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My Journey Through Life Essay When I started college back in 1994 I thought that this will be the last time that I would start my education at a new school, but life did not happen the way that I thought that it would. In this paper I will describe my past life experiences, and analyze my experiences that have made me the person that I am today using the adult development theories from this class. During this paper I will also state how I will look forward to accomplishing my future goals. I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. As I child I grew up around my family owned garage. During this period of my life I saw my families get divided by the power of money. My father and uncle inherited the business when my grandfather passed away. Before when my  grandfather was alive everything was great in life, but ever since he passed everything changed. I saw how my uncle who was the eldest take control of the money, and how he treated my father differently than before. During this time of my life it me that money can change any person no matter who they are even if they are related. As a child growing up I played sports all year long. I played football, basketball, and baseball. Since I was the youngest one in my family I followed my older brother around and his friends. My brother is three years older than myself. I would always play sports with his friends, and it made me a better athlete competing against older kids. All I wanted to do since I was a child was to go out and play sports. Growing up my family took many vacations. My fondest times were when we would go camping all around the United States. During these times I got to see all different parts of the country and it helped us bond as a family. Each time we went on vacation my mother and father would never fight. These vacations were my fondest ones just for that reason that we seemed like the perfect family. Then once we got home my parents seemed to be the exact opposite then when we were on vacation. My dad had problems with his brother at the garage and took out his frustration on my mother. This was like night and day from the family that we were on vacation. Growing up my mother was my most influential person in my life. I remember her playing catch with me when my dad was not around. My mother would always attend my sporting events even though she did not understand any of the games that I played. My mother always told me to never let any person tell you that you cannot do anything in life that it is up to yourself what you choose to accomplish. Growing up I played sports all year long. During the course of the year I had my same coaches for many years and they became like father figures to me. They taught me that playing sports was a privilege that had to be earned. They taught that it did not matter how good you were at sports that if you did not have good grades that you were not allowed to play. Playing sports also instilled in me that you have to trust and respect others, because you cannot do everything yourself. As a student in high school I had many different teachers. I had one teacher Mr. Rice who would be very hard on me when I would make a mistake on my assignments. He would always call me out on my mistakes in front of everyone in class to let me know when I was wrong. Once I completed his  class he pulled me aside and told me that I was one of his best students since I learned from my mistakes and never quit. Growing up my parents made me get a job once I turned sixteen. Even though I played sports all year around my parents told me that not everything in life is giving to you. One of my first jobs was a stock boy at our local grocery store. During this time I had to schedule my work, sports, and school work around my work so I would not fall behind. This was a very important lesson in my life that taught me time management along with responsibilities that come along with growing up as a young adult. Once I left college after two years to become an adult I found a job at my brothers company being a micro-electronics technician. This job helped me move out of my parents’ house and become an adult. I learned some of my most valuable lessons in life. This job taught me that I was responsible for every daily activity. I had to provide my own food all the way down to paying each bill to keep a roof over my head. This was a very important lesson in my life that helped prepare myself for next job. After five years of being a micro-electronics technician I moved to Florida and found a job in the quality assurance field. This was one of my most important jobs that would affect my life. As I have grown into an adult and have integrated what I have learned. The â€Å"universal ethical principles state that ideas about right and wrong come from within after a long period of thinking, reasoning, and integrating what we have learned about life† (Witt Mossler, 2010, CH 3, â€Å"Moral Development†). This job made me realize what I wanted to do in life, and helped me think about what is right and wrong . Before this job the only thing that I cared about was the money. This job gave me satisfaction of what I do on a daily basis. This job did bring me to Florida. I lived in Massachusetts for 26 years until I took my job in the quality field. It was a total culture shook when I moved here. Before this move I was accustomed to my environment in Massachusetts. I realized that things up north move at a faster pace than things in the south. This move was a big culture change for me. This moved helped me grow in many ways than I could have never imagined. I had to learn on how to adapt to different cultures and beliefs that I was not used to. One of the greatest achievements that I have made was moving to Florida and meeting my wife. At the time when I meet her I was unemployed and was running out of money. She brought back hope in my  life and me realize that I have a lot more to offer than just walking around with my head down. Since her belief in me when we got married, I have bought a brand new house, a new truck, and I have more money in my bank account than I have ever before. Meting my wife was one of the best achievements in my life. A few months after getting married to my wife we welcomed our daughter into this world. With her arrival she has taught me many life lessons that I did not have before. She taught me the importance of putting others first. Before her I never thought really about how I could improve upon my life. Since her birth I started to think about finishing my education so I can provide her and my wife with a better life. Going back to school is a very big achievement for me. I would have never thought about going back to school at age thirty eight. But since my daughter was born many of my past thoughts have changed. I realized that I need to set a good example for my daughter. I do not want her growing up thinking why daddy did not finish his degree. By continuing my education this will â€Å"result in employment and wage gains and has a positive influence on continuing education.† (National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, B. A. (2002). As a result of continuing my education my employment opportunities will open up as well as my daughter’s thoughts that you can continue education no matter how old you are. In Conclusion, I have discussed some of my life experiences that have made me the person that I am today. I have broken down some of my key experiences using adult development theories from this class. Finally I have presented my future goals and how I plan on achieving them. The experience and knowledge that I have learned throughout this course will help me as I continue in my journey throughout life. Reference National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, B. A. (2002). The First Five Years: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, 1996-2001. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Witt, G. A., Mossler, R. A. (2010). Adult development and life assessment. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/