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Career Aspirations
I plan to retire from the Army in three years. After my retirement, I would like to work
as a residential real estate sales agent. Since I already have an active Utah real estate sales
license, the transition should not be too difficult.
Immediately after retirement, I would like to obtain a certification as a mediator from the
Utah courts. This would allow me to employ my previous education in counseling and conflict
resolution to my real estate career. This certification process should only take a few months.
Once I have obtained the certification, I will be able to provide a valuable service to real estate
customers and professionals as well as experience many opportunities to learn from other
people’s conflicts. These repeated observations of the friction points in real estate and the
practice of developing solutions for them will help to make me a better Realtor.
After my mediation training, I would like to attend law school at the University of Utah.
This will enable me to increase my knowledge of contract law and improve my expertise as a
real estate agent. Additionally, real estate attorneys can be licensed by the courts in Utah to
perform binding arbitration. Arbitration takes mediation to another level. Rather than
negotiating with both sides for a non-binding agreement, binding arbitration essentially allows an
attorney to play the role of a judge and issue an enforceable order in a dispute. I would then
dedicate some of my time to arbitration and the rest to helping people in my community buy and
sell houses.
Reasons for Immediate Pursuit of the Doctorate in Strategic Leadership (DSL)
The DSL program is scheduled to be completed in eight semesters according to Liberty
University’s degree completion plan (Liberty University, 2019). If I attend the fall, spring, and
summer semesters each year, this would place the time of my graduation right around the time of
DISCUSSION BOARD FORUM 3 3
my retirement. This would allow me to have the time to begin training for mediation.
Additionally, if I need to get a transitional job while I build my real estate client base, I would
not have to divide my time between my doctoral research project and my new occupation.
Career Progress and Goals
I have spent almost 17 years serving in the military. I worked for the Air Force for six
years before transferring to the Army for the last 11 years. During this time, I earned an
associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, and two master’s degrees. I have also completed various
military schools. The pension from this career will provide me a steady income that will allow
me to focus on my long term career goals rather than short term financial needs. A thorough
understanding of these goals and clarity of purpose will help to increase my satisfaction
throughout the learning process (Miller, Osborn, Sampson, Peterson, & Reardon, 2018).
It is important that my goals are in line with the will of God for my life. While I pursue
them, I must continually seek the Lord’s will to ensure that I am not merely following my own
selfish desires. Even Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever lived, went astray when seeking
his own desires rather than focusing on God’s will for his life (Merida, 2015). Upon retirement,
my short term goals will be obtaining my mediation certification and the development of my real
estate client base. I will also need to take continuing education classes to learn about the changes
in law and practice in the profession during my absence. This will help me to stay relevant for
my clients.
My long term goals will be my graduation from law school, passing the bar exam, and
obtaining my certification as an arbitrator. Also, I would like to earn my real estate broker’s
license and manage a brokerage. This would give me a good opportunity to impart my
knowledge to others. Knowing where I want to take my career after my military retirement is
DISCUSSION BOARD FORUM 3 4
important, because having clear goals can help me to focus my studies and my doctoral research
project around a topic that will be relevant to my future endeavors. Grant, Ratliff-Miller, and De
La Rosa (2016) found planning collegiate studies around career goals to be important for
ensuring success after graduation. Also, Luke 14:28 speaks to the importance of knowing the
requirements of achieving a goal before embarking on the journey: “Suppose one of you wants to
build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to
complete it?” (New International Version).
DSL’s Role in Achieving Career Goals
The DSL will be an uncommon degree to possess in my future career. A college degree
is not required to become a mediator in Utah (Utah Dispute Resolution, 2019). Therefore, the
likelihood of my peers possessing a doctorate is probably small. The DSL will set me apart from
other mediators. It will also help to give me credibility as I teach continuing education classes to
real estate professionals. Finally, learning to lead at a strategic level will help me set a vision for
my future real estate brokerage and formulate steps to make that vision a reality.
Skills to be Learned from the DSL and Their Relevance
Through my studies in the DSL program I hope to learn how to set goals and a vision for
an organization. I would also like to learn how to establish quantifiable metrics to objectively
assess progress towards those goals. This will be particularly helpful when running a real estate
brokerage. I will need to help my subordinate sales agents establish professional development
and sales goals for themselves. These goals are only helpful if we regularly verify that we are on
track to achieve them.
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References
Grant, R., Ratliff-Miller, P., & De La Rosa, D. (2016). Career goal planning system (career
GPS): A model of a school of accounting’s success in student development.EBusiness
Education Innovation Journal,8(1), 100–105. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=bth&AN=117612847&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Liberty University. (2019, July 26). Doctor of strategic leadership (D.S.L.) 2019-2020 degree
completion plan. Retrieved from https://www.liberty.edu/media/1270/DSLD-DSL-D.pdf
Merida, T. (2015). Christ-centered exposition: Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings. Tennessee: B & H
Publishing Group.
Miller, A. K., Osborn, D. S., Sampson, J. P., Peterson, G. W., & Reardon, R. C. (2018). The
impact of a college career course on students’ career decision states.ECareer Development
Quarterly,E66(4), 371–377. doi: 10.1002/cdq.12157.
Utah Dispute Resolution. (2019). Career FAQ. Retrieved from
https://www.utahdisputeresolution.org/career-faq
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