Reflective Career Vision Essay for Project Management MBA Program

This essay presents a reflective analysis of a student's career vision, focusing on project management within the Australian context. The student, pursuing an MBA in Project Management, outlines their self-introduction, educational background, and work experience, emphasizing the importance of vocational education and its relevance to the commercial sector. The essay examines the mega trends and challenges in the Australian project management landscape, including the industry's growth and the challenges of racism and ethnocentrism. The student sets forth short-term and long-term career goals, including securing internships and gaining experience, while also highlighting the importance of developing soft skills and ethical values. The essay underscores the significance of honesty, respect, and integrity in the profession, providing a comprehensive overview of the student's aspirations and strategies for achieving a successful career in project management.

Running head: REFLECTIVE: CAREER VISION
REFLECTIVE CAREER VISION
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note

Self- introduction:
I am Pulakit and I have completed my bachelors of vocational training in banking,
insurance and retailing from Punjab University, India. I have also worked as an in-tern in the
cooperative bank of India to sharpen my vocational skills and abilities. I am pursuing MBA in
Project Management from Asia Pacific International College in Australia. Vocational education
can be defined as education that prepares people to work as a technician or in various sectors of
jobs such as trade, entrepreneurship and craft. Vocational education is also known as career
education. As a student from commercial background, vocational education has always been my
first choice as the commercial backgrounds demand for more professional and pragmatism
oriented jobs. As I am a student from a university in India, which is a developing nation, I have
observed that the Indian universities, which had not been much practical oriented, have started
experimenting by introducing new and different kinds of innovative courses in every field that
has changed the outlook of the students in the country. The vocational education that I have
received on banking, insurance and retailing has helped me immensely as India is building new
shopping malls, private and public banks, private and public insurance offices and the like by
giving a plethora of employment opportunities to the youth.
Mega trends and challenges:
Australia is a rich and fertile ground of industries and building enterprises. Australia has
also been prolific in the profession of project management as a post-graduation degree. The
designation of project management has not only become a post in an organization, but also
evolving as an essential skill for a broad range of industries. The profession of project
management is highly regarded as a forefront of corporate change. Projects are the nerve center

of a business enterprise. The projects in a business enterprise bring financial as well as other
opportunities to them. Projects keep the business concerns and enterprises surviving and thriving
in the fierce world of competition in the global as well as local business paradigm. Project
management has also been regarded as a source of innovation and growth, contributing close to
almost 30% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the country Australia (Mays, Marston and
Tomlinson 2016). The country Australia had started providing power, prestige and publicity of
the profession Project Management from as early as 1950s. The country Australia is offering
seventy six different project management courses to its national and international students. The
Labor market of Australia has provided a dime-a- dozen of opportunities to the new and creative
project management experts to exhibit his or her talent in the business arena of the country. The
nation has built the first ever institute of Project Management with the name of Australian hub-
Project Managers Forum in order to provide platform and panels for the upcoming project
management experts as early as the year 1950. With over 570 000 individuals nationally, the
Australian market is a highly skilled and growing area. Australia not only does offer post
graduate courses in project management, but also approve and provide her students with
vocational courses on project management and business project management. Therefore, it can
be said that the Australian market is prolific and ever evolving in case of the industry of project
management to survive and thrive in the market. The designation of a project manager is a highly
esteemed job in the Australian market. However, there are certain challenges in the Australian
market of project management that are faced by the project managers and officers in a daily basis
and everyday. The most pressing problem in the field of Project management in the Australian
labor market is that of racism, ethnocentrism and prejudices. As it is known all over the world
that Australia is a country with diversified ethnic groups and population, the country has also

faced numerous problems regarding its diversity issues. The Australian Project management
department of the Australian firms and other business concerns had shown racial prejudices and
ethnocentrism in their attitude towards the marginal sections of the society of Australia,
including the Torres Strait Islanders, who are the aboriginal people of Australia. White
supremacy and racism is a common phenomenon in Australia and the aboriginal people of
Australia face a myriads of hardships to cope themselves up with the European origin
Australians and the mainstream population, even in schools, colleges, universities, workplace
and public service institutions (such as hospitals and banks) (Rudge 2016). The Racial
Discrimination Act 1975 which was passed by the Australian government during the time of
Whitlam claimed racial discrimination to be unlawful in the areas such as workplace and schools
all over Australia (Ozdowski 2013). The project managers and officers in Australia is already
known to have facing certain basic internal problems, such as racial prejudices, ethnocentrism
and racist slurs which has most of the time, has been escalated to lack of proper communication
within the department where the projects are going to be held and executed. Such areas need an
immediate attention and improvement.
Goals:
As a post graduate student of Project Management from a reputed university like Asia
Pacific University, I have my future plans of becoming a successful business project manager in
a reputed business concern in Australia and/ or New Zealand. As a management student, I
staunchly believe that I have all parts of becoming a manager. The four golden qualities for a
manager, namely, Planning, Organizing, Leadership and Control are the areas where I have my
core competency. Therefore, I believe that I can be a successful manager and provide the best
ever service to the organization I choose or get the opportunity to work for. The aim of my

professional life is to become a commendable and successful business project manager. As I a
excellent in communication skills, analytical abilities and sharp deducing abilities, I would be
able to position myself best in the respective field. The aim of my career is to not only secure a
high salary job but also to prove myself that I am capable enough for the respective field that I
chose. As I feel that I am confident enough regarding the profession I chose, I would also search
for better opportunities within the organization where I would be placed as a project manager.
For example, I might enter into any organization as a project manager but I would always try for
getting into higher position by finding opportunities inside the organization where I would work,
such as the designations being that of a project analyst, project strategist or a project coordinator.
Undertaking different projects in different fields and areas of business has always excited me. I
am absolutely confident of the part that with the help of proper guidance, training and work
experience, in the next ten years of my professional life, I would be able to place myself in a
better position in the arena of career and occupation. Even though I know that the task of project
management is cumbersome and requires a lot of effort, efficiency, patience, decision making
skills and leadership skills, nevertheless, I still believe that I possess all such necessary skills in
order to achieve my objectives (both long term and short term) in the arena of project
management. The enumeration of my short term and long term objectives or professional goals is
given hereafter.
Long term objectives:
1. To begin with a nine month or six month internship program from any reputed internship
concerns or any start- up or authenticated business concern so that I am able to acquire
the necessary internship certificate that might enhance my bio- data for professional
purpose. After the internship gets completed, I should be able to understand and carry out

my tasks with utmost diligence and better efficiency and effectiveness. I would be
choosing a start- up or a middle run company in the Australian market because they
might be dealing with a dime-a-dozen new, innovative and creative projects, which are
also some of my areas of interest.
2. After successfully completing my internship program in the respective concern that I
might be choosing, I would like to work in a semi- reputed or a reputed organization as a
fresher in the designation of an assistant project manager or a project manager for almost
one or two years to get the required experience certificate of the respective company. The
experience certificate of the respective company would enhance my bio- data even more
and make my professional background stronger than what I am right now. I have plans to
acquire at least two internship certificates and one experience certificate of a reputed
company which would be my aim for the next three years of my professional life.
Short term goals
1. To provide my resume or bio- data in all the authentic and authorized employment
exchange offices and websites that provide jobs and employments.
2. The resume or the bio- data should be verified by the experts in the job industry or labor
industry. Therefore, in order to do so, I need to get in contact with the Australian labor
organizations or browse through the internet to find out how to make the best curriculum
vitae that might attract the employers.
3. To sharpen my soft skills, which are also called life saving skills, such as decision
making skills, mindfulness skills and other skills such as patience and communication,
grooming, as well as other professional and occupational skills in order to see myself to
be in a position where I would be confident and honest enough to attend the main

interviews in the main and big organizations and be posted as a successful project
manager.
4. Sharpen and enhance the communication skills which I already have. Even though I
believe that I have exceptionally well communication skills, I need to test or examine my
communication skills in order to understand where am I standing. By attending
communication classes and carrying out pragmatic communication tasks in any institute
or the institute where I am studying right now, I would be able to acknowledge and
understand my capabilities in various areas of communication and therefore, take steps
accordingly.
5. Start writing a journal or a To- do list where I would not only list down the needed tasks
which I would be doing throughout the day or week or month, but also a record of my
tasks and its outcomes in order to understand how far am I going in my professional life
and where do I stand in my career or in my disposition. Such journals would then help me
to rectify my faults in the near future and therefore, enhance my abilities and sharpness
towards my work.
6. To make myself physically and mentally strong. In order to do so, I I need to get into a
healthy dietary pattern with proper regime or regimen for exercise along with breathing
exercises, yoga and meditative exercises such as Buddhist mindfulness meditation or
Yogic meditation so that I am able to focus on my work and concentrate on my
profession even more than what is expected from me.
Ethics and professional values
Professional or corporate standards of behavior expected from the professionals in
organizational settings are called ethics and professional values (Phillips 2013). A project

manager is supposed to have certain basic corporate and professional values when he or she is
appointed by an organization and he or she has to abide by the set of rules and standards laid by
the organization strictly. Any breach of the rules and laws of corporate ethics and professional
values might lead to suspension and even termination of the respective employee, according to
the Australian standards of professionalism and corporate ethics. As an upcoming and aspiring
project manager, I strictly believe and religiously follow the fact that honesty, respect, integrity
and honor are the most important parameters for becoming a good project manager in any
organization, no matter whatever the shape and size of the organization be, be it big or small,
international, national or local. As a project manager, the ethics and professional responsibilities
that I am planning to take in my profession are described precisely hereafter.
1. Being a project manager, I would always uphold the idea that the success and the failure
of the respective projects that I might undertake would be completely responsible upon
me. I would take the responsibility as well as accountability of the fruits of the labor
which I provide in the project.
2. The most important code of conduct for a project manager in an organization is being
respectful to others and everyone and providing high regards to all the people involved in
the project and management department. I, as a project manager, would be displaying
such strong ethical values and moral instincts through my disposition, mannerism and
code of conduct.
3. Fostering excellence through mutual respect and affection is the third most important
ethics that I would follow as a project manager in an organization. Practicing fairness,
being impartial and unprejudiced will be the last ethics that I would like to follow to be a
successful project manager in any organization I enter in my professional life.

Competency Assessment
I am confident about my managerial competencies, which indicates to me that I can be a
good leader as I possess leadership qualities in me from my birth. Since my undergraduate
program days, I had been convinced that the jobs or professions that demand leadership abilities
and qualities are the best jobs for me. I had always been creative, innovative, adventurous and
experimental in my attitude and my professional and academic interests.
According to the five stages of competencies as stated by Dato (2014) in competency metrix, my
competencies are enumerated hereafter:
1. Stage 1: Unconscious incompetence: during my adolescence, I had been blissfully
unaware of my core competencies of possessing leadership qualities and
communicational skills because I was not matured enough to understand them.
2. Stage 2: Conscious incompetence: my under graduate program proved me to be having
lack of attention, lack of patience and compassion.
3. Stage 3: Conscious competence: I am convinced of the fact that I am a good leader as
well as a good communicator; therefore, Project Management is best for me.
4. Stage 4: Unconscious competence: I am a good coordinator as well but I never realized
that it could have been kept under a competency.
5. Stage 5: Shared competence: As I am a born leader, I can feel that leadership qualities are
of utmost importance for the development of an individual in managerial profession.
Therefore, I have always preached, practiced and given tips about how to acquire great
leadership abilities apart from the communication skills I have to other students.

Sr. No Competency Explanation
1. Communication skills Core competency in
verbal, written as well
as body language
communication,
interpersonal
communication
2. Leadership skills Different kinds of
leadership skills, good
oratory and
manipulative skills
3. Lack of mindfulness Lack of attention,
patience and
compassion. Getting
angry easily. Plans to
start mindfulness
thinking and
meditation in order to
cope up with such
challenges.
4. Adventurous Experimental,,
creative, innovative,

unconventional and
madcap.
5. Coordination Commendable skills
in organizational and
managerial
coordination.
SWOT Analysis of competencies and improvement measures
Strengths
1. A born leader.
2. Excellent competency in coordination.
3. Excellent communication skills
4. Physically fit and mentally sound.
Weaknesses
1. Lack of empathy
2. Lack of patience and perseverance
3. Lack of mindfulness habit
Opportunities
1. Enhancement of communication skills
by entering into communication
enhancement programs and classes
2. Enhancement of professional skills by
getting into master classes in IT and
other technical areas.
Threats
1. Excessive attending of such programs
2. With lack of empathy and patience, the
subordinates might find it difficult to
work with me.
3. Wastage of time.

3. Enhancement of soft skills by attending
mindfulness classes
7.