Various feelings and thoughts swell up inside me as I put the finishing touch to my e-portfolio in this reflection section. It has been extremely difficult for me to put together my first e-portfolio as I have no prior experience doing this and being a person of few words, baring my feelings and thoughts in a public domain poses some discomfort at the beginning. A resume is mainly a factual direct document that tells its readers the eseential information of an individual. An e-portfolio is more than a resume in that it is supposed to inject life and vigor in the way an individual presents his experience, qualifications, and skills. If a resume is a photograph, an e-portfolio would be a video.
Despite all these difficulties in constructing and drafting our my thoughts, I thought that it is most important that I approach this e-portfolio as truthful to myself as possible, to evaluate what I have done earnestly, and to share my side of my story to appeal to readers of all groups. As a result, I am happy to tell my readers that I had a slow start academically but with sheer determination and perseverance, managed to catch up in terms of my academic qualifications with my current coursework with ECU so as to fulfill my objective of achieving a Bachelor Degree in Psychology while being classified as a mature student. Determination is an important underlying strength of humans. Determination has inspired and steered me to pursue my goals relentlessly and hopefully to land the job that I desire. This is the same quality that I see with the less privileged which I work with closely in my volunteer jobs that motivates them to improve on their own lives. I have also learned that life is a constant journey of continual improvement. Successful completion of my coursework in Psychology is not the end but rather the start of my professional journey. I understand that I have to continue to look for professional courses to stay updated and in time to come I may even consider embarking on a Masters Degree program in Psychology. While academic qualifications are important to ensure that we have a good theoretical background, I am also adamant that hands on experience and exposure via volunteerism is also crucial in the holistic development of a psychology professional. As a result, I have taken pains to highlight my contributions via volunteering and how proud I am to be able to help the needy in the simplest way.
On hindsight, I could have done some things differently. This included the fact that I should have paid more attention to my studies when I was younger so that I could have graduated earlier. By starting earlier, I would be able to contribute quicker and so make a difference earlier. The concept of e-portfolio could be introduced into our local education system especially in the secondary schools so that students could have exposure much earlier to their own personal development planning. By nature, I am a person that likes to travel and immerse myself in different cultures. I have managed to travel to many countries thus far, including USA, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Holland, Japan, Korea, Australia, Hong Kong, etc. But I have never managed to stay in any of these places for a sustained period of more than 1 month. I would have loved to be able to study or work overseas so that I can accumulate life experience elsewhere. This may still be possible if can get into an overseas Masters Degree program but this is probably something that I will consider more than 5 years later.
