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HSFPP Update # 221 — Mindless Thinking vs. Mindful Thinking (SMART Goals, Part 2)

Message from Flashman: This week’s update is a continuation of Update # 220, which began our discussion of SMART goals. We continued the same theme last week with a video lesson on life goals from UK Extension’s Universe of PossibilitiesTM series. So very often people go through life without really thinking about what they’re doing. This isn’t a good way to live, and it will not get you anywhere. As educators, it is important that we get young people thinking. They need to think about the world and their place in it and find things that they really want to do for themselves and for others. Financial goals are an important part of this. As we have said before, it’s much harder to achieve personal goals and to help others if you don’t have your own financial house in order.

 

Message from Janet Marks: In the previous update, I shared with teens about how they can set their own SMART goals to achieve what they want in life. This time, I tell the rest of my story. As you can tell, I have had a roundabout journey, going back and forth between education and work, as I tried to provide for my kids and do what was best for them and for me. It will be much easier for teens if they get their education and training first, and then move on to work and family. This isn’t always possible, though, as many students will have trouble paying for higher education or might not be ready for it yet. Some might prefer to begin working first and then go back to school when they are more serious and know more about what they want to do; and this isn’t a bad path to take. Other teens will make mistakes and mindless thinking will take them for a long detour like it did with me. But teens need to learn never to give up on school or on themselves. Teach them to do right for themselves and for those who are close to them and, even when they mess up, they will learn to right themselves eventually. Life isn’t won by those who are perfect, but by those who learn from their mistakes.

 

Note to Educators in Kentucky:

This week’s update relates to the following academic expectations.

Academic Expectation 2.13
Students understand and appropriately use statistics and probability.
Unit 2-6

Academic Expectation 2.36
Students use strategies for choosing and preparing for a career.
Unit 7

Academic Expectation 2.37
Students demonstrate skills and work habits that lead to success in future schooling and work.
Unit 7

Academic Expectation 3.1
Students demonstrate positive growth in self-concept through appropriate tasks or projects.
Unit 1-7

 

Web Site Pick of the Week:

http://www.themint.org/kids/spending.html

This Web site helps teenagers understand the importance of learning how to budget their money and how to live on a reasonable budget.

 

In the New$... A Roundabout Path in Education and Work: One Person’s Story

by Janet Marks, Family Studies graduate student at the University of Kentucky

After graduating high school in 1991, I decided I would go to college and major in biology. I attended the University of Kentucky for two semesters. After the second semester, I decided that college was not for me at that point. I then attended cosmetology school in Louisville, Kentucky, where I obtained a nail technician certification. I worked as a nail technician because I enjoyed what I was doing, but I realized that it didn’t provide me enough money to take care of my daughter. I then began work at Toyota. I continued to work in the mornings as a nail technician and reported to Toyota by 5:15 pm for their second shift. After a year or so, I gave up doing nails because I was making very good money at Toyota; overtime was plentiful and so was the money.

I had never made that much money since I started working and there was no way I would give up that much money to go back to school. After eight long, hard years of manual labor and many injuries from the wear and tear on my body, I was offered a buyout: the opportunity to accept something less than a retirement, long before retirement age, and then work somewhere else. I took the buyout in 2001 and then decided to take time to figure out what was I going to do since I wasn’t making “big bucks” anymore. After reevaluating my situation, I knew that I needed a new career and new financial goals. I also realized that I wasn’t getting any younger and that my decisions not only affected my life, but two others who were depending on me also. At that point I realized that, to be financially secure, I needed to continue my education and obtain a college degree to secure a decent paying job and provide for my family.

I attended Midway College and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management in 2003. I went to work at Kentucky State University in the testing department; then, after a year, I accepted a job at the University of Kentucky as administrative assistant in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling. A professor in that department talked with me about graduate school. Remember that, after having my first child, I never gave up entirely on going back to school. Well, by this time I thought I was through school and would not be going back again. I soon realized that if I wanted to live comfortably and provide well for my daughters, then I was going to have to come up with another game plan. Like I said in Update # 220, this is called mindful thinking.

I completed a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling in 2006. I then decided that I wanted to start on a doctoral degree.  Realizing what my academic interests are, I set new goals for getting where I want to be in five years. 

My goals now include earning my Master’s degree in Family Studies and then moving on to the doctoral program here at the University of Kentucky. You might ask why I need another master’s degree now that I have one. In order to start on the doctoral program I have in mind, I need a master’s in that area. Sometimes in life you have to take a different route than originally planned; but  in the end, you can still be to where you planned to be. This relates back to mindful thinking and having to reevaluate your situation  financially or personally. (And this might sound like a lot of work to most of you, but I’m not suggesting that you do what I’m doing. You should do what you want to do!)

Some other goals I have are to learn money management and to improve my credit. Credit is very important and you should be fully aware of what it means to have good credit; so we will address the subject in future articles In the New$....

It’s worth repeating from last update: when setting your goals, make sure they are ones you can stick with; they must be very important to you, or you will not stick with your plan. Even so, you may find that your experience is closer to mine and your education and career do not take you in a straight line from Point A to Point B. Sometimes it simply takes a while to figure out what you want to do with your life, and you should not feel bad about it. You might end up spending years trying out different careers before you find the right one; this is not at all unusual. Just remember the importance of education and/or training for building a rewarding career  and make SMART goals a priority.

Sources:

“Your financial Plan: Where It All Begins,” NEFE High School Financial Planning Program

Oleson, Mark. (2009, September 17). “Financial Goals,” http://financialtip.blogspot.com/

 

Discussion Questions:

1. Goal setting is not only for financial purposes. What are some of the goals you would like to achieve in your life?
   
   
   
2. Are there any important decisions that you need to make in the near future? How can SMART goals help you with your decisions?
   
   
   
3. What ideas do you have for your career? Do you think your career will require you to go to college, to technical school, or for other training? What plans are you making?
   
   
   
4. If you aren’t sure yet what you want to do in life, what ideas are you exploring? What do you think you could do to figure out what you want to do?
   
   
   
5. Sometimes choosing a career can be as simple as looking at what your personal interests are, what you like to do in your spare time, and looking to see what careers might be available in that area. Does this thought lead you to any promising ideas? Do you see any possibilities that also involve your talents and skills, things you do well or could learn to do well? (Look beyond glamorous occupations, such as movie star or race car driver, as these are not reasonable expectations for most of you. Maybe you like to tinker with cars, but you’re not an unusually good driver; auto racing is out, so what about training to become a mechanic?)
   
   
   
6. For those of you who are academically inclined, what are your favorite subjects? What colleges or universities could you apply for to study those subjects? And what careers could those subjects prepare you for? (If you haven’t already begun to research the possibilities, do so now. And, for the moment, don’t worry about whether you think you can afford college, as there are ways to pay for school that you might not be aware of yet.)

 

Activity for Students:

Click on the following link:
http://www.themint.org/kids/spending.html

Look at the menu at the top of the page. On the right side of the menu, click on “try it”. This section will teach you all about yourself and your spending habits. Be sure to click on each link and use these tips for your activity. Print your answers and bring to the next meeting.

Probably the most important of these activities for you right now is, “What type of spender are you?” Before you do anything else on your finances, you need to know your spending habits. Where is your money going right now? Are you saving for big-ticket items such as a car, or are you nickel-and-diming yourself to death? (It’s easy to buy snacks regularly and not realize where your money is going.)

 

Kentucky High School Financial Planning Program

http://www.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/hsfp

The purpose of the HSFPP financial updates, video lessons, and Web site is to assist county Extension agents, credit union educators, high school teachers, and parents who home school their teenagers so that they may improve the economic well-being of our teenagers; and also to show educators how the HSFPP, updates, and video lessons meet Kentucky core concepts. The Web site, updates, and video lessons are provided by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, and are free to all educators. The list of core concepts and order form for free program materials including the student guide and instructors manual can be found on the Kentucky HSFPP home page.

If you are not already on our listserv:

The video lessons are available only to members of our listserv and will not be posted to the HSFPP Web site because of the timeliness of the information. If you would like to receive our video lessons, which are sent to our listserv biweekly, on alternate weeks from these updates, please sign up at the following page of our Web site: http://www.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/HSFP/response.htm.

The use of any trade names or products does in no way constitute a recommendation for this product.