Obtaining a University Degree is Extremely Important

In my essay, I argue that in my world view obtaining a university degree is extremely important. I will define the term “World View” according to Hobson, Samovar and Porter. I will also discuss the factors that have influenced my world view of education and learning such as a vast experience of financial services experience in the UK and Australia, and more recent journey into the social business media space. I will also touch on what is important to me in my worldview and why these factors have ignited my ambition in acquiring a university degree.

Samovar and Porterribing, describe as Worldview as being an “overarching philosophy or conception of the world” (2004, 1) and Hobson supports this by defining it as “a set of beliefs that we hold through which we organise our understanding of ourselves and our understanding of others” (1996, 2). Both agree that it influences a person's perceptions, beliefs, and values.

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make the world.
Gautama Siddharta

A worldview is the paradigm of how people translate their meaning of their world; in other words, what we make of the world is our worldview. It is something taken for granted without having proof. A worldview is like a pair of reading glasses in that if you get the right prescription, your vision will be clear. However if the prescription is wrong; it could make your eyes worse and make everything blurry. Taking it a step further, looking through someone else’s glasses may make you feel awkward and uncomfortable as they are not yours. However you have to accept that this pair of glasses is familiar to someone else. Looking at a worldview through unfamiliar eyeglasses could have an individual question the need to adjust their own set of eyeglasses to be able to see their world around them more clearly.

When I reflect on my career history of nearly twenty years, I find myself motivated to undertake a university degree. Working within financial services I have always had to ensure that I am keeping up with industry standards, I also come from a family that places a high value on formal education and obtaining a university degree Arts degree will raise my self-esteem and confidence. It will also give me confidence with dealing with company stakeholders and also presenting at conferences.

I am at a stage in my career where I do not have to get a degree; it is my own choice to work hard to get one. I have been employed by the same company for nearly ten years, and apart from the CEO, I am the longest serving staff member. At the age of 37 I feel like I have become part of the furniture. I work with colleagues who are mainly Gen Y, who do not have the commitment that I have in that they want instant gratification. Throughout my career I have obtained many diplomas in financial services and have vast experience in the online comparison space in the UK and Australia; however my driving force in starting my degree is to pull all this experience together, into one all-encompassing qualification. I do not feel that obtaining a university degree will advantage me massively from an academic perspective; however I know that I will be able to pull strength from it. I believe that the experience I have gained through my career, my fortunate upbringing and my experience of different cultures through my love for travelling will generate a richer worldview.
At present my worldview as very micro as it consists of my wife and young children, sleep deprivation and my career. Once my life is back in order, this seems a long way from now, I am looking forward to applying my new found knowledge not just in my career but also in my personal life.

Having time to manage family life, work life and also study is very emotional and I find that I have to refocus often, turning a negative emotion into a positive emotion has been a significant factor in my decision to undertake this degree. “The ups and downs of your emotions influence your learning.” (Marshall and Rowland 2006, 7) I use this emotion to make me want to study so that I can better myself and the rest of the benefits will flow.

Reaching this level of education is really important to me because it will pull together many things that I already know that I do not hold a piece of paper for. As I mentioned earlier, I have vast experience within the financial services, and am currently working in the online media space. I have a huge passion for social media and how it impacts commercially and want to grow into this area. I found that working in London made me realise that social media is the next tech wave for business and it excites me that I am positioning myself in this market. I believe that Australian businesses are still yet to realise that this is going to be very important to them and I want to be in a position of strength in this field.

In conclusion, having realised and nurtured my own worldview, I came to realise that everyone had their own unique world view even though they may be shared. Aristotle is quoted as saying; “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” This is something that I have always been aware of and believe that I am capable of. My personal drive to better myself, my fantastic wife and family, and my work experience has given me the experience and expertise to realise the goal of obtaining a university degree.

Reference: * Bradmore, D., 2010, Marketing dictionary [Online], available World Wide Web, URL: http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/mkt/dictionary/eee.html (accessed on 28 March 2011) * Corporation Republic of HwaDzan Society, The, 2001. Heart of Buddha, Amitabha Publications. Taipei, Taiwan. * Hobson, Julia. 1996. Concepts of the self: Different ways of knowing about the self. SSK12 lecture transcript. ed. Lorraine Marshall. Perth: Murdoch University. * Marshall, L., and Frances Rowland. 2006. A guide to learning independently. 4th ed. NSW: Pearson Education Australia * Samovar, Larry A., and Richard E. Porter. 2004. Communication Between Cultures. 5th ed. Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. * Schmitz Drs. C. and E., 2010, Psychology Today, Diagnosis Dictionary - Empty Nest Syndrome [Online], available World Wide Web, URL: http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/empty-nest-syndrome (accessed on 28 March 2011