As a woman who has always dreamed of making it big, I take pride in knowing that I accomplished some of what I set out to accomplish. I often hear phrases like "You're crazy to keep going back to school" and "Who does that?" » But now I'm on a higher playing field: I'm back to square one. I'm about to take an academic detour from the prescribed path, but it's worth it in my opinion. Someday, years from now, when I'm dead, I want my children's children to be able to tell their grandmother's story and mention how educated and career-driven she was. I am grateful to have been introduced to the University of Phoenix by an old friend I met in undergrad. He encouraged me and I started researching why I should choose the University of Phoenix online program. Four years later, I am a proud graduate of this university and I can honestly say that the skills I learned while enrolling in my graduate program have made me the great woman I once dreamed of . Confidence, leadership and communication are the three main skills I learned during my graduate studies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Nursing is not an easy career path and many know that as a first-time nursing student, participating in a clinical internship can be intimidating. I wish my confidence level was as high then as it is today. If I hadn't chosen this particular educational institution, I don't think I would have acquired this skill to this level. One thing I mention to every mentee I come in contact with is: be confident. Confidence is self-knowledge. Many fear the unknown, which is natural as a human being; However, the key to becoming confident is knowing that there is always a solution to the problem and being able to solve a problem is knowing how you will act in a given situation. Overall, this is the basis for having confidence. As a nurse with a career in corporate America, there were many things I hadn't been exposed to before. Most nurses work 12-hour shifts, three days a week. If you're a night shift nurse, you typically don't associate with the COO, DON, or company presidents. This concept is totally different in American companies. Most would think that to lead you need to have charisma and positional power to lead. I think this statement is not at all 100% correct. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the best form of leadership is calm, internal, self-directed leadership. In other words, if you don't live up to your own standards and values, how can you expect anyone else to live up to them? Positivity is essential in leadership. Empower your own thoughts and you will then naturally empower the thoughts of others. The ability to encourage others to do things they may not have done is leadership. Lead by example, inspire yourself first, and being a leader to others will come naturally. I specifically remember a particular conversation with one of my previous graduate instructors. The conversation didn't start out friendly, we disagreed on an article I had written and I felt his comments were quite harsh. I..