Running head: CASVE CYCLE

Strategic Academic/Career Planning Project

Angelina Pechota
Siena Heights University

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Table of Contents
Communication .3
Analysis ..3
Synthesis 4
Valuing ..5
Execution ..5
Communication 7
References .9

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Communication
I did not necessarily have a concern, in particular, that prompted me to begin my
academic/career problem-solving and decision-making process. If I were answering this same
question about twelve years ago then my answer would be much different. At that time, I was
just getting out of college and could have used this class desperately. Today, I work as a
financial accountant, which is the field I have my degree in. Ideally, I do not make the salary I
would hope for but at this point in my life, this is what works for my family more than it does for
me. One area I looked to expand on was my career decisions up to this point as well as what my
options are where I truly will be happy. The second area was to look deeper at how careers are
changing today due to numerous internal and external factors as well as its effects on myself and
my career choice. Finally, the third area was how to improve my process when it comes to cover
letters, letter of acknowledgement etc. These I have completed in the past but looked to sharpen
my skills in this area.
Analysis
Improving our Self-Knowledge, I feel, would be something we are improving
continuously and in different ways as we go through life. I know I think completely different
now that I am in my mid-thirties to when I was in my twenties, for the better I would say. I was
raised by a single mom of three, who has worked 2-3 jobs since I was little, who taught me to
always stand on my own two feet and rely on no-one. She taught me the value of working and
that you must do what it takes to support yourself and your family. After a comment from the
professor I was able to step back and realize we all do not do what we love because we have to
do what is best for our families, and that is ok. I feel that you have to be comfortable with you

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and know what you want before you can truly be in your best place, whether that be personally
or professionally. Another area of self-knowledge that is important to me is my skills. Within
this area, social responsibility is what I would like to improve and grow. In our fast pace lives it
seems we can get caught up in our day-to-day that we lose sight of the bigger picture and I feel
that should be giving back. I want to set the example for my children and to do that this area
must improve for me.
Synthesis
To generate educational and/or occupational alternatives for myself I decided to go back
to school and enroll in Masters classes. I am in the Organizational Leadership program here at
Siena Heights University. I felt this would only help me in the long-run, although I do not look
to leave my current position here at Siena Heights University. It will look great on my resume if
I choose to do anything else here within the university. Both of my supervisors are excited that I
have made this choice as it will only enhance my outlook and expand my overall knowledge. I
have also attended local conferences presented by our auditing company, Plante Moran. These
conferences keep our team up to date on new regulations and laws happening within the
accounting and tax areas. National Association of College and University Business Officers
(NACUBO), is an organization that Siena Heights are members of (NACUBO, 2015). They send
out newsletters that also keep us up to date and in the know. NACUBO also hosts conferences
all over, including locally, that I would like to attend in the future as well as webcasts that we
have the ability to watch year around. The Conferences and Webcasts are on topics such as
Security, Smart & Sustainable Campuses, Federal Student Aid Training and Student Financial
Services. They offer a wide range of topics to enhance your understanding of such thing as
policies, procedures and impacts these may have on our students today.

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With all of the above, I hope to use my education alternative to enhance my resume for
the time being. I have considered getting back into retail, where I worked for ten years plus.
Retail is a rough field though, one that includes very long days, no holidays off and exaggerated
sales goals. Sales goals that are almost unattainable, realistically. The only reason I would do
this though would be that of the financial aspect of it. My salary in retail would easily be almost
twenty percent more than I currently earn. At this point in my life, family is more important than
what I earn. It is not as easy as it could be financially, but emotionally I am satisfied. Another
alternative I have ruled out would be continuing my education to achieve my doctorate after
finishing my masters classes. I do not feel the need to do that, it is not something that interests
me at all. Time is one of the biggest reasons for this choice.
Valuing
Factors that are important to me in making this decision are quality family time, overall
happiness and my ability to grow personally and professionally. I know that staying where I am
currently is a good decision because it allows me to have the family time that I am looking for
and attend more family functions than I ever have before. Having this ability makes me truly
happy and feel like this is what it is all about. Siena has truly been a gift to our family as it is
also allowing for myself to go back to school, work towards my masters, and the ability to grow
in more ways than one. By doing so I hope that it will only make my ties to the Siena
community that much deeper and make me a better person. One who is more thoughtful of
others as well as ethical, competent and purposeful.
Execution
My execution steps were pretty forward when it comes to my choice to go back to school.
They are as follows:

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1. Consult with my family about their feelings and thoughts towards me continuing my
education.
a. Will I be able to find time to do the necessary work needed to complete my class or
classes each semester? We felt that we could make it work. Everyone would chip in
and assist with the house so I would have the time I needed to complete the work.
b. Will we be able to find someone to watch our 2-year old if my husband is not home to
do so? For the first year of classes, this was a little tough but we were able to get
through it. This past year most of my classes have been online which has made this
issue not as big anymore.
c. Gathered there thoughts on whether they thought it would be beneficial for me to do
it or not.

My family has been supportive from the very beginning and felt that this

was a great choice for my career. They have driven me when I expressed my doubts
and even contemplated quitting.
2. Next, meet with an Advisor at the school to discuss my options and to discuss what
would be needed to be accepted into the program.
a. Need to decide which program I would like to be in and what classes would be
required. I chose Organizational Leadership as the degree I wished to pursue.
b. Complete my entrance packet and be accepted into the Grad College.
3. Register for courses that follow my degree plan set by my Advisor and follow through
with completing them on a designated timeline.
a. When deciding how many credit hours to do at a time I decided to do six hours my
first semester to see if I could handle it. After my first semester, I found it best to take
only three credit hours per semester, as the six was just too stressful on myself as well
as my family.
b. I started classes in August of 2013 and as of December 2015, I will have four more
classes to do to complete my degree that is equal to twelve credit hours. If I continue
taking one class per semester, I would finish in December of 2016. Recently, I am

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getting the graduation fever and would like to be completed by June of 2016 instead
but there are a few factors that have to be considered for this to come to fruition.
Those would be: can I handle the work load? Will the classes I need to finish, all be
offered during the second term at Siena?
Communication
Currently, as I have mentioned before, I am on the down slope of earning my Masters
Degree here at Siena Heights University. This is very exciting to me because I did not think this
would be possible. When I started my family had just grown to a family of four from two,
essentially. My little girl was born and my step-daughter who is seventeen now decided to come
and live with us. To say my stress level was at an all-time high would be an understatement. All
things happen for a reason and things have worked out for the better. My family has encouraged
me the entire way and continues to do so, which I am so very blessed and thankful for.
Depending on whether the courses I need, will be offered, in this next term will be the deciding
factor, mostly, on whether I will be able to finish my educational goals by next June or not. The
worst case will be that I finish my studies this time next year. In which, I am ok with as well.
Once I do finish and obtain my Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership I will not further
my education. My next step will be to attend specialized training within the accounting field by
means of conferences, workshops, and webinars.

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References

NACUBO: National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved from
http://www.nacubo.org
Reardon, R., Lenz, J.. Peterson, G., & Sampson, J. (2012). Career development & planning: A
comprehensive approach (4th ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.
Siena Heights University: Grad College. Retrieved from

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http://www.sienaheights.edu/Academics/ProgramDetail/tabid/73/MajorID/GLDO/Default
.aspx
U.S. News & World Report; Money (2015). Retrieved from
http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs