Table of ContentsIntroductionBeginning of My Personal JourneyPersonal Fear of AcademicsThe Desire for Personal GrowthConclusionReferencesIntroductionIn this assignment, I will describe my journey to personal growth, which began with my transition from secondary education. to how I decided to pursue higher education. I graduated from high school in 2017. I then completed a PLC course, Post Leaving Cert, at Marino College of Further Education. After my PLC course, I decided to work in my field of study. Once I saw the type of work opportunities my PLC offered me, I made the choice to continue my education by applying to university. I will discuss my transition in the form of the Gibbs Thinking Cycle. Graham Gibbs encouraged people to think back to a certain period of transition or difficulty. Then reflect on these experiences in structured phases. Therefore, it helps you understand yourself better and be better 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 Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Beginning of my personal journey To begin in 2017, as I was preparing to sit my Leaving Cert exams and apply for the CAO, I decided to go straight to a level 8 college course ne I didn't like it. I applied for a PLC course in Travel and Tourism at Marino College of Further Education. The day the CAO acceptances were announced, I was offered a place on my PLC course. That's why in September I started my travel and tourism course in Marino. Once again, the opportunity to apply for the CAO was available. This year, I decided not to apply because I wanted to enter the job market instead of pursuing studies. At the end of this one-year course, I was looking for a job in the tourism industry. It was a long process and knowing that, I started applying for different job opportunities in March. In May 2018 I started my new job as a Swissport check-in agent at Dublin Airport. I quickly progressed in this profession by being trained on two additional airline check-in systems. In February 2019 I made the decision to re-apply to CAO and complete a Level 8 Diploma. It was a very different process to apply to this stage of my life as I was doing it completely on my own , with no academic organization to turn to for help. I also had to provide a large amount of information because I was no longer a student. In July 2019, I received my place at DBS, Dublin Business School. In September I started my Honors degree 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 probably stopped me from wanting to go straight to university after completing my Leaving Cert. I was afraid the work would be too difficult and the learning environment would be incredibly different. When I started my PLC course, I was very nervous and excited. I settled into Marino easily because the class group was still small and we had classrooms unlike the huge lecture halls you usually see in big colleges. As my environment did not change drastically, my transition was smooth. Although I was very nervous when we received our first assignment. The teacher talked to us about the file and answered all of everyone's questions, which allowed me tofeel very comfortable with what I had to do as part of the assignment. When applying to CAO became a choice again, I rejected the idea because I felt ready and comfortable to start working. I discovered that my PLC prepares its students to enter the world of work or continue their studies. I once again avoided applying to the CAO, while still being able to move forward with my life in a positive way. I wrote a CV and sent it to different hotels, travel agencies and airport companies. I felt like I was never going to get a job offer. When I finally found my job at the airport as a check-in agent for Etihad, I felt relieved and ready to get started. Although nothing prepared me for how difficult the training process would be for a week straight, we had to take multiple tests per day, even before learning the computer system for recording. I really struggled to learn the computer system for recording. so once I succeeded, I felt more confident. Once I started working with clients, I felt more confident in being the person with the knowledge to respond to client queries. As my confidence grew, so did my desire for change or challenge. I had the opportunity to train on the new computer systems of other airlines. When I was studying for the new airline exams, I was eager to learn the systems and how different airline policies worked. Therefore, this moment was my first positive learning experience because 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 return once again to my struggle with CAO. At work, I became anxious about the same recording task because it is a repetitive task. I decided to finally apply to the CAO. At first I didn't tell anyone about it in case I changed my mind. I still had a feeling of fear about the CAO results, so I didn't think too much about what it would be like to start at university. I feared that if I wasn't accepted, that was the best way to cope, to not think so far ahead. When I finally got accepted into DBS, I was very proud of myself. Although starting a new school, changing locations, and finding new friends can be a challenge, I feel like I have done well in all of my life transitions. Although I felt slightly underprepared before the transition from full-time work to full-time university, as I wasn't sure I would find a place. As a result, I felt quite rushed to leave work and start university when I received my place. However, once I got used to the idea of ​​having a more structured week, I felt comfortable with the idea of ​​starting something new. The Desire for Personal Growth When I was starting at Marino College, I was excited and felt like there wasn't much change. from secondary school. When I started at DBS I was extremely nervous, I immediately felt the change in my everyday life. I was comfortable in my old schedule; I knew my role at work and was also close to my colleagues. Starting over as a student reminded me of being back in school, being younger, trying to make friends and find my way. When I started my PLC course it was an expected change in life, I knew I was going to leave secondary school and start higher education. Although it was difficult to decide to return to school, 2015)..