Having a clear vision of the coastline is not easy when you are still in the middle of an ocean. As I sail through this vast academic ocean known as college, I try to let the vision of my destination navigate my path. My BIG vision is an aggregate of multiple personal and professional life goals.
The first of my serious life goals (perhaps the most immediate) is half personal and half professional: Conquer my inner anxiety & discomfort while giving speeches. It has been difficult to resolve because I have no problem speaking to a large group, but, the formality of speaking seems to cause me to become very self conscious. To conquer this handicap, I need more than a public speaking class; they only help while I’m actually in the class. I know someone who is an actor in an off Broadway theater and I plan to perform with them doing street theater. (A sort of shock therapy for my shyness).
Second on my list is a personal goal which has the potential to become a professional goal: become very proactive about helping the environment. I will do this by raising awareness (among friends, family, and acquaintances) about recycling centers, energy efficiency measures, convincing my relatives to compost their organic garbage to feed the soil in their back yards etc… Also, I plan to actually visit electronics recycling centers and other materials recycling facilities to see exactly how it gets done. Perhaps there may be a viable entrepreneurial opportunity waiting for me in green-friendly waste management.
Third on my list major goals (and, therefore, a part of the vision) is to attain a CPA license. This is goal is most likely realizable four or five years from now. To achieve this, I will take the following key steps: after earning an undergraduate degree I will go back and do a comprehensive review of all the major accounting concepts that my undergraduate curriculum required me to know. In the process of earning a bachelor’s degree we often don’t have time to sit with all the material and let it thoroughly soak into our long term memory; there are just too many demands competing for our attention. Next, I will diligently study while attending a CPA review course (Becker etc..) Next, I will work for a Certified Public Accountant to gain the necessary relevant work experience to qualify to take the test. While working in that capacity, I will talk to current professional accountants for insight about “how things really work” in the field and outside of academia.
The fourth major goal in my life is also a professional one: After enough years of experience, win the appointment of a 5 year term to serve on the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Often I feel as if there are shortfalls in the GAAP standards. Concessions are made in certain financial accounting rules that appear to have no valid conceptual justification; instead, these concessions appear to be politically motivated. As geeky as it sounds, improving financial reporting transparency is an important professional goal for me. Too much important information in society (such as earmarks buried in bills which get passed into law) “fly's underneath the radar.”
My aggregate vision: by the time I reach mid 60’s I am looking back at the things I’ve done and feel as though I’ve: made a positive impact on the world, have built enough financial security to enjoy a comfortable retirement, and be in a position to give back to the community, and to the world. Yes, I can see myself reflecting on all of this while the warm sunshine is beaming down onto my face as I gaze out over the Mediterranean ocean.
