I Reached My First Goal

Currently at ITT Tech our performance is rated by the number of students you sit each quarter. As of July 2011 this will change based on new Department of Education guidelines. I started the end of September so this is the first quarter I am in production working to recruit students. My goal was set to sit 4 students. In the beginning this seemed very unrealistic to me. I used my contacts and recruited 2 people I know to start school. I figured these would be the only people I would have to start class this quarter. Last Thursday I got a new local lead. I called the guy and talked to him for a while. He seemed interested, but not in a rush. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to do. I scheduled his appointment for Monday evening. He came in Monday night. We went through the presentation, picked a program that suited him, he met with financial aid, then told me he needed to wait until March because he was going to have to pay out of pocket. I thought this was odd knowing his situation. I met with the director on Tuesday and found out he was confused. I called the gentleman back and let him know he could go ahead and start now. He said great he'd be in Wednesday night to finish up his paperwork and start his first class. I was excited!

Also on Tuesday I got a new lead right after lunch that was local for a woman. I called and she stated she was requesting information for her son and she had actually called to see where we were located. He was going to come in within the next few hours. I said that would be great. He came in and knew what program he wanted. We completed his paperwork and scheduled his financial aid appointment for the first thing Wednesday morning. I met with him and his mom this morning and completed everything. Both guys attended their first class tonight. In a matter of 3 days I recruited 2 students that I didn't expect to see. I feel blessed that these gentlemen were placed before me and I was able to assist them with starting school. Now I get to watch them reach their educational goals and succeed in their chosen fields of student over the next 2 years. All 4 of the students that I started this quarter are guys. Two are in the same program. None of them know each other, but their paths will cross many times over the the next two years. I cannot wait to see what successes they have over the next two years. They are all smart and will be able to go far as long as they apply themselves.

I know that this is the job for me. Days like today make me happy. This is what I want to do. I want to help people go to school. I want to help people move forward in life and take the path less traveled to better themselves. Risk is a part of life. Sometimes we are too scared to take that risk. I will encourage and support them when others try to break them down. I will remind them of the goals they told me they wanted to accomplish when we first met. Education is what you make it. All of these gentlemen have a different background, a unique history that has made this their time to attend college. I will do everything I can to help them succeed.

Reaching my goal is great, but it's not about my goal. It's about helping people. It's about changing people's lives for the better. I'll succeed by helping others move forward. That is why I took this job. Even when our leads look bad and things seem bad I have to remember why I took the job. I took the job to make a difference. As long as I keep a good attitude I will be successful. That will help me along the way when times seem tough. If I remember to turn things over to God, He will help me to rise above and do my best as He always has.

I found this quote today and think it's very fitting: “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

Thomas Jefferson