Page 84 - Keys To Community College Success

Achieving academic goals requires focus. It helps to find a place to work
that has the materials and technology you need and offers minimal distractions.

revisit RISK AND REWARD

What happened to Sarah? Compelled to find a way out might you risk trying out at
of her combination of depression and severe social your school? It can be chal-
anxiety, Sarah took the risk to reach out for help. She lenging to connect with oth-
went to her college’s counseling center and saw both ers, and sometimes it takes
l
a counselor and a psychologist, both in one-on-one a ittle push to get moving
settings. Through these conversations she realized that in a direction that could bring
she had emotional damage from her cancer experi- great reward. Set a SMART goal to find a group,
ence, feelings that had been covered up but were whether therapeutic, social, or goal-oriented, this term.
surfacing as a result of her transition to college. As she Write out your goal in terms of the SMART components
began to feel more comfortable sharing her thoughts, and take action.
she joined an “interpersonal processing group” on
What risk may bring reward beyond your world? Sarah’s
campus—a therapy group focused on working through
idea that she could help others was cemented during
issues together.
a summer internship with LifeBound, a company that
Sarah’s willingness to risk and to expose her vulner-
provides academic and career coaching to high school
ability earned her the reward of greater self-knowledge,
and college students. Observing coaching and being
improvement with her issues, and a bonus: A career
coached one-on-one by a student in a coaching class
direction. “I realized that I wasn’t so different from other
made her even more certain that helping people in a
people, and I want to help people like me with social
one-on-one environment was right for her. Set a goal
anxiety or depression,” she says. She had chosen English
to participate in an internship when you next have an
as a major but had not yet connected it with a career
opportunity. You may want to consult www.intern-
goal. Now she plans to continue her education with a
ships.com for a general overview of what’s possible,
master’s degree in social work.
and then narrow your search to local areas and specific
What does this mean for you? Sarah found trust and careers. Whether you discover the perfect career area
support in the group therapy experience. Initially intimi- or find out an area that doesn’t work out for you, you
dated, she took the risk and now has a community of will have acquired essential information for your path
people that she looks forward to seeing. What group toward fulfillment.

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