Personal And Career Development Assignment Sample

Introduction Of Personal And Career Development

The foundation year is an additional year in order to prepare students prior to their first year of full degree. Students from various backgrounds can enter into the foundation year. There is a high proportion of students in my university. Many students are not familiar with University demands as it is entirely different from what they have done till now (Cottrell, 2013). Hence, the foundation year is important in order to make them understand the expectations of the University and in which way they work. My university focuses on developing students and provides ample support in the first semester. According to Creme and Lea (2008), the Second semester includes group work as well as independent learning. As per my experience, I am heavily influenced by the literacy approach of the academy. As opined by Gallagher, (2016), higher education helps in developing personal growth as well as career. It also helps to communicate more effectively in oral as well as in written manner.

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Value Of Higher Education in Personal and Career Development

Higher education is important for students who want to achieve something in their lives. No company will consider their qualification if students do not have any higher education degree (Cottrell, 2015). Hence, a foundation year is also necessary for the students in order to understand what they need to do further to achieve their professional goals. Higher education adds value to the students' lives by enhancing personal as well as professional growth. The university provides confidence as well as tools to students in order to get success in their studies. As mentioned by Moon (2006), students start their foundation year as typical students and then they become successful students.

My lecturer provides lectures in order to provide relevant information along with theories that are used practically. The second part of the study includes reading concepts. I learned how to read academic journals and how to use referencing. It feels good when students are engaged and involved with every activity. I learned how to search for academic journals that can be used for academic writing. I found the metaphor model useful while writing an essay. The research-teaching along with the design of the curriculum is important to develop learning modules. I found a model of study skills useful in order to engage students effectively with the study. The major four elements of this model are research-oriented, research-tutors, research-led, and research-based.

The lecturer provides examples, theories, and guides slowly so that we can understand well. I personally feel that videos are really helpful in order to understand the topic well as it leaves a deep impression in my mind with images. It helps me to memorise the lessons well and I can remember all the things even if I do not read the books. However, I have observed that relevant resources were missing in the videos. I have found TED talks are also useful and found in various languages. It is effective for international students and removes language barriers. Videos were prepared by the lecturer a few days prior to the lecture. It helps in inclusive pedagogy that is accessible to every student.

I felt that a foundation year in business management has helped me in my personal as well as career development. I have enhanced my knowledge regarding the management of the business. Now I understand how a business works and how to manage a business well. I feel that group work is also important as great thoughts come from various kinds. Moreover, group work helps to complete a project within time. I can identify the issues and develop some strategies in order to mitigate those challenges. It helps in managing business in the future. I am really happy that I have undertaken a foundation year to bridge the gap between A level and degree. I had lower confidence when I started my foundation year back because it was the beginning journey of my university level. However, entering the foundation has changed me a lot and boosted my confidence. Now I am familiar with every way and expectation of the university.

I can proudly say that I have developed my personal growth in this foundation year. I got enough support from my lecturer and I knew whom to approach when I required any kind of help. I have improved my academic skills as well and copied up with the university environment entirely. This is the first step that helped me in the degree course. I find it really interesting as I feel included while learning the course. It does not help me with academic support, it also helps me with moral support. Staff members were helpful and helped me to prepare essays. It helped me to get good grades in order to achieve my future goals.

Some interesting lectures helped me to enhance my learning. I feel that enhancing academic knowledge plays a major role in achieving professional goals. I feel great to have a foundation year before core academic life as it helps to gain skills as well as confidence. The lecturer also helped me to understand the wave model to complete the reflection. I feel that personal development plays a key role in career development. When I have more confidence inside me I can attract people towards me. I can confidently share my positive and negative sides. Personal development has helped me to set goals as well as expectations for myself.

A person without an aim in life cannot achieve success and is lost in the game of life. I personally feel that no one is perfect and everyone has a scope to improve themselves. Similarly, I believe that I can polish and improve myself day by day. I always take the feedback seriously and try to improve myself as per the provided feedback. It is important for professional life to take feedback positively and work on it. I have high ambitions in my life, hence, when I join an organisation, I always try to grow.

I have skills in the international shipping process and customer service and now I am working as a Quality Technician at DHL Supply Chain. It did not come in one day, I started as a fresher, and foundation year helped me to gain confidence. The winner is once a beginner. I have studied at Canterbury Christ Church University which helped me to polish personally and professionally. I worked as an office administrator in the year 2016-2017 at Econt Express. After that, I worked as a night shift supervisor at Transpress from July 2017 to July 2019. Then, I worked as a warehouse worker and did not find that field relevant to me. Thereafter I changed various companies and I started my career as a QA in the year 2022.

I check and ensure the quality of items that are distributed for the supply chain via DHL. I learned in my foundation year how to manage quality and assure quality in order to stay competitive. I have learned how to speak confidently to large audiences and gain attention. I can provide improvement ideas to the company and help to improve strategies so that sales can be increased. I have in-depth knowledge of how an item is improved as per quality which I learned in my higher education. I also learned in my higher education that I need to be good with my supervisor in order to get an advantage in my career.

Higher education made me a mature person to adapt to any kind of environment and filled me with confidence. These are two key elements to grow professionally. Even if I face any issues, these things help me to keep smiling in my worst situations. It is really important to upgrade myself with time in order to survive in my professional life. Personal development not only helped me in order to showcase my personal expertise but also other domains that helped me grow professionally. Personal development is important not only for career development but also for survival in the company. Any company will have their company politics, hence, one cannot survive if they do not have a strong sense to cope with the situation.

Ways to Communicate More Effectively in An Oral and Written Manner

Communication is a key to success; hence, it is important to improve communication skills for career growth. As mentioned by Barker (2010), effective communication can help to provide competitive advantages to an individual. Communication is crucial for a professional career and it helps to deliver information precisely. Many companies have a voice as well as non-voice processes, hence, it is important to improve verbal and non-verbal communication skills (Pears and Shields, 2013). It is an information-sharing process with someone. In order to communicate well, it is important to understand someone else's thoughts and opinions. Moreover, it is important to make them understand their own thoughts.

It is a vital skill to communicate effectively and should not be avoided. It happens sometimes that one cannot deliver their messages properly and it leads to misunderstanding. As opined by Lumley and Wilkinson, (2014), communication impacts social gatherings, personal life, and work life. Effective communication helps to deliver thoughts clearly. A person who has good communication skills can gain attention from others. It also helps to impress other people with effective communication. In multinational companies, one can get a job if they have good communication skills. Foundation year in University helps to improve verbal as well as non-verbal communication.

It may happen that someone is good at speaking but cannot write a sentence properly in English. On the other hand, it can also be seen that one has a good understanding of grammar and vocabulary, however, does not have the confidence to speak confidently (Moon, 1999). Thus, the university focuses on both oral and written communication so that students can develop their careers.

Oral communication: I have personally observed that people who can express their opinions well are highly appreciated. They get more value than other people and get advantages in their careers. People admire them and approach them to represent any projects. When I went for the job interview they evaluated me based on my oral communication. They did not care about my educational background or family. They only focus on my confidence and communication skills. Pronunciation is more important in communication. It is important to pronounce each word clearly to improve oral communication. My promotion and getting a job entirely depend on my verbal communication. Verbal communication is important to represent thoughts and ideas clearly to the audience. In order to be a good communicator, I have learned that I need to be a good listener as well. Proactive listening helped me to frame my answers appropriately.

Good communication helps to motivate the team and they feel more engaged. I have worked as a team leader, hence, I know well how verbal communication is important. Words can make or break any kind of relationship. Hence, it is important to choose words wisely while communicating. We have freedom of speech, however, it does not mean that we can say whatever we want. Even if I need to be strict, I never talk with my teammates rudely. I always try to make them understand politely by using simple language so that they can understand well. Effective Communication does not mean having a strong sense of vocabulary or using complex sentences. One can use simple sentences to deliver their messages. Ineffective communication, it is important to involve other people to talk confidently. It is not good if I am only talking and other people are only listening, they might find it boring. That communication will be of no use.

A good leader always provides the scope for other people to speak their points of view. In my foundation year, I have learned that I should always listen to others before speaking and provide the opportunity for other people to engage in communication. Sometimes it can be irrelevant, however, the more I speak, the more confidence I will gain. The university also asked us to practice mirror talking to boost confidence. Moreover, our faculties advise us to listen to English songs and watch English movies to improve verbal communication. In the workplace, one needs to engage in verbal communication on a regular basis, hence, there is no scope to neglect this skill.

The professional advantage is directly associated with this, hence, the University focuses on effective communication. In my current role, I need to advise my team on how they can improve the quality of an item. I work in a global team where people from different countries are working in the same team. Hence, using the local language will not help to make them understand. I need to speak English fluently to make them understand how to check and ensure the quality of the products. Concise and clear instructions help my team to work productively.

Every company is now focusing on diversity and they recruit people from different regions. Oral communication is the main point of communication to engage with the team and company. I do have the ability to convey my messages to other people clearly in order to achieve the target. Employers also provide added advantages to employees who can communicate well and showcase themselves in front of everyone.

Written Communication: Written communication also plays a key role as many companies have English assessments to clear during interviews. As mentioned by Stuart-Hoyle and Wiles, (2012), once a person clears their written assessment they can proceed with the further interview process. Employers check the spelling, grammar, and vocabulary of the candidate before they can consider the person for the company (Trenholm and Jensen, 2004). Employees need to send emails or take chats with customers, hence, it is necessary to make sure that they have strong writing skills. Fraudsters or hackers can send emails, however, a spam email can be identified with the wrong spelling. In order to assure users that we are a genuine company, we need to make sure that we are using correct spelling and grammar.

It helps to create good rapport with customers and it enhances company branding. When an employee is communicating with any customer that means he/she is representing the company (Trought, 2017). Hence, effective communication with good English makes a stronger bond with the customers. It helps in trust building with the consumers. Every customer wants the company should understand them, thus, engaging with the customers and making them more engaged helps to build rapport. I have noticed that acknowledging the issues of the customers in our own way makes them feel valued. They feel comfortable and feel their issue is heard.

Written communication is considered as the way of formal communication as it can be recorded in a written form. It can be used for documentation purposes. Written communication includes text messages or emails. In my organisation, I need to exchange emails on a regular basis as it is not always possible to interact with higher authorities. It also allows us to communicate well even if the person is not in the same place. In written communication, it is not important to be available at the same time when the email is sent. Recipients can revert at their convenience and no one can question that. Written communication is more relevant and effective than oral communication.

I have learned how I can draft an email effectively or can send text messages to someone. Sometimes it becomes difficult to share expressions while writing. It may lead to misunderstanding, hence, it is necessary to improve written communication so that other people can feel the words. I always show empathy when it is necessary and acknowledge the issues to make people feel that I have heard them well. It makes me more engaged with them even if I am involved in written communication. I have learned in the foundation year that one should clearly show their feelings while writing and should not use any words that can be expressed as rude. Thus, I focus on selecting my words wisely while drafting an email. It makes my communication effective with other people and they can feel me well.

I can say that oral as well as written communication improved a lot in my higher education.

Conclusion

The above discussion shows that the foundation year is important for students in order to understand how universities work and what they expect from students. Students come from different backgrounds to Universities and get an opportunity to grow personally as well as professionally. Students also improve their verbal and non-verbal communication skills in the foundation year. Foundation year provides ample support to students to achieve career goals before they enter into working lives. In the first semester, the University includes student development and in the second semester, it focuses on individual learning as well as group work. Thus, it can be concluded that the foundation year has helped in my personal as well as career development by improving my communication skills and providing ample Support.

Reference list

• Barker, A. (2010), Improve Your Communication Skills, (2nd Ed.) Kogan Page
• Cottrell, S (2013), The Study Skills Handbook, Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke
• Cottrell, S. (2015), Skills for Success: Personal Development and Employability. 2nd Ed. Palgrave.
• Creme, P., Lea, M. (2008), Writing at University: A Guide For Students (3rd Ed). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press. [Primary]
• Gallagher, K. (2016), Essential Study and Employment Skills for Business and Management Students, (3rd Ed.), OUP.
• Lumley, M. & Wilkinson, J. (2014), Developing Employability for Business, OUP
• Moon, J. (1999), Reflection in Learning and Professional Development, Logan Page
• Moon, J. (2006), Learning Journals: A Handbook for Reflective Practice and Professional Development, Routledge
• Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2013), Cite them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide. 9th Ed. Palgrave Publishing.
• Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2013), Cite them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide. 9th Ed. Palgrave Publishing.
• Stuart-Hoyle, M. and Wiles, J. (2012), Orientation to Higher Education, 2nd Ed, Reader' Pearson
• Trenholm, S. & Jensen, A. (2004), Interpersonal Communication, (5th Ed.), OUP
• Trought, F. (2017), Brilliant Employability Skills: How to Stand Out From The Crowd in the Graduate Job Market. Pearson.