Military Science and Management

Individualized Studies: Military Studies and Business Management. I am pursuing a Bachelors of Science Degree with a concentration on Individual Studies. I chose this degree because it allows students to combine professional studies with liberal arts and science into a cohesive course of study, and because I can create a course of study which relates quite closely to my field, and my career goals for the future.

This course of study combines the technical aspects of logistics with business management, and relies on the experiences I have already gained working for the Department of Defense (DOD) in logistics. What do Military Studies and Business Management involve? Certainly, this course of study involves critical thinking, leadership, management techniques, and organizational behavior, which are all classes leading up to my degree.

I have already completed Critical Thinking, Introduction to Business, Organizational Behavior, National Security Affairs, Leadership Management, Management Technology, Information Management, Personnel Supervision, and Supply Management, and each of these classes has given me useful and valid knowledge I can use every day on the job. My job entails detailed logistical planning, and much of what I do is highly classified.

National Security Affairs and Critical Thinking both gave me tools to manage my logistical planning more effectively, while dealing with the everyday problem of keeping what I do effectively secret and secure. These are highly important considerations not only for my area, but for the Department in general, and learning new ways of managing my time effectively has not only helped me in my career, it has helped me manage my time between classes, study, and work.

While I cannot go into great detail about my career demands, and how these classes have enhanced them, I can say that my career goals are more defined as a result of my studies so far, and my career has certainly become more focused, more effective, and more successful as a result of the classes I have completed so far. Because my goal is to move into a management position, the classes on management have been especially interesting and useful to me.

I have been able to put them into good use on my level as I deal with my co-workers and colleagues, and in addition, I have been able to see my managers effectively use some of the tools I have recently learned. I can see that the management techniques from these classes apply to all levels of my career, and as I move up from my current position, I will be able to utilize nearly all of them on a day-to-day basis.

For example, the next step up from my current position includes the management of positions like mine, and I do not currently manage any other employees. I have found the management techniques in Leadership Management and Management Technology to be especially enlightening and applicable to my situation because I am not currently involved in management. They have made me more aware of how I deal with others in my department and outside vendors, and made me see how critical good management is to the success of an organization.

The manager I work for is quite concerned with good management techniques - especially open communication throughout our department - and I recognize the management techniques he uses to get us to keep dialogues open and still maintain the professionalism and security that is required. It is clear my manager has studied the techniques of effective management and communication, and this helps make me more aware of what techniques I will use when I move into a management position.

I do not want to "become" my manager, I would like to develop my own style and technique, but I do recognize what works and what does not, and think I can use this knowledge quite effectively as I move up in my career. Working for the military can sometimes be frustrating because of the "red tape" involved in decisions and daily activities, and in my field, it is especially difficult because of the security involved in what we do.

The military aspects of my coursework help me understand a little bit more of the importance of the different levels of security, as well as the need for our work to make it through all the proper channels. Since the Department of Defense is such an integral part of national security, the military science classes I have taken make the nation's security grid more real to me, and much more meaningful.

It is interesting to note what the public perceives about our national security is only one tiny aspect of a very detailed and masterfully planned network of security and safety. They might see the mistakes or missteps we make, but they rarely see the results of.