Is a Marketing Degree Required for a First Marketing Job?

Marketing graduates need skills that help them compete for jobs in the market. It can be hard for colleges to understand what skills they should be focusing on. A study of content analysis of 250 online person specifications for a range of entry level and early career posts allowed for a better understanding of what is needed in the market (Wellman, 2010). 

-Under half of employers demanded a degree and less than a quarter marketing degrees. 
-Experience is required. 
-Communications, interpersonal relationships, information and communications technology, planning, self-management, decision making and problem solving are needed. 
-Creativity, responsibility, initiative, determination and confidence

Thus a student may not need a marketing degree to obtain their first marketing job. There is no discussion on whether or not that is the case later on in the career. Perhaps a management degree is enough to get started and marketing degrees are needed later on. More importantly, at the entry level organizations are looking for basic business skills and personal attributes. 

Wellman, Neil. (2010). The employability attributes required of new marketing graduates. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 28. 908-930. 10.1108/02634501011086490.

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Pictures of Fort Lancaster in Sheffield TX

Fort Lancaster was an outpost fort in the 1855 but eventually was abandoned in 1861. It was used as an outpost again for a short time, Confederate troops held it for a while, and Native Americans attacked the site. Much of it has disappeared by locals who took the stone to use in their houses and buildings.

The "Sweet Spot" in Cardio Boxing

Training can be too slow or too intense but how you decide to train will determine your outcomes. Yesterday I took a boxing class that was just right. A Muay Thai class I took in the past was way too intense while a few other Kenpo classes I took were way too slow. This boxing class seemed to hit the sweet spot between pushing without overwhelming the body.

What you want is to be challenged but maintain the ability to overcome that challenge. A little stress goes a long way but exhaustion is not good for anyone. You should feel just a touch uncomfortable but not "destroyed" when the class is over.

Too Intense: This occurs when your heart rate is at your maximum (above 85%) and you have a hard time catching your breath. If most of the class is that way then you know it might be too intense of a class or not well designed. There should be periods where you are pushed along with some time to recover. Heart rate goes up and then down for maximum growth.

Too Easy: At times a class may be too easy. You don't feel like your heart is moving and you are almost never out of breath. The class may be more for beginners or people that are just starting their fitness journey. Consider bumping up to a different class or incorporating more intense exercises.

Do Younger Generations Have a Commitment to Democracy?

There are those articles that sort of shock us to think. I was reading an article in the May issue of the Foreign Policy Journal and there was a discussion on the commitment and belief that democracy is a desirable form of government. For Americans over 60% 2/3rds of people believe that democracy is their preferred governmental style while only 1/3rd of younger Americans did.

What? I had to take a double look!

There it was again! Apparently, younger generations have been exposed online to many different forms of government but don't have a real grasp of democracy. The problem is that we are not showing them the power of democracy...we have sort of perverted it within the political process.

While they may know the basics of democracy they have no idea what its like in non-democracies. They are disconnected from founding principles. I guess we should have kept some equivalent to the Pledge of Allegiance.

Democracy was formed in smaller communities and people knew each other and were accountable to each other. Now we are separated by "classism", education, elitism, and large cities that don't allow people to know each other.

In other words, we are separate societies with an elite and those who follow. While this may have been the case since the beginning it is even more obvious and apparent as people with higher skills are not given opportunities reserved for well connected inner circles.

The political process is increasingly being seen as a method of supporting large businesses and investors without concerning oneself with the needs of all Americans. As those companies are capable of moving anywhere they have lost a connection to the American people.

Changing this is difficult. We need a sense of community and accountability. People must have opportunities to succeed and should not be locked out from a better life because they were not born into the equivalent of an "aristocratic family". All members of society should be accountable to each other with values we all agree on. Wealthy democracies persist but we ever have a problem with our global position and wealth we may just become a poor democracy and everything will change. If we are to change the country we need to change the thinking at the top.

The Book On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis-Tips to Successful Strategy

It can be hard to find interesting books on strategy. Most of the ones I read were pretty boring. However, On Grand Strategy, offered some insight into the way people think and what made some leaders successful and other fail. Much of it had to do with their ability to be a fox and a hedgehog.

The fox is a person who changes with the times and uses cues from his environment to make decisions. They are able to see the world as it emerges and make fast paced decisions. They are not always right but they do adjust to the environment.

The hedgehog makes very slow decisions and often gets stuck in a particular way of thinking. They have a hard time adjusting to changes but do have a long-term strategy.

To be the most successful it is necessary for people to have a long-term strategy like the hedgehog but to be able to adjust while keeping those goals in mind like the fox. You don't want to adjust every day and you don't want to never be adjusting.

In today's work environment it is important to ensure that you are able to work to your environment but still stay focused on your goals. Think of a company that must think 10 years down the road but still must deal with day to day changes in their environment. A successful strategy will have a little of both.