HCA 675 Assignment Personal Changes Paper

Human life is associated with changes from one stage to another. The adjustments not only affect social life but also economic and educational perspectives. Successful adoption to change calls for flexibility and the ability to understand and manage the situation. People perceive changes differently as some get horrified while others embrace it without any objections. However, when exposed to a new situation, there are emotional and psychological variations that accompany the change. This paper depicts the main professional challenging adjustments I experienced when I returned to school to pursue my Master’s Degree.

The Challenging Changes

As an individual, I finished my Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree in 1994. After the degree, I had the privilege to secure employment in one of the state hospitals. From the job description, I had to accomplish my stipulated tasks on a fulltime basis. The hospital management stressed on the reporting and leaving time to ensure that the staff remains committed while at work. Besides, the hospital administration had the objective of enhancing treatment objectives by giving patients ample time. However, on a personal level, I had a constant feeling of pursuing a Master’s Degree. The ambition kept pushing and inspiring me daily until I got the chance to register for my Master’s education.

The main drawback I realized was that the university did not have an online option for the Master’s program. The facet terrified me because I had to physically attend the classes after work. I approached my manager and explained the twist to her but unfortunately, she failed to grant me studies relief. Therefore, I had to finish my job duties then rush to the University for the Classes. In the process, the college decided to shift from the initial modern building to the “brick and mortar” one. The infrastructural adjustment further worsened my challenges as I had to adapt to the new environment. Moreover, during lectures, I had to take notes using pen and paper since there were no PowerPoint presentations and softcopy notes (Jackson & Bridgstock, 2018). Similarly, the management encouraged students to purchase course textbooks in the bookstore.

The university had a computer laboratory for the students to use. The computers were exclusively designated for writing papers since students had no personal computers or laptops. According to Liyanagamage, Glavas, and Kodagoda (2019), computers facilitate digital research as the internet enhances the retrieval of updated information. With limited computers, I had to comply with the operational computer lab rules. The regulations only allowed each student to use the machines twice a week. Moreover, since the computers were of ancient models, their processing speed was relatively low. Kennett, Reed, and VandenBerg (2019) assert that the technology used in the development significantly affected the processing speed for first, second, and third-generation computers. As a result, 70 percent of the Master’s program was manual.

The university library was not fully stocked with the research articles. The library management used the manual system making the students to physically locate the articles from the shelves after referring to the cards catalog. Jackson and Bridgstock (2018) argue that manual library searches take more time and less efficient compared to automated ones. However, the students had to wait for a week for the library to source the requested research articles from an alternative station. As a remedy, I had to make my articles request two weeks in advance to reduce time-wasting. According to Kennett, Reed, and VandenBerg (2019), manual library systems are prone to human error due to fatigue and continuous distractions. Moreover, the library condition barred students from accessing digitalized learning resources. Besides, it was impossible to share publication information efficiently among the research peers (Jackson & Bridgstock, 2018). Furthermore, as I student I lacked the opportunity of gaining access to video tutorials, podcasts, and e-books to polish up my research work.

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Essentially, the college machines were early generation computers. The computers were gigantic and had MS-DOS systems. Besides, the printers used then were also huge and occupied much space. The server rooms were also large to accommodate the mammoth servers. The International Business Machine (IBM) technology-dominated academic institutions and workplaces. According to Yunus (2018), early versions of IBM technology were associated with excessive heat emission as the machines had huge sizes and consumed more power. The computers have a maximum storage space of 2 GB with a running 16-bit operating system (Liyanagamage, Glavas, & Kodagoda, 2019). As a user, I experienced difficulties operating the computers due to the command-line interface. However, computers enabled us to effectively manage our files. Nevertheless, the computers lacked the multi-tasking ability due to the installed operating system (Kennett, Reed, & VandenBerg, 2019).

Moreover, I experienced several challenges in working fulltime professionally besides being a student. Notably, studying while attending to fulltime career obligations was quite challenging as it called for more energy (Yunus, 2018). There are numerous challenges associated with work-study-life for Master’s students. The most outstanding encounter was achieving an effective balance of energy and attention for the two programs. The learning process demands physical and mental energy which made be strain especially after having stressful moments at work (Hou, Feng, Qin, & Jiang, 2018). Similarly, I experienced conflict with my work and learning schedules. For instance, I had to stay awake till late at night working on my research and assignments. The facet at times affected my performance at work due to sleep deprivation. Additionally, at times my work schedule and classes clashed and I was always forced to choose one. I used to liaise with a workmate to cover for my responsibilities on days that I had mandatory school-related obligations (Hou et al., 2018). However, I was glad to maintain my job and earn a full-time salary despite the crazy schedules.

Technological adjustments also changed my work-study life. During that time, technology was gaining significant application in various sectors. In medicine, I was perplexed with the organ transplant technology after Dr. Murray successfully transplanted the first kidney (Yunus, 2018). Interestingly, artificial intelligence was also gaining popularity not only in academic institutions but also in workplaces. Scientists invented robots and installed memories that mimicked the ordinary human behavior. In terms of communication, the use of the internet was fast spreading worldwide (Hou et al., 2018). As a result, I had to acquaint myself with browsing and chatting skills to communicate effectively with colleagues (Yunus, 2018). The use of mobile phones also enhances my communication pattern during work-study life. I was in a position to relay information to my bosses and lecturers appropriately whenever I was committed.

Conclusion

I had a unique experience while pursuing my Master’s Degree. The fulltime job prompted me to adjust effectively to achieve both my career and learning objectives. However, I have to admit that the encounter was cumbersome as the college had no online learning option. The library and computer laboratory system also complicated the learning experience. I discovered that change is inevitable in human life. Notably, despite the challenges, I had to adjust to the changes to realize my learning goals. Therefore, it is important to change personal thinking and attitude when faced with challenging circumstances.

References

Hou, T., Feng, G., Qin, S., & Jiang, W. (2018). Proactive content caching by exploiting transfer learning for mobile edge computing. International Journal of Communication Systems, 31(11), e3706.

Jackson, D., & Bridgstock, R. (2018). Evidencing student success in the contemporary world-of-work: Renewing our thinking. Higher Education Research & Development, 37(5), 984-998.

Kennett, D. J., Reed, M. J., & VandenBerg, T. R. (2019). The Importance of Perceived University-Life Balance, Hours per Week Engaged in Academic Activities, and Academic Resourcefulness. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 7(1), 136-153.

Liyanagamage, N., Glavas, C., & Kodagoda, T. (2019). Exploring mixed emotions and emotion-regulation strategies of students balancing higher education with employment. Journal of Education and Work, 32(1), 21-35.

Yunus, M. M. (2018). Innovation in education and language learning in the 21st Century. Journal of Sustainable Development Education and Research, 2(1), 33-34.

HCA 675 Assignment Personal Changes Paper