What it means to be ethical as it relates to personal, academic, and professional growth
The development of ethical character virtues is very important to personal, academic and professional growth in life. We will realize that self-fulfillment and happiness in life attain our highest potential in work and school, is beneficial for the people around us as well as contributing to the society as a whole, if we can pursue a life of virtue. Being ethical is good for everyone in the human society. Personally, ethics help us to be self-responsible, courageous, integrity, truth and being honest (Lombardo, 2006). Academically, ethics helps to have courage, honesty, integrity in pursuing excellence. In terms of professional growth, ethics helps us to device thinking ideas, discipline and determination, and love for knowledge and optimism.
One ethical dilemma I have encountered and how the issue was resolved.
When I was in high school, I got an opportunity to work for a local grocery store. One day, someone dumped more than four dozen computer monitors near the parking lot. Dumping the computer monitors legally would be very expensive. Therefore, the store manager requested me to wait into darkness and take them to the local Goodwill in order for them to be forced to pay the dumping costs. However, I rejected the idea and contacted the local trash and waste materials services. I notified them about the illegal dumping done on our property. Consequently, they agreed to take them and dump them at no cost.
Describe how my general education courses influenced my ethical values.
While focusing on my general education, there is a key set of virtues and values connected with education. For instance, learning, honesty, thinking, growth, as well as the pursuit of knowledge are the values and virtues that reflect the general standards and goals of my behavior. In addition, the set of values and virtues define what the educators judge as central to my educational process (Lombardo, 2006). Simply, they define my academic excellence as well as the methods of realizing academic excellence. General education attempts to model and teach the key character virtues in my everyday life. Beyond learning particular facts and skills, general education frequently highlights these virtues.
Our society has changed from a manufacturing based economy to a knowledge based economy. In regard to hat, the significance of college education at present can be compared to high education more than 30 years ago (McGuire, 2011). Therefore, a college-educated individual acquires more opportunities as opposed to high graduates. College education acts as a gateway to getting more opportunities and better options especially in the job market.
- Lombardo, T. (2006). The Pursuit of Wisdom and the Future of Education. Creating Global Strategies for Humanity’s Future. Mack, Timothy C. (Ed.) World Future Society
- McGuire, J. (2011). Importance of College Education Why it is important to go to college. Retrieved November 12, 2015 from http://www.collegeview.com/articles/article/importance-of-college-education
