Strengths and Opportunities for Improvement

My academic SMART goal is that in order to complete my Early Childhood

Education degree within two years from now, I will successfully pass all courses in

my major with at least a 3.0 GPA. My professional SMART goal states that by

having at least three job interviews with reputable companies prior to graduation, I

will land a new job as an assistant director of a daycare. My motivation for

achieving my academic goal is mostly intrinsic because it has been my dream to

earn a degree. I want to be the first in my family to graduate from college and a 3.0

GPA sets a high bar for myself. My motivation for achieving my professional goal

is that I want to build a sustainable career instead of moving from job to job. This

motivation is extrinsic because I will be rewarded for my efforts by having a solid

career with opportunities to grow and earn more. Challenging myself to participate

in interviews is a good step in establishing the career I desire.

Three strengths that I possess that can help me reach my goals are my ability

to manage time well, my detail-oriented nature, and my ability to communicate

effectively. My ability to manage time well will help me reach both my academic

and professional goals. My Use-First Sequence reflects how well I like to be

organized and meet deadlines, which are important to time management. These are

critical characteristics if I want to earn the best grades on assignments and manage

my workload. It is also important to demonstrate to potential employers that I have

the ability to be organized and complete tasks on-time.

In addition to time management, I am detail oriented as reflected by my

Use-First Precision. This is valuable in the classroom where I have to read and

follow instructions to perform well on assignments. Paying attention to details is

Before starting this assignment, check out the feedback you received on your Week 1 assignment

to see if you need to adjust your SMART goals.

State your academic SMART goal.

State your professional SMART goal.

Be sure to discuss your

motivation for achieving your

goals.

Each paragraph

begins with a topic sentence

that includes language from

the assignment

directions and indicates the topic of the paragraph.

A topic

sentence is needed for

every paragraph you

write for an assignment.

Clearly state what your

3 strengths are.

Consider talking about

your LCI scores.

Include examples for each strength

you listed.

also important in the workplace, where I will be required to keep records and write

reports. Demonstrating to potential employers that I can pay attention to details will

make me a valuable candidate. Lastly, I communicate effectively with peers and

colleagues. Effective communication will help me in the interviews. I will need

effective written communication skills to create my resume and cover letters to land

the interviews. I will then use oral communication in the interviews to articulate

my value to future employers. Effective communication will also help me achieve

my academic goal as I will have to write well in my classes to demonstrate my

learning and earn the grades I desire.

Along with my strengths, I also have opportunities for improvement. Three

areas where I need to improve in order to reach my goals are knowing when to ask

for help, finding work-life balance, and improving my writing skills. My high score

for Technical Reasoning indicates that I am an independent learner. That can be an

advantage, but it also presents an opportunity to make improvements. I can be so

independent that I fail to ask for help when I need it. If I do not understand

assignment instructions, I will spend too much time trying to figure it out instead

of asking for help. That is something I need to work on if I want to achieve my

academic goal.

Finding work-life balance is also an area where I need to make

improvements. I am highly organized, but I have many responsibilities. I also have

a hard time saying no to friends and family. In order to do well in my classes, I have

to find ways to strike a better balance among my many responsibilities, so I have

enough time to focus on school. This will help with my professional goal as well.

Use examples from your personal,

professional, and academic

life.

A paragraph should have a

single focus or topic. The

student has begun a new paragraph to transition to

their new topic of

opportunities for

improvement.

Practice beginning a

new paragraph when you

transition to a new topic.

Clearly state your 3 areas of

opportunity (otherwise

known as, your weaknesses or obstacles you

need to overcome).

Providing examples helps to explain why something can be considered

a weakness.

Without a healthy work-life balance, I will not find the time to adequately prepare

for the interviews. Additionally, I need to work on my writing skills if I want to

reach my goals. I think I am a good writer, but I do have problems with my

grammar. My writing creates an impression on the reader. To create a positive

impression on my peers, instructors, and potential employers, I need to work on

perfecting those skills.

Give examples for each of

your areas of opportunities.

Need help with grammar or

proofreading? Be sure you are utilizing

the Grammarly tool for any

writing you do.

Set up your free account

now by following

instructions found on the

Writing Center's

Grammarly Guide.

Still have questions about this assignment? Reach out to your instructor! They are happy to help

answer your questions.