The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has completely obscured the true idea of ​​growth, which means leaving things behind us. ~Gilbert K. Chesterton. I went back to college to improve my life, but with progress comes change and with change you have to be sure you don't lose who you are. I am a non-traditional student with a very busy schedule who returned to school after working for 10 years as a CEO of a large tax company. I returned to college with high expectations and high ideals. I never imagined the changes and personal growth that would occur within me as I progressed in my academic career. Being in college has made me a more goal-oriented and prepared person, as well as improving my time management skills. Being goal-oriented means having the passion, drive, and motivation to carry out an expectation or ideal of or for yourself. This describes who I have become, a goal-oriented person. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to try many things, but I have not always felt like I had to take on a challenge that presented itself to me. As a child, I entered a competition to win a CD player at school; all I had to do was sell the most candy bars. I pulled almost every cute scheme I could think of on my family and friends just to sell candy bars and won my CD player. I had the drive to succeed, but if someone said no, I would stop and move on to the next goal. When it comes to being goal-oriented, college hasn't changed me much in that regard; instead, it fueled that part of me. Being a non-traditional student presented me with many challenges that stimulated my goal-oriented nature and made me more determined than ever. Now if... middle of paper... rather than being the annoying borrower. This preparation has stretched too many aspects of my life. This led me to anticipate situations and predict what I might need before entering a scenario. Since starting college, I have become a much more proactive and prepared person. As you can see, I entered college as an unprepared, semi-goal-oriented person with less than great time management skills. My college experience has brought about a metamorphosis over the past two years that has made a significant difference in the way I handle tasks. I am no longer the type to arrive without preparation, without organization, with only the desire to succeed. I now show up ready to go, fully organized with an iron will to be the best. Although college strengthened my goal-oriented qualities, it also inspired me to significantly improve my organizational and time management skills..