Essay Example on Life Is Made Up of Decisions

A decision describes a resolution that an individual arrives at after a thoughtful process of weighing the various available choices. It involves the process that leads to one choosing an option that seems to be more viable; in terms of the probable consequences that follow the course of action that one prefers, with reference to Klein et al. There are many instances when we are called upon to decide on what we would like to do, whereby there is a wide variety of options; each with its own consequences. Thus, we need to evaluate all the available options; in terms of their likely benefits as well as inconveniences which they may cause when one decides to undertake a given choice. Critical thinking and analysis of situations is needed in any decision-making process; which minimizes the likelihood of arriving at a decision that one might regret in the long run. We make decisions every day; which differ in terms of the magnitude of their effect on our lives. In this case, there is a description of a decision that I made; which has had a long-lasting effect on my life.

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As a student, the day to day environment in which we live is characterized by the fact that one is always called upon to choose one course of action over another. This is because of the level of freedom that we have; as well as an array of options from which we have to choose. In this case, I had a chance to work in a middle-sized organization, at the expense of continuing with my studies. It was during one of the holidays; when I was out of school, so I was working in the organization for the better part of the holiday. Towards the end of the time that I was meant to serve, I was approached by my department head, with an offer for me. I was to work in the organization permanently, have a salary increment and have access to more working knowledge that relates to my profession. This was a chance I had always waited for, to put all that I had learned in class to practice, as well as having a chance to advance my career. I asked for a short time so that I could weigh my options and give him my feedback.

The following week, after analyzing the situation, I decided to go back to school, so that I complete my studies which I told my department head. He appreciated my feedback and I was free to go back to school, despite the fact that I had a good chance to do what I loved in the organization. This was one of the times my decision-making ability was put to test; because all the options available would make sense when chosen. However, to me, continuing with my education was much more viable as compared to working due to various reasons. First, in any profession, education and the related certification is of great significance when it comes to career growth and competence. If I decided to work without first attaining the professional qualification, it would hinder the growth of my career later; which would limit my growth. Moreover, if I chose to work and the department head was replaced with another, my capacity to serve in that role would have been questioned as I did not have the academic qualifications yet.

In addition to that, my parents had invested a lot of resources to see me through school, thus abandoning my education would serve as a waste of all their investment in me. In my family, I have siblings, who look up to me as a source of motivation in very many ways; if I dropped out of school, they would be tempted to follow my path too; which in most cases is never a viable option. On the other side, the only positive was advancing my career; which I would have a chance to do after school. Moreover, I had the option of volunteering in any other organization so that I could work over the weekends or during my free time, attain more skills and at the same time, be in school. Upon that evaluation of all options, I was sure that staying in school was a better option than working.

According to Gary et al. decision making is characterized by uncertainty, ill-structured outcomes, competing goals and high stakes; which is similar to my situation. It is up to the decision-maker to undertake a critical evaluation of all the components of a situation and make sure that the result has more positive attributes than the negative. In my case, there were more positive outcomes associated with staying in school than working; which enabled me to have an informed decision. If a decision made is associated with a lot of uncertainty or more undesirable outcomes, then it is more likely that it was the wrong choice taken. Thus, in my case, I was contented with my decision as over time, it has proved to be the best choice I made at that time.

References

Klein, Gary A., et al. "Decision making in action: Models and methods." This book is an outcome of a workshop held in Dayton, OH, Sep 25-27, 1989.. Ablex Publishing, 1993.

Eisenhardt, Kathleen M., and Mark J. Zbaracki. "Strategic decision making." Strategic management journal 13.S2 (1992): 17-37.