in support of multiculturalism and diversity has a great deal of importance to me as well. In the United States, we have a more diverse workforce than ever. I do not work only with my fellow Americans. I work with people from India, Russia, China, Korea, and other places abroad. The neighborhood I live in and even the building I live in is full of people from all over the world. America is considered a melting pot due to the amount of diversity we have here. In promoting diversity, it reduces stigma and prejudice.

References

Apel, D. (2014). “Hands Up, Don't Shoot”: Surrendering to Liberal Illusions. Theory & Event, 17(3). ↩
Rousseau, C., Hassan, G., Moreau, N., & Thombs, B. D. (2011). Perceived discrimination and its association with psychological distress among newly arrived immigrants before and after September 11, 2001. American Journal of Public Health, 101(5), 909–915. http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.173062 ↩
Walden University. (2015). Vision, Mission, and Goals. Retrieved from http://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=123&navoid=35326