Belk College of Business

Commitment to Success
PFS Paper #1

S. Wyatt Shely
Honors Introduction to Business & Professional Development- BUSN 1101
Ms. Riter
September 29, 2015

Success is more effectively attained by organizing and managing ones

life in order to achieve the goals one has set for their life. These goals serve
as motivational stepping stones that keep a person constantly analyzing and

progressing their lives toward the right direction. The way in which I have
constructed a collegiate career map serves as the tangible pathway that
determines what I need to do in order to achieve the goals I have set for my
life. My career map identifies all the classes I need to take for my major, the
useful skill building tools that will aid me through my collegiate progression,
and the numerous avenues of career preparation. Through the creation of
this career map I will benefit from not only being more organized in my
academic life, but I will also have more confidence going into my first job
after college. This four-year plan will serve as an outline for my road to
success. It does not have to be set in stone for the entirety of my time at
college. Life can be unpredictable at times. This is why it is formatted in a
way that can be easily adjusted.
The four-year plan (career map) was created with the purpose of
complementing my route to achieve a number of goals I hold for my
academic career and future professional career. These goals are specific,
measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound (S.M.A.R.T.). The S.M.A.R.T.
goals include: maintaining a 4.0 grade point average for my undergraduate
degree in business analytics, obtaining an undergraduate degree in business
analytics in three and a half years, preparing myself for a career in the
financial industry by focusing on a combination of academic courses as well
as avenues of career preparation during the four years of my undergraduate
degree, and building a competitive resume during the four years of my
undergraduate degree. Obviously, all of these goals are specific. By stating

specific goals, I will be more apt to do what is necessary to achieve them. I

will be able to measure my progression toward these goals on a semester by
semester basis. By witnessing my achievements of progression, I will be
more motivated to continue. All of these goals are attainable through my
effort to plan skill building activities I will participate in, as well as career
preparation. All of the goals are realistic considering the effort I am, and will
continue to put forth in all aspects of my life. Finally, every one of the goals
has a concrete time frame placed upon them. Intentionally making the goals
time-bound produces an intrinsic sense of urgency to meet them. As one
can obviously detect, I have goals that relate specifically toward academia, a
goal pertaining primarily to a future job, and then a goal that combines both
professional and academic life. These goals complement one another in a
way that enriches both my near and further off future. If I succeed at one
goal, I will more likely succeed at achieving the next goal. This notion of
complementary goals allows me to be more aware of the importance of the
various tasks I have, and will have, in my life. For example, by maintaining a
4.0 grade point average my freshman year, the competitiveness of my
resume will also be enhanced.
In order to achieve the goals I explained earlier, I will need to seek
beneficial strategies that will enhance my chances for success. Maintaining
a 4.0 grade point average for my undergraduate degree seems like a
daunting task. Supplemental instruction and other resources will be vital to
achieve this goal. I will use the Writing Resources Center in order to improve

upon my writing skills, and to critique papers that are assigned in a variety of
classes. This will not only help me to obtain a high grade on writing
assignments, but also with the writing I will have to do in the business world
once I graduate. Another resource I will utilize is the Mathematics Learning
Center (MLC). When I take higher level mathematics courses such as
Calculus II and Calculus III, I will visit the MLC for additional instruction on the
more difficult topics taught in these courses. An additional strategy I will
employ will be to get involved in clubs and organizations that align with my
future career aspirations. One way I am planning to do this is by getting
involved with Enactus here on campus. This will help me improve upon timemanagement and entrepreneurial skills that can help me in the professional
business world. When I get older I want to be even more involved with
Enactus by acquiring a leadership position. Not only will getting involved
with Enactus help me prepare for my future career, but it will also assist my
goal of building a competitive resume.
As I stated earlier, this four-year plan will definitely experience revision
when necessary. I do not know how difficult my Junior and Senior classes will
be. When it comes time to schedule for these classes, I might have to shift
my schedule around in order to balance the difficulty of my courses. I do not
want to take a full schedule of highly demanding course work. By balancing
the difficult courses I will be able to spend more time focusing on the more
strenuous material. This will in turn help me achieve a higher grade in the
course, while simultaneously comprehending the material with a deeper

understanding. Another aspect of the career map that will possibly undergo
a considerable amount of revision is the material in the career preparation.
One aspect in particular is when and where I will have an internship my
Junior year. That internship is two years in the horizon. I will continue to
research the optimal internship for my goals, but the specific one is
contingent to my schedule changes and openings. Although my four-year
plan may need adjustments, it will be a crucial component on my journey of
achieving the S.M.A.R.T. goals I have set for my life.