MyLifeMyCareer.com

Are you able to remember facts, figures, and concepts over a fifteen week period, and spit that information back out in a 60-90 minute exam? Can you handle a deadline and stressful situation? Can you multi-task and plan accordingly during the week to put forth the correct amount of effort at the right times in order to pass the tests with flying colors? Are you more intelligent than the students sitting next to you in a cramped auditorium filling out bubbles on a scantron sheet?

To me, final exams were all part of the four year cumulative test to see how dedicated you are to learning, succeeding within the boundaries and forms of measurement in place, and proving that you can repeat the process within a company after college. The problem with certain final exams is that they simply measure your ability to memorize information - and they don't care if you cram for two straight days, pass the test, and forget it right after the final.

The best classes, the classes where you actually learn, and retain knowledge that will benefit you in the long-term are the classes where you have to learn and memorize the facts and content. Your assignments and tests are not simply a question of "What is this, What is that, Is it one of these four options?". The best professors and courses are the ones where they make you apply the knowledge gained to an applicable scenario and problem-solving exercise. These classes are easy to identify because the final is usually some type of project or case study, or a few questions that require essay type responses.

Multiple choice tests and final exams only prove that you are able to pump and dump information in an exercise of short term memory retention. The "application" rather than "memorization" courses/exams are the ones that prove if you are capable of succeeding after college.

Hint: Application-style course are the ones you should attend and devote time to. Memorization style courses are usually common in the gen ed course catalog which you are required to take. These are the classes which you should attend, but take a laptop and invest in stocks or sell stuff on eBay or Facebook marketplace to make some money. Nine times out of ten you probably could've done less work to get an "A" in these types of courses.

Those who have joined the corporation of your choice know all about the quarterly or annual review. I feel that I get good feedback every week from not only my managers and co-workers, but also from my clients. The actual review that is filed basically summarizes all of the action from the entire year. This is all good information if completed honestly and with a little effort, so I actually enjoy finding out what I did right, what I did wrong, and where I can improve.

The one flaw in these reviews is that they do not really take into account your personal growth, opinion of the company, and view of your career. I don't know if it is just the end of the year spurring this or not, but I have been reflecting on where I am at in life and my career. Here's some of the questions that I have posed to myself:

1. Above all, are you 100% satisfied with work and life? (If no, explain what could be improved or changed to cause an increase in overall happiness. If yes, you are either the Dali Lama or just a dirty liar.)

7. What do you hope to accomplish next in life? Can you do that in your current position and location?

Some of these are hard-hitting questions, but it's good to reflect and consider how your current situation compares to where you thought you would be or where you would like to be. Answering these questions honestly will probably leave you thinking that your current situation is not the greatest, and wishing that you had accomplished more in the past year. Maybe it will spur you to try something new, change it up a bit, or improve in your current position? It could also just turn into another new year's resolution that you don't keep. It's your call, take it or leave it.