The Work World: Perception vs. Reality - Admission/Application Essay Example

Working in the military is a career that has attracted a large number of young individual entering job markets for years. However, I have never imagined that I can work or rather enjoy a military career. Life as a soldier, I believed, is a preserve of those who are desperate. In other words, I have always looked at military career as a last resort that comes after all avenues for a better job opening comes. The perception was given much credence by my family member’s perception against working as a soldier.

I also believed that military career is a preserve of those who do not want to further their studies. The belief that military life has less intellectual challenge and relies on government jobs to survive, is not strange among many people (Sam 1st Lieutenant 120). In other words, for anyone who wants to further studies and engages in a serious profession such as attorney, business executive, and many other reputable professions. With all the risky experience of going to the battlefields, this perception has been with me for as long as I can remember.

However, my recent interaction with two soldiers who had just come from Iraq has changed my perception. I accompanied my friend, Trevor, to a coffee shop. Trevor was to meet two of his friends, x-military servicemen who had just returned from Iraq. As we got to know each other, I became curious and engaged the ex-soldiers, Joshua and Caesar, in a conversation.In our informal interview (Patton 49), I came to learn that Joshua had a degree in Law and decided to join military after graduation. Caesar, on the other hand, had passed his high school so well and was admitted at the University of California.

Although they both had opportunities for some more intellect-based careers, they decided to join military. They cite the adventure, patriotism and the desire to explore more outside the traditional office environment. I have come to acknowledge that military career, just like any other career, is driven by passion, and not a last resort desperation.Works CitedPatton, Michael Quinn. Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1990.Sam 1st Lieutenant. Service and Sacrifice.

NY: Xlibris Corporation, 2011.