Leadership: One Component of Success by Christa

Leadership: One Component of Success by Christa - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

I believe leadership skills are necessary for college success, but I define success during college and beyond in the following manner. We have all encountered those sour, lazy, bitter employees. You can find them in the clothing department at Macy’s, hiding in the back room at Walmart, or slyly texting behind the checkout counter at DSW. Ask them if they can do an inventory check, and you sense their annoyance as they strut away. Ask them if the color of the dress you are trying on is right for your complexion, and you know they are lying just to make the sale. Ask them if they can call a nearby store to see if your favorite shirt is at another location, and you can almost see them rolling their eyes. Clearly, these employees despise their jobs. They would rather be anywhere else than at work. Why would someone want to put themselves through that kind of agony? Life is too short. The key to success is pursuing a career that makes you happy and allows you to flourish for the rest of your life.

Success is achieved when work no longer feels like work. Ones that truly enjoy their job will advance in their field because they love their profession. This passion will not only benefit themselves, but the company and people around them. Many students choose a major and pursue an occupation based on how much money they will earn in the future. In my opinion, this is not a wise decision. Yes, you may end up with a lot of money, but does the money matter if you dislike what you are doing every day? Does a two week vacation in southern Italy make up for the other 50 weeks of the year when you are suffering in your less than ideal job? If you are not inspired by your work, you will not succeed. In turn, your co-workers will sense your unhappiness and it may rub off on them. Now, not only will you be miserable, but so will the others around you.

My volunteer positions at a local hospital, enrolling in a college clinical laboratory course and shadowing a six hour open heart surgery are some of the experiences that have led me to pursue a career in nursing. More importantly though, I chose this major because I have a strong interest in science, and being able to help others for the rest of my life would make me very happy. Becoming a doctor would probably allow me to earn three times the salary of a nurse, but I would not be experiencing the personal time and connection with the patients I desire. It is the nurse who explains the next step and upcoming procedure to the sick. It is the nurse who has the most dialogue with the fearful family members. It is the nurse who reads stories to the petrified child in the pediatric ward and unwraps presents with them on Christmas morning. Being around others and helping them through difficult times would bring me such satisfaction. I could become that surgeon with less patient contact and earn the big money, but I would not be as happy, therefore, I would not be as successful.