Going Back to School to Stand Out - Joshua

Authored by Joshua

 

After more than 15 years as a Department Manager, I went back to school to be better at my job and to open up new opportunities. As a DM, I manage teams, set budgets, watched costs, and worked to hit sales targets. I am taking the business program at Okanagan College to improve my knowledge of this and to stand out more. This will help me do my work better, and give me more job opportunities in the future.

I am also learning new technology and computer systems. Every job I have had changed its systems over time, and the workers who learned the new systems were the ones who kept moving up. My attitude is to keep learning and not be afraid of change.

As a DM, I trained and helped new workers. I want to keep growing as a leader who helps his team learn, not just a boss who tells people what to do.

 

Course concepts

Goal-Setting — Setting a clear goal helps a person stay focused and keep working toward it. My goal is to finish my business program and move into higher management, and that goal keeps me going in school while I work.

Self-Efficacy — This means believing you can do a task. Each new system and subject I learn builds my belief that I can take on bigger jobs.

Transformative leadership — Leaders like this inspire workers with their words and actions and help them grow. That is the kind of leader I worked to be when I trained staff, and the kind I want to become.