Thursday, 27 November 2014

Action Plan

1. Reflect on the following questions to develop your final outcome and results statement:

• 1. What goal do I most want to focus on right now?
Achieving an ATAR of at least 90.

• 2. What good things might happen if I work toward this goal?
I will be able to get accepted to a Group 8 university. I will meet the requirements set by my sponsor and make my parents proud.

•3. What difficult things might happen if I work toward this goal? 
I might have to spend less time with my family and friends to focus on achieving my goal. I also may have to sacrifice the time I spend on leisure activity in order to complete all of my work perfectly on time. I may also face a lot of stress due to assignments and tests.

• 4. Establish attainable action steps including specific dates to guide you in moving forward on your time line toward achieving your goal.
Aug 2015 - Complete syllabus and assignments
November 2015 - Complete final Exam
March 2016 - Start studying in an Australian University

• 5. Who is your Support Network for this particular goal you have set? Which individuals may be of assistance to you in helping you to achieve this goal? 
My parents, family and friends.

• 6. Identify any obstacles that may prevent you from achieving this goal.
Outside distractions like he internet, negative influences as well as personal weaknesses like procrastination and lack of discipline.

• 7. Brainstorm what adjustments you can make in order to overcome these obstacles and stay on the path of achieving your goal.
Set a time table to help me manage my time properly. I also have to learn to prioritize my work to reduce the stress due to deadlines and workload.

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Reflective Assignment 2

1. What are the lessons I have learnt in this module?

Through this module, I have successfully identified my personality type, my learning style and the possible career matches for me. I have also learnt how to plan my goals smartly and analyze my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

2. I will apply the lessons I learnt in this module as a student from now on in the following ways:-

i. Using notes, colors and visualizing to help me study.
ii. Analyzing my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to help me succeed.
iii. Planning my goals smartly (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound)


3. I will apply the lessons I have learnt in here as an individual from now on in the following ways:-

i. Accept that I am an introvert.
ii. Set more realistic goals in the future.
iii. Work on improving my weaknesses.

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SMART Goals

By December next year, I will have ... 


  • Obtained an ATAR of at least 90 by consistently obtaining A's for my assignments and tests in school as well as the final exam.
  • Obtained a Gold Certificate from the school newspaper by writing at least 10 articles for the paper.


By March 2016, I will have ...


  • Gained admission into a Group 8 university in Australia to pursue a degree in Accounting. This will only be possible if I manage to achieve an ATAR of 90 (and above).
  • Completed an internship at an accounting firm.


By July 2019, I will have ...


  • Obtained a First Class Degree in Accounting. I need to achieve at least 80 - 100% to do so.
  • Have started studying to obtain an ACCA qualification. 
  • Get a job in a Big Four accounting firm.. To do this, I need to have obtained good grades, come from a top school, have completed an internship and have established good connections through networking.

SWOT Analysis

I am currently a student at Taylor's College, undergoing the SAM programme. In a year, I will be done with my pre-university course and, if I have achieved the necessary results, I will be going to Australia to study Accounting.

Strengths


I am a fast and dedicated learner and I can pick up new things relatively quickly. I also have good concentration things and am able to devote all my time and attention to one things for long periods of time. Besides, I am good with systems and structures and can apply this to many things be it my studies or personal life. My experience as a head prefect in high school has also helped me develop good interpersonal skills. Besides, I have fairly good writing skills.

Weaknesses


The number one thing that holds me back is my shyness, or rather my reluctance to get involved in strangers. This may cause some people to perceive me as cold. Furthermore, I am also quite the homebody and prefer staying at home rather than going out to join activities and other things. I can also be very sensitive to criticism and have been known to handle it quite badly. 

Opportunities


I have the opportunity to join several competitions and activities in Taylor's College in the future which may be able to help me develop into a more wholesome person. Also, my sponsor is organizing a week-long camp which I can use to develop connections and hone my interpersonal skills. I am also a part of the student newspaper and have the opportunity to be on the organizing committee of one of their activities soon.  

Threats


One of the threats I face is handling my finances. I must be careful to balance my expenses with my monthly budget. I must also be careful not to overspend and be sure to save enough money for the future. Besides, I also face the threat of negative influences around me, like any other teenager. Hence, I must be careful to have the right type of people around me.


Career Test Reflection


The test results revealed that my personality is of an INFJ, which did not come as a suprise as previous tests have yielded the same results. However, the careers that match this personality are not the careers that I am going to go into. For example, I cannot possibly work as a religious worker as I am not religious at all. However, I do agree with writer as a possible career as I do have a budding interest in becoming an author.

The personality analysis advises against working with very detailed tasks. I find this funny because I am planning to become an accountant in the future. However, I do hope to someday work in Human Resources which might be compatible with my personality as it says that I, as an INFJ, have penetrating insight into other people and issues.

No matter what the test says, I still have faith in my decisions for myself. I do not believe that the jobs listed above by the test results are the only ones I am compatible with, or am capable of doing. I believe that I can achieve my own success by working hard in whatever path I choose. 

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Reflective Assignment 1 - Reflecting on TGC

Throughout my time on school and college, I have had the opportunity to take part in several community service activities. These activities are often organized with the purpose of helping youth realize their responsibility towards the country and society since we are the leaders of the future. These activities also help us appreciate the things we have such as our families, our homes that can be considered luxurious compared to those who are underprivileged or from war ridden countries. Cleaning up our surroundings also instills a love for nature and awareness of its importance. Community service not only helps out those in need, but it also helps us better ourselves. Working in groups will help build teamwork and interpersonal skills which are important later in life. Organizing sales to help raise funds will also provide us with valuable experience that can be useful in the future.




In regards to TGC, community service help to develop several TGC as listed below:-

  • Thinking and problem solving skills: When working with children, we have to come up with the best way to get their attention or to teach them.
  • Communication skills: When raising funds for a particular cause, we have to communicate the purpose of our activity and our cause well to convince people to donate money.
  • Interpersonal skills: When working together to clean up an area, interpersonal skills such as teamwork and understanding is developed.
  • Citizenship and global perspectives: Working with the elderly and underprivileged children helps us realize our duty as future leaders. 
The skills developed through community service activities will not only help improve our professional lives, but also our personal lives.It will cultivate independence, self-reliance and self-discipline that is important for us to achieve our goals in life. In terms of our professional lives, it will help us achieve the goals we set for ourselves.

In the future, I hope to be involved in more community service activities that will have a bigger impact on the society. 

Monday, 24 November 2014

Learning Styles Group Activity






I found the visual drawing easy to follow. The auditory drawing was confusing and difficult while the kinestatic one was boring. 

Hence, it can be concluded that I am a visual learner. 

My group member's results areas follows:

Dharshana - kinestatic/auditory 
Tham Shi Kei - kinestatic/auditory 
John Lau Tsan Hou - visual/auditory
Brandon - visual 

Another person who had the same drawing as me is Sunny Ng Xian Zhou.

Learning Style Reflection


Learning that I am a visual learner has helped me change the way I study to better suit myself. I now know that I have to rely more on notes, colors and visualizing while studying. Besides, I also know that it will be better for me to study in quiet areas so I can focus better. 

I have always relied on notes to help me revise. Through this test, I learnt that visualizing will also help me understand better. As a visual learner, slides and taking down notes during class is vital in order for me to follow lessons hence I should pay utmost attention in class. 


Personality Type Reflection


Personally, I did not find the results of my personality test very surprising as I have taken tests like this before and have received the same results. I do agree that I have an INFJ personality as I do find myself exhibiting INFJ traits. However, I doubt the accuracy of the test as I think it is impossible for a person to be 100% introverted. Tests like these are designed with the assumption that everyone fits perfectly into a personality which is unrealistic. Personality cannot be classified using a binary system. 

As an introvert, I have come to terms with the fact that I feel uncomfortable when dealing with many people at once or strangers. I know that I may come of as cold to people whom I have just met because of this. It also takes me some time to make proper friends. However, I know that I can socialize well and have fun with people once I get to know them. Introverts are often looked down upon in our society which often places value on being 'open', 'friendly' and 'enthusiastic'. In spite of hat, I have come to realize though being an introvert has many weaknesses, I also have many strengths that I can rely on.

The second trait is intuition. It is true that I tend to make decisions of my gut-feeling or my emotions. This can lead me to misjudge a situation or act irrationally. Hence, I always try to control this part of myself by thinking over my actions carefully. As the next trait show, feelings and emotions play a strong role in my life. Though it has it's disadvantages, I do not think that this is necessarily a bad thing. Trusting my feelings helps me trust myself. However, I do also try to be objective in certain situations when emotions and feelings only complicate matters. 

My strong Judging trait means that I like my life to have a sense of structure and order. This is true since I always like planning out my day and week, having to do lists and schedules for everything. I think it helps me keep track of everything that I have to do. This is especially important for me as I am a forgetful person. However, I think this this also the reason why I am quite inflexible about certain things. I also do not like change and it takes me very long to adapt to new situations.

In short, there are many good and bad sides about being an INFJ. I think the most important thing is for me to accept myself and embrace my strengths to compensate for my weaknesses. 

(Sidenote: I think the part about INFJ's making up less than 1% of the population is untrue. I have many many other INFJs. The statistic is probably from an old study and is an overused one.)