Difficult Decision-Making Process - Essay Example

Decision Making Process Decision Making Process Introduction Making decisions that can have a huge impact on one’s life is a notan easy task. While going back to school was one of the major steps in life, graduate education has taken a toll on my life. Before enrolling for graduate school, I was excited about the chance to gain further skills for my future and professional life. I was looking forward to the programs and units I enrolled in several weeks to the commencement of my class work. However, the huge amount of class work has made me depressed and I find myself procrastinating from time to time. Due to my ability to make consistent decisions, I will use an analysis of the decision making models to analyze my alternatives. Classify and define the problem I decided to go back to school to gain skills that would propel me further in my career. I saw graduate school as a beckoning opportunity through which I would be able to specialize in areas of my own choosing that improve my job performance and perhaps, result in promotions at the workplace. I enrolled for twelve units during the summer without considering the toll that these classes would have on my time, work and social life. The number of units I am taking this semester requires me to delegate most of my time to studies. I want to get good grades at the end of the semester, which means that I have to find time within my busy schedule to go through my class work. To do this, I have to utilize every free minute that I have to my books. All the time I get goes to my school work, and I have often found myself depressed and procrastinating whether my decision to take the masters program at this time was the right one. My school work has completely taken over my life. Currently, my life rotates around school and work. I no longer have the time to interact or socialize with my friends. Although I interact with a few of the friends I made in my class, we do not get the time to socialize outside the school compound. When we meet at the university, we interact for a few minutes before heading our separate ways. Being the social person that I am, I am always left feeling lonely. Lack of a primary component in my life makes it rather difficult to make up for my previously vibrant social life. As a result of this, I am often depressed as I do not have any friends to share my problems with. My personality as a lifelong learner is what drove me back to school. I have an insatiable desire to gain knowledge and challenge my academic abilities. Since I was young, I considered by unquenchable thirst for books to be a pursuit towards developing my mind. In making the decision to join a graduate school, one of my primary motivations was the ability of the master’s program to input more into my already existing body of knowledge. I saw it as an avenue through which I would gain a great deal of personal satisfaction. While I have been able to gain the satisfaction I was seeking from my work, I was unable to keep up with the pressure of a master’s program. The amount of research work required for this program has strained my abilities to grasp everything I learn. Unlike my previous educational experiences, I am now forced to spend more time reading and researching on the twelve units I picked for this semester. Cost-benefit analysis of the identified problems Although I am fearful of getting a nervous breakdown due to the amount of school work I have to do, I keep pushing myself for I know good things are waiting to happen at the end of my struggles. Earning a master’s degree will give me the opportunity to advance in my career. Thus, I have decided to forge ahead and embrace all my school’s challenges as I wait for to reap the fruits of my hard work. I will take advantage of my determination, persistence, intellectual prowess and my ability to handle challenging situations will see me through graduate school. I have come to realize that the cost for the success I need is persistence and hard work. I realize that I will only have a great sense of accomplishment once I have successfully gone through the entire master’s program. Despite the long nights and the unceasing back pains that grip me every time I sit down to study, I know that my hard work result in success and a personal sense of accomplishment. Although I have often found myself procrastinating and questioning my abilities to carry on with my class work, I have always found the inner strength to carry on. I push on through the tough times with the knowledge that all the effort I put in my school work is a step towards the creation of a great lifetime experience. A master’s degree will earn me more respect and consideration in my field. This is one of the benefits that I will gain once I acquire my graduate degree. My dedication in the master’s degree will give more weight to my chosen career field. For me to earn these benefits, I have to volunteer all my time and efforts into ensuring that I do my best to attain excellent grades in my school work. By doing a cost-benefit analysis, I have realized that the only way through which I can earn the respect I desire in my career is by excelling in this program. This can only be achieved through a lot of sacrifice and dedication; inputs that I am now prepared to include in my daily schedule. While I do not have a lot of time to interact and socialize with my friends, I have dedicated my Sundays to friends and family. Every Sunday will be spent in the company of my friends and immediate family. I will utilize the little time that I have on these days to visit them, catch up and share with them. Even though this will not make up for the vibrant social life that I previously enjoyed, I believe that sharing with them the little time I have will cover up for the times I am not available. I will also try to make them understand that while my master’s degree may requires a lot of dedication and more of my time, I have not sacrificed them for my eventual success. Conclusion By carrying out a cost-benefit analysis of my problem, I have decided to find means through which I can deal with my struggles as the benefits of my school work surpass the struggles I am currently going through. To do this, I have decided to be positive and do away with the fear of failure that has been crippling my efforts to study. I have also chosen to deal with my depression finding a few minutes to do yoga every day, which is an effort aimed at helping me relax. Additionally, I have broken down my weekly tasks into a series of smaller steps that I have distributed throughout the week. Whenever I find myself tired and questioning the viability of my dreams, I have found that tackling simple tasks highly motivates me to move forward. Through the cost-benefit analysis, I have decided to place more focus on my long term goals. This will help me get through the difficulties I am currently going through as I steer myself through the sea of research, books and class work. I will, however, dedicate every little time I have to interacting with my friends and family for comfort and company. The cost-benefit analysis has provided me with a refined method through which I can make decisions affecting my current problem. By considering the end results of my effort, I have been able to make decisions that will help me achieve my educational goals. References Bouyssou, D. Dubois, D, Prade, H. &Pirlot, M. (2010). Decision making process: Concepts and methods. London: John Wiley & Sons Layard, R. (1973). Cost benefit analysis. New York: Penguin Books Ltd. Lussier, R. N. (2011). Management Fundamentals: Concepts, Applications, Skill Development. London: Cengage Learning Mishan, E. J. & Quah, E. (2007). Cost-benefit analysis. New York: Routledge Read More