Moving Forward
by Marsha Nelson

In this day and time, the concept of Moving Forward seems like such a far fetched way of attaining one’s dreams, setting one’s goals and just making the best of one’s life in general. For me, growing up in the "Ghetto", requires a strong sense of self-will. This just means that I refuse to become what I see around me everyday, but instead, become what my dreams and aspirations are, being the best, having the best and settling for nothing less than the best. In order for us to do this, we must have focus. This focus should be so strong and immovable that nothing, regardless of what, should or could shift it. We must have purpose, and to achieve this we can use the daily happenings around us as the stepping stones to advance ourselves. The idea of moving forward tends to become frightening, because of the drastic steps we sometimes have to take in order to fulfil our dreams.

Sometimes we have to move away from family and friends and do it on our own, even in the midst of negative criticisms from our peers. However, moving forward into a new century, our career ideas and resources come into focus. We need to know our talents, skills, limitations and also tasks and qualifications associated with the careers we have chosen for ourselves. In this the age of Computer Technology, we must be sure to acquire the skills and know-how to make ourselves indispensable to any institution with which we choose to work, as it is a skill that we can use to our advantage. It is up to us also to advance ourselves and to keep abreast of the changes, happenings (current affairs) and developments in our corner of the world in general. But most of all, we must keep ourselves in the picture as to how our success in moving forward, can and will in many cases depend largely upon us.

In this our island of Jamaica, we need to acquire the necessary tertiary qualifications that will serve to carry us through our existing careers. However, to be effective and capable in responding to the rapid human, technological, economic and organizational changes; we must be committed to lifelong education. In moving forward, lifelong education must go beyond the pursuing of ‘mediocre’ programmes, thus reflecting a commitment to reach out and seize every opportunity that exposes us to highly focused and relevant training. Education and knowledge, are the main devices used to stay on the cutting edge in a fast paced and competitive society like ours. These are competitive advantages of which the universities and business institutions are the key suppliers.

Taking all this into consideration, human resources must be developed in order for the population to have the skills and ability they need to take full advantage of the opportunities as they arise. As our country develops and the world becomes more of a global village, investing in our own resources will better equip our people for the new work possibilities which will arise, making our economy more competitive on the global scene, thus creating greater prospects, economic progress and moving us forward into the next millennium.