What are your fundamental objectives in the context of renting an apartment while attending college? what are your means objectives? create a fundamental-objectives hierarchy and a means-objectives network?

Fundamental objectives are the things that we ultimately want to achieve. Means objectives are our avenues to achieving fundamental objectives. In the context of renting an apartment while in college, our fundamental objective could be: graduate from college. Our fundamental objective may also be (and usually is) even greater: Let's say "Get a job at IBM".

In the example of the goal to work at IBM, graduating from college is actually a means objective, since it is not a destination in itself, but a vehicle toward employment at IBM.

In this context, lower-tier means objectives could be:

-Graduate from college

-Get good grades

-be happy in your living situation

-manage money responsibly so it doesn't distract from school.

The last two means objectives (toward getting good grades) can be pursued by obtaining affordable, pleasant housing.

In the context of your fundamental objective (what all these decisions and goals are ultimately for) renting a cheap, nice apartment ultimately accomplishes the lower-level means objectives that move you towards good grades, which moves you toward a successful graduation which moves you toward employment at IBM.

As you may have noticed, the fundamental / means objective hierarchy can always move up. Imagine that your fundamental objective is actually "marry a guy who likes women who work at IBM" A strange example, but "work at IBM" is now a means objective toward your ideal IBM-loving man, with all the previously discussed means objectives still relevant to your fundamental objective (still need good grades to graduate, in order to work at IBM, in order to meet Mr. Right)