Applying Critical Thinking Skills to Make a Decision on Return to School for Graduate Study - Essay Example

Running Header: Critical Thinking Skills Applying Critical Thinking Skills to Make a Decision on Return to School for Graduate Study [Print Your Name Here] [Print Your Department and University] Nov 2009 Prepare a 1200 word paper examining how using critical thinking skills contribute to better quality decisions. Apply your critical thinking skills to your decision to return to school and pursue a graduate degree. Discuss your decision making process and what factors led you to choose the degree program that you ultimately selected. Explain how critical thinking contributed to the quality of your decision. Introduction Making a decision on career has lifelong repercussions. The ability to think with a clear objective and critical mind is a crucial factor for success in career, and personal life. Karl Albrecht (1980), a renaissance thinker of modern times, made an emphatic observation:- "The typical human life seems to be quite unplanned, undirected, and unlived. Only those who consciously think about the adventure of living, as a matter of choices among options, can ever establish real self-control and live their lives fully (available on DVD)." Parsons (1909) almost a century ago identified two interlinked factors that can influence the choice of an individual's career:- a) a clear understanding about oneself; one's aptitudes, abilities, interests, ambitions, resources, and limitations b) a knowledge of the requirements of job and associated key factors for success; compensation; opportunities; and future prospects The primary focus in making a career decision pivots around an individual's internal goals, needs, and pursuit of satisfaction. Vocational psychologists have advanced different theories to explain the process by which an individual makes a career choice. These range from a person-environment fit (Holland, 1997), to person's current self-concept (Savickas, 2002). A broad side view: why did I return to a graduate school Many people like me, after working in the "real-world," develop a strong interest in a new field, and therefore, make a decision to return to a graduate school. In my case, it's a renewed interest in the field of psychology; coupled with a strong passion to seek a second career in academia, which compelled me to invest in a master's degree of choice. Incidentally, my first career in the army was more of a circumstantial dictate. Having been raised in a single-parent family, and the oldest of the siblings, I had decided to drop out of college in 1987, for want of a secured career to support my family. Although the penchant to study psychology remained active and potent, the immediate external factors affecting the family, forced me to shift my priorities. Revisiting academics remained a plausible option for future. I also understand that returning to a graduate school is a huge investment, both in time and finance. Having already completed my Masters degree in Education and Instruction in 2008, from the University of Phoenix, I had a clear notion about the academic environs there, and the expectations from me. I also had a fair idea of the program on psychology being offered there, and the great credentials of professors and support staff in the university. Another aspect of my decision to pursue a master's program stems from a perceived increase in the earning capacity, and professional growth, for a master's degree holder. According to the U.S. Census Bureau ('The Chicago Flame', 2005) a person with a master's degree can earn around $500,000 more over their lifetime, than a person with a bachelor's degree, and the earnings increase by about $1,000,000 for each additional degree. I also strongly believe one must have fun - for life indeed, is one short burst. One way of achieving this is to discover one's niche area, and drive one's career passionately and effectively, enjoying every moment of it. My return to the graduate school ensures this, and packs my future with myriad of possibilities that would make me feel satisfied, and have "friends for life." How did I apply critical thinking skills in choosing my second career I began with an understanding of myself. After deep introspection, and discussions with my friends and family members, I sought to answer the following important questions:- My personal values: One single credo I lived with, is to have a positive influence in the lives of people that I come across. In my little ways, I wish to transform "leaders of tomorrow" into responsible global citizens. A teaching career therefore, is a promising natural extension of my being. My interests: Exploring the unknown and accepting challenges in life has been the bedrock of my life. Whether it was studies, long distance running, weightlifting, or simply reading, I was always curious to know more - the why's, and why not's. My skills and abilities: Communication, mentoring, coaching and analyzing have been my key skills. In the military, I have played an effective role as an instructor, and mentor, for young soldiers; molding them to become responsible security conscious citizens, and role models in society. My achievements: I graduated in 1984. Later in 1998, whilst still doing my tenure in the army, I completed my Bachelors Degree in psychology from the Columbia College, Missouri. I also completed my Masters Degree in Education and Instruction / Curriculum, in 2008, from the University of Phoenix. My family circumstances: Brought up in single parent family, I have closely seen my mother going through lots of hardship in raising three children in the household. She worked seven days a week to provide for us. Being the oldest of the siblings, I assumed responsibilities to support the family (although, this meant leaving my college midway), and joined the army seeking a secured a career. I applied the Gino CT (Hui, 2006) model of critical thinking (see figure 1), for making a decision with regard to the choice of my second career. Figure 1 Gino CT Model of Critical Thinking At the input end, I gathered information about:- Masters Degree programs offered at different universities Prospects of a teaching career on completion of the program Investment required with respect to time, and money to pursue a two year program Prospects of part time teaching assignments in the university Financial aid, or scholarships, if any, offered To assess my personal and professional goals, both in the short, and the long term, I considered:- My values, interest, abilities and past achievements My mettle to undergo a rigorous academic commitment My understanding of conflicts between pursing a degree program, with my other needs - family, social, financial, and long term career security Availability of housing options, and considerations of relocation Adjustments from moving from a full time army career to academia The different options identified by me included:- Further studies, versus leadership or management positions in industry Further studies, versus self-employment, consultancy, or freelance positions Self employment or freelancing, versus employment in industry on full time, or contract Teaching career, versus other employment avenues open to me I also considered the choices of graduate study programs offered by different universities. I employed reasoning techniques in the decision making, assigning suitable weights on a 0-5 scale for various parameters; 5 being the most favorable, and 0 for least favorable. I objectively tried to analyze my options before assigning them numerical scores. However, a certain degree of bias and subjectivity definitely crept in. Where ever I was unsure of my quality rating scores, I sought help from my peers, and persons who had experienced similar situations in life. Conclusion Other things being equal, the Masters Degree program at the University of Phoenix provided me the most favorable prospect. My familiarity with the University, its academic standing, and the quality of professors tilted my decision in favor of the University of Phoenix. The choice of studying psychology was non-negotiable since my deep interest rested there. The choice of a teaching profession was the best-fit proposition keeping my values, interest and skills in mind. References Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources Hui, K. C. (2006). What is Critical Thinking Retrieved Nov 10, 2009, from http://kcHui.com/articles/What_is_Critical_Thinking.pdf Karl, A. (1980). Brain Power. Available on Video / DVD. Details available at http://www.karlalbrecht.com/ Parsons, F. (1909). Choosing a vocation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Savickas, M. L. (2002). Career construction: A developmental theory of vocational behavior. In D. Brown & Associates (Eds.), Career choice and development (4th ed., pp. 149-205). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. The Chicago flame. (2005). UIC Grad Fair Read More