Whether it pertains to me or anybody else taking this course I believe the requisite skills and characteristics required to excel in this course begin first and foremost with an individual’s attitude, which extrapolates into the proper work ethic and a willingness to learn and apply that work ethic in a manner consistent with achieving an individual’s desired goal; whatever that goal may be.
While balancing two or three college courses, having children, or even having a full time job could be viewed by some as a justification for their lack of success, or even failure in this course, these things could also be an integral part of the attitude that will allow some to excel in this course. The bottom line is that I believe it all begins with attitude and the priority one places on the particular endeavor they are currently engaged in.
From a personal perspective, I am currently taking two online courses, have five children, and maintain a full time military career. Life happens to each and every one of us and things get placed on the back burner as we all face life and the obstacles that come up, however, the back burner will soon burn out if you don’t figure out how to balance life through prioritization. Balancing is what I have done for years, and what I will continue to do until I have reached my goals; whatever they may be. And right now excelling in this course is a primary goal for me.
Additionally, time management and self discipline are two primary areas I have learned to apply to my life and will continue to apply to this course. It is important to understand that without self discipline ones ability to effectively and efficiently manage time will be seriously flawed. If the characteristic of self discipline has been developed and applied to a person’s life, then the overall management of time is relatively easy. For me successful management of time is the direct result of the prioritization given to the primary task at hand. Essentially, how important is the thing I am engaged in when compared to all other tasks on the grand scheme of things? We all must ask ourselves this question and accurately place a level of importance on our tasks or they will consume us to the point of absolute frustration, the feeling of inadequacy and ultimately failure.
Finally, the skill of communication, and the personal characteristic of integrity, each need to be addressed in this narrative. Communication will be absolutely essential for the successful negotiation of this course; it says so in the syllabus! What does this mean? Talk to the instructor and maintain continuity in your participation in the course. Oh yeah, don’t call the instructor on the weekends though. As for integrity, I could write a paper on integrity (don’t get any ideas Maureen) or the lack thereof, which I have observed on too many occasions in my line of work. However, I will spare you the long drawn out diatribe. The bottom line when it comes to understanding integrity can be summed up in your own answer to one question; do you do the right thing when no one is looking?
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