Discovery essay

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ENGL 10803

28 September 2013

Success in My Eyes

I have always wondered how executives made it to the top. Where they started? How they first got their job? If they got a lucky break, or played their cards right? As a second year college student majoring in business, the idea of becoming a top executive seems to be a near impossible goal. There is so much competition and so little opportunity. As I have seen my older siblings transition into the business world, I’ve witnessed their successes and failures. College students, in this economy, are struggling to find jobs right out of college. This is hindering many college graduates’ so-called “career timeline” and essentially slowing the rate at which a person can become a successful business executive. Thus, my question is, what factors make college students successful in business careers?

From reading many articles about college students’ success, I have gained insight and knowledge on what might be the reasons for students’ success. There are many factors that affect students’ success. Some factors are within the student’s control; others are due to complete luck. One of the causes that is entirely in students’ power that most people are unaware of was written in “College Students: Avoid These 6 Career Mistakes." In this article, the author states, “College students should explore what their career center can do for them, and they shouldn't wait until their senior year” (O'Shaughnessy). A common college student’s mistake is not taking advantage of his or her resources. I have seen so many college students not take advantage of the career center, even though it is a viable source for figuring out a career path.

Students often times believe that getting a job out of college will be easier than it actually is. Since students are used to constant success in college, and in education as a whole, when they fail in a career search, they tend to shut down. O’Shaughnessy argues that, “Too many students think they can find a job if they start looking after Christmas break in their senior year. Wrong. You need to lay the groundwork long before then. The search can be time-consuming, but it will be well worth it” (O'Shaughnessy). To become successful, and get a job right out of college, it takes more than a few months of searching. It takes years of preparation and resume building, with internships, leadership experience and extracurriculars to show that one is a well-rounded individual.

Success differs from person to person and can come at many different times in a person’s career. Being successful out of college doesn’t necessarily mean that you get a killer job due to an outstanding resume. Success outside of college could mean traveling the world or getting married or simply working for a non-profit organization helping others rather than oneself. Farlex Dictionary defines success as, “The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.” Achievement can mean a plethora of different things. It can mean achieving something on one’s bucket list or obtaining happiness in one’s social life. For some people in the business world, achievement simply means getting a job; for others, it’s means becoming the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I suppose success all depends on the person.

As written in "Teaching Methodologies in the Classroom: A Study of Student Preferences” by Martin Bressler, “A number of factors impact student success. Many are uncontrollable by the professor such as size of the class or student ability.” Success in a career is not solely based on the hard work of a student. It is also based on how well one has been prepared to succeed throughout one’s academic career.

A fortune 500 CEO is obviously a person whom finds success when he or she has reached the very top of the business world. Success for a stay-at-home mom means that she finds accomplishment in her life by raising her children and seeing their growth. Success differs from person to person, but is there a difference between the average success of a man and a woman in the business world? An article written by, Ilene Gordon, one of the few women fortune 500 CEOs says, “Women don't have the confidence or the clout… that men have…An analytical degree puts you on par or ahead of the men.” When reading through many articles, I discovered that men are more ambitious and willing to negotiate their way to the top. There are only 22 women, which accumulate to about 4% of CEOs in the fortune 500. This stat has to show something about either our society’s unequal treatment of women or women’s ambition in our society. Perhaps the root of women having less confidence starts from what we are taught in school. In college, we are taught about the facts of how women receive lower salaries coming out of college than men. Women have been told over and over again that they are more likely to receive a lower income than men. By being taught these ideas in school, women start believing they will be less successful then men, and virtually give themselves a self-fulfilling prophecy for their success in life.

The article “Why Isn't Better Education Giving Women More Power?” written by Garance Franke-Ruta explores the many possible reasons for women being less powerful and successful in the business world. She states, “36 percent of male employees at major companies hope to be top executives, compared with just 18 percent of female employees” (Franke-Ruta). It’s evident that men have more confidence in their ability to succeed. Perhaps, though, it’s not because men are born with more confidence than women. Maybe the fact is that what women are taught in school puts a damper on their success.

Schooling could affect more than just how women see themselves as successful. Robert Brooks, PhD, and coauthor of Raising Resilient Children says, “Kids need to know that it's okay to fail, and that it's normal to feel sad, anxious, or angry” (Brooks). Children whom are sheltered too much in school and at home are often unaware that the anxiety that comes from failure is a natural feeling. By showing these children at an early age that it is okay to fail every once in a while, it is preparing children to grow up and still become successful after multiple failures.

I have always thought of success as having enough income to be able to travel, to have leisure time, and to be able to buy any toy within a reasonable price range, but success means so much more than that.

After reading through many different articles that define success, I have seen a common trend. In every definition of success, the word happiness is present. As written in Webster’s Dictionary, “obsolete, good fortune, prosperity, and a state of well-being” define happiness. But again, success is dependent on the person. “Personal success is one person’s belief of what will make them successful.” This can mean so many different things for different people. Success can refer to someone’s business, relationship life, adventurous life; it just depends on what makes the person happy.

I have come to realize, throughout my discovery in this essay, what the key to success is for me. I first thought it was having a nice house and a significant amount of money for leisure activities. But then I realized that my own success has nothing to do with money. My success has to do with what makes me happy, and satisfied with my life and myself. If I try my hardest in whatever occupation I have in the future, I will feel satisfied with my work ethic. The key to success in my life isn’t about how much money I make; it is about the relationships I have with the people I love. Sure, I would love to become a powerful businesswoman like the Fortune 500 CEOs, but if I don’t make it there, I will still have happiness and feel like I have succeeded within my own self-achievement.

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