Decision Making Process Essay

It is never easy to make decisions in life, especially life changing decisions. The decision making process is a very difficult process that is used by everyone in one way or another. Some people may alter the decision making process in order to fit their own needs and their own personal circumstances, but there is a model that has been provided in order to show the basic steps. The decision making process model includes six different steps. The first step is to identify and diagnose the issue. After figuring out the issue, then one must figure out alternative solutions to the problem. Before making the choice, one would first evaluate the alternative solutions that have already been suggested. Making the decision is then followed by implementing the solution. Once the solution has been implemented for a little while, the solution must then be evaluated. Choosing a college to attend is one of the most difficult decisions that one could make. For most young people, the decision to attend college is the most important decision they have made thus far (Dolinsky, 2010, p. 62-776). There are costs for the courses, course materials, and other related expenses. There are also issues such as the times of the classes, the courses offered, and the length of time it will take to earn a degree. An individual would have to figure out if the college that they are looking in to is the right choice for them. When debating with myself to attend college, I had a lot to think about, as do others. First I had to figure out if I truly wanted to attend college. With a son, I needed to make sure I was making the right decision for the both of us. I figured out that going to a traditional college was not for me since I didn’t just have myself to worry about. I was already working full time and being a single mother. So it was a little difficult to even make the decision to further my education. I fought with myself long and hard about this situation and finally determined that going back to school was going to benefit my son more than hurt him, especially with me being a single mother. Studies show that more and more students are taking online classes anyway, so I figured it would be a good idea. I even found out that more than 3. 2 students have taken at least one online class, as of 2005 (More Students Are Learning Online, Report Says, P. 32). After I had decided to attend college, I needed to figure out which college or university would fit my needs the best. To find the right college of nearly 4,000 choices, you have to really know what you want, and then carefully weigh out what schools have to offer (Fitzgerald, N, p. 10). I had to do a lot of research into each university that I had available to me. As I previously stated, I could not attend a traditional college as I had little to no time to leave my house. I also needed to determine which university had the degree in which I wanted to obtain, which was my associates in accounting. Then I needed to figure out which university was more cost effective. I needed to ask questions like how much did they charge per credit hour? Were their materials included in with the price? What type of materials was required? There was so much information that I needed to obtain to set my heart on one university. I believe that my thought process in making my decision is a little bit similar to the one that was provided for us. I had to figure out the issue, in which was determining that I wanted to attend college. Then I needed to make a plan to figure out which college would be right for me. This step had a lot of different options. That’s when I needed to evaluate the different options and make my decision. I then chose the University of Phoenix. I gave my choice a chance and earned my associates degree. I evaluated my decision and decided to go back for my bachelor’s degree!