Adult development essay

My Life’s Journey When I look back over the experiences in my life I can truly say that I have had one hoecake life. I have had good times that I can always look back and smile on or laugh at and have also had bad times that I can look back and learn from or shed a few tears from. This paper will cover just a handful of the experiences that I have had in my life. I will also be using the adult development theories that I have learned to analyze these experiences and explain how they have affected my life up to now and how they will continue to affect my life as I strive to accomplish mygoalsin the future.

The city I grew up In was fairly small. It was good ole Danville, Virginia. I lived with my mom. She had me at the age of fifteen and was a single mom. She showed me how to be a strong independent woman and not rely on others to do things for me. I have one brother and he Is now twelve and soon to be thirteen. We lived In Danville for thirteen years of my life and then moved about ten minutes away to Flairs, Virginia, which is Just the country part of Danville. I remember changing schools a few times before I went to high school.

When went to high school I was In a new school with no friends since we moved to Flairs the year I started. I had a few cousins there but it was still something I had to adjust to. While In high school I became extremely Interested In one club In particular. DECCA, an association of marketing students, became my second life while in high school. I did not find out about it until my Junior year but as soon as I did I excelled tremendously In It. I was the president of DECCA for my school and then I went on to be elected District President over our school district.

The competitions were so much fun and kept me busy and out of trouble. I learned how to speak in front of large crowds, which is one of my biggest fears, and also how to be In a position of dervish and actually lead in the correct way. In my senior year of high school I had three jobs all at once. I had to help pay for my cap and gown and pretty much everything required for my senior year since my dad did not help at all. My first job was a waitress at a seafood and chicken place called Lobby Hill. Then I was hired at afamilyowned ice cream parlor called Buss’s. This was by far my favorite.

We had the best soft serve Ice cream in town. My third job was an assistant manager at this hip nope clothing store in the mall called Cosmos. This was the most stressful Job I had since it required moreresponsibility. I loved all three of my Jobs. Now I am a Security Forces officer in the USAF. This is not really what I want to be doing forever but the learning experiences I am gaining from it are valuable and appreciated. I made the decision to Join the United States Air Force while completing my senior year of high school. It is by far one of the best decisions I have made in my life.

My first base was Avian Air Base in Italy. Italy was wonderful but working there was a nightmare. I did get to travel too few of the countries Europe. I met the first love of my life there. We dated for a year and when he had to leave we decided to not try he long distance relationship thing. We are still good friends today. I met the second love of my life, the father of my two sons and also my loving husband soon after he left. We now live happily in California and are stationed at Edwards Air Force Base. Another key point I remember about mychildhoodis constantly being in church.

My family is big on going to church and having big Sunday dinners. My grandma and grandpa picked me up for church every week, so there was not a Sunday I did not go to church unless it snowed or something. At church I loved singing in the choir and on the praise team. I would say that I sing quite well. Every Sunday after church my grandma would have this huge dinner cooked and we would all sit at the kitchen table and eat together. Those dinners meant so much to me and any time that I am home she cooks my favorite dishes along with her famous lemon pound cake.

My family was big so whenever the holidays came around huge family gathering were to be expected, especially on Christmas and Thanksgiving. I remember how much fun we all used to have together enjoying each other. There was always so muchfood! We could have probably fed thousands of people if we wanted. Having a family like mine is awesome. They are always there for support and never Judge each other. I can think of so manymemoriesand good times. The goals that I have set for myself hold me too high standard.

My personal goals are centered on my children since everything that I do is for them. The main goal I have personally is to continue to be the best mother to my children. Professionally I would like to continue to grow in the Air Force and move up in the ranks. Since I am not satisfied with my currentcareerfield I plan to retrain into a different one, preferably something medical. Academically I would like to complete my Bachelor’s agree and also my Master’s. I eventually want to become a pediatrician so I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that.

The adult development theory that applies to my life experiences the most is Erik Erosion’s. I feel as though the way I developed had something to do with going through different stages in my life. I agree with him in his belief that both heredity and theenvironmenthave bidirectional influences on development (Witt, 2010). He believed that as we grow we make the past part of all future and every environment as we once experienced it part of the present (Hoarer, 2005). Every experience I have men through in my past has affected my future in some way or another and made me who I am today.