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Try It! Essay - Putting Your Values to Work

What you value in life is reflected in both your personal and career goals. Do you find great satisfaction in helping those in need? Does the prospect of exploring new territory and visiting new places excite you? Would you rather accumulate a tremendous bank account or do work that is intellectually stimulating? Maybe you can figure out a way to do both.

A. Identifying and knowing your values will help you to set goals that are realistic and satisfying. Below is a list of general values. Read through the entire list first; then, using your mouse, click on the five that are most important to you to move them to the list at the right. Prioritize them from most important to least important by clicking on the most important item first, and the least important item last.
  1. Having a loving family
  2. Doing work that is intellectually stimulating
  3. Being financially secure
  4. Having a close and intimate relationship with someone
  5. Having strong religious/spiritual beliefs
  6. Having a sense of humor
  7. Having self-respect and pride
  8. Working to help others
  9. Keeping healthy and having a strong body
  10. Being approved of and liked by others
  11. Continuing to learn throughout life
  12. Having courage to do the right thing
  13. Having solitude and private time
  14. Appreciating the natural world
  15. Competing and winning
  16. Creating something unique in the world
  17. Other:

B. Now that you have identified those values that are most important to you, explain how your career goals incorporate those values in a short essay in the box below. Is there a discrepancy between your career goals and your values? If so, explain how you intend to reconcile the differences.

C. Service learning provides students with hands-on experience in the real world, combining classroom theory with practice. Some universities require service learning as a part of graduation requirements; others offer it as a means of helping others, learning new skills, increasing self-esteem, or investigating other career options.

Use the Web sites below to examine the service- learning programs available in your school or area, then answer the questions that follow. (The links will open in a new window.)

http://www.fiu.edu/~time4chg/Library/ideas.html
101 ideas for combining service and learning

http://www.fiu.edu/~time4chg/Library/bigdummy.html
all you need to know about planning and implementing a successful service-learning project

http://csf.colorado.edu/sl/academic.html
excellent guide to service-learning programs both at the graduate and undergraduate level

Please answer the following questions about service learning. There is no obligation to participate in any program by answering the questions. Rather, it is an opportunity for you to become aware of a relatively new initiative and to consider the possibility of participating in a service-learning project near you.

1. What is your major area of study?

2. If there is a service-learning program at your school which one would you participate in?

3. If there is not, can you find a program at a school near you (check the Web sites listed) in which you can participate?

4. If you were to participate in a service-learning program, what would you hope to gain both personally and educationally?

5. If you have already participated in a service-learning program, which program did you participate in?

6. If you have already participated in a service-learning program, what advice can you give to others about preparing for the experience and gaining as much as possible from it?

7. May we post your response to question 6 so that others can learn from your experience? (click here to view others' responses)
Yes

Thanks!

Your professor may want you to send him/her a copy of this. Just fill out the information below, press the "Submit" button and a copy will be sent to each e-mail address given. Or, you may prefer to print out this page to save a copy for your records.
Your name:
Your e-mail address:
Your instructor's e-mail address:

 

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