Index IntroductionBeginning of my personal journeyPersonal fear of academicsThe desire for personal growthConclusionReferencesIntroductionIn this assignment, I will outline my journey to personal growth, which began with my transition from education second level to how I decided to pursue third level education. I graduated from secondary school in 2017. I then took a PLC, Post Leaving Cert, course at Marino College of Further Education. After the PLC course I decided to work in my field of study. After seeing what kind of job opportunities my PLC offered me, I decided to further my education by enrolling in college. I will discuss my transition in the format of The Gibbs Reflective Cycle. Graham Gibbs encouraged people to think back to a certain moment of transition or difficulty. Then reflect on these experiences in structured stages. Therefore helping you to understand yourself better and be more prepared for a similar situation in the future (Gibbs, 'Learning By Doing', 1988). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Start of my personal journey To begin with in 2017, as I prepared to take my A-level exams and apply to the CAO, I decided going straight into a level 8 university course didn't appeal to me. I applied for a Travel and Tourism PLC course at Marino College of Further Education. The day the CAO acceptances were announced I was offered a place on my PLC course. Therefore in September I started my Travel and Tourism course in Marino. Once again there was the possibility of applying for the CAO, this year I decided not to apply because I wanted to enter the world of work instead of continuing training. At the end of this one year course I was looking for a job in the tourism sector. It was a long process and knowing this I started applying to different job opportunities in March. In May 2018 I started my new job as a Swissport check-in agent at Dublin Airport. I progressed quickly in this job by receiving training on two other airline check-in systems. In February 2019, I decided to reapply to the CAO and obtain a level 8 degree. It was a very different process to apply at this stage of my life as I was doing it completely on my own, without any academic body to refer for help. I also had to provide a large amount of information since I was no longer a student. In July 2019 I received my place at DBS, Dublin Business School. That September I started my BA Hons in Marketing. Personal fear of academics I feel like I'm not the most academically inclined person. This possible fear of school and learning is what most likely kept me from wanting to go straight to college after completing my GED. I worried that the work would be too difficult and that the learning environment would be incredibly different. When I started my PLC course I was very nervous as well as excited. I settled in easily in Marino since the class size was still small and we had classrooms different from the huge classrooms normally seen in large colleges. Since my environment didn't change drastically, my transition was smooth. Although I was very nervous when we received our first assignment. The teacher walked us through the brief and answered any questions anyone had, which made me feel very comfortable with what I had to do in the assignment. When to apply to the CAO has becomeagain a choice, I put the idea aside because I felt ready and comfortable to start working. I have found that my PLC prepares their students to enter the workforce or continue their education. Once again I avoided applying to the CAO, although I was still able to move forward in my life in a positive way. I wrote a CV sent to several hotels, travel agencies and airport companies. I felt like I would never get a job offer. When I finally got a job at the airport as a check-in agent for Etihad, I felt relieved and ready to get started. While nothing prepared me for the difficulty of the training process for a week straight, we had to pass several tests a day, before they even taught us the computer system to check in. I really struggled to learn the check-in computer system. so once I got through it, I felt more confident in myself. Once I started working with clients, I gained more confidence in myself as I was the person with the knowledge for client questions. As my confidence grew, so did my desire for change or challenge. I was given the opportunity to be trained on new computer systems for other airlines. While studying for the new airline exams I was eager to learn the systems and how the policies of different airlines worked. Therefore, this moment was my first positive experience with learning as I had changed my perspective on the end goal and how I would then use the skills I was learning. This moment of clarity made me think back to my struggle with CAO. At work, I have become restless with the same check-in task, as it is a repetitive task. I decided that I would finally go to the CAO, at first I didn't tell anyone in case I changed my mind. I still had a sense of fear about the CAO results, so I didn't think too much about what it would be like to start college. I was afraid that if I wasn't accepted, this would be the best way to deal with the situation, just don't think that far ahead. When I finally got accepted into DBS, I was so proud of myself. While starting a new school, changing locations, and finding new friends can be challenging, I feel I have done well in all of my life transitions. Although I felt slightly unprepared before the transition from working full time to attending college full time, as I wasn't sure if I would find a place. Therefore, I felt quite rushed to leave my job and start university when I received my place. Once I got used to the idea of ​​having a more structured week, however, I became comfortable with the idea of ​​starting somewhere new. The Desire for Personal Growth When I was starting at Marino College, I was excited and felt that there wasn't much change from secondary school. When I started working at DBS I was extremely nervous and immediately felt the change in my daily life. I felt comfortable in my old program; I knew my role in the work and I was also close to my colleagues. Starting again as a student reminded me of going back to school, of being younger, of trying to make friends and finding my bearings. When I started my PLC course it was an expected change in life, I knew I would be leaving secondary school and starting higher level education. While deciding to go back to school after becoming so independent and dependent on myself was difficult, I was making the choice to benefit from it in the long term. The path I took was not a transition.