Career Fields for This WonderWoman to Consider

As I am finishing my last communicaitons class, I have been considering new positions where I can use my degree.  One of the things that attracted me to the field of Communications Studies as a major was the large amount of options for careers.  Communications Studies will open the door to opportunities.  Depending on what you would like to focus on, you may consider adding a minor that is a bit more specific.  The following are career fields that interest me.

Human Resources Administrator – The field of communication will open the door to human resources.  This field interests me because I have past experience in the field of human resources.  I enjoyed the people side of the business.  It was interesting to deal with benefits, personnel issues, salary, position descriptions, and other ideas that help to promote employees and to improve morale and company events.  In addition, it is nice to look after the people.  After all they are the reason for the company.  The salary range for a human resources manager is broad and depends on experience and education.  The lower end is around $44,000 and the high end is $77,000.00.  The required credentials are to have a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree.   One can work in the field with minimal experience but should expect to make the lower end of the salary range.  The more experience you have, the more you will make in the field.  Most of the experience will be from working in the field first hand.

Communications Director – The field of communications opens the door to people to work in company communications department.  The communications department is responsible for messages going to the employees and to the press about the company.  They tend to control the company’s website and are vital in protecting the company’s reputation.  I find this field interesting because the position controls the communication within a company and outside the company.  The salary range for this position is $47,000 to $87,000.  The required credentials are to have a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree.   One can work in the field with minimal experience but should expect to make the lower end of the salary range.  The more experience you have, the more you will make in the field.  Most of the experience will be from working in the field first hand.

Media Planner – Media Planners deal with the media and marketing.  They plan on the graphics for brochures and advertisements.  They serve as the middle person between the media and marketing.  The salary range for this position is $35,000 to $47,000.  The required credentials are to have a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree.   One can work in the field with minimal experience but should expect to make the lower end of the salary range.  The more experience you have, the more you will make in the field.  Most of the experience will be from working in the field first hand.

Public Affairs – Communications majors have the opportunity to work in the field of public affairs.  This role creates public service announcements on tv, radio, and for newspapers.  They often partner with staff and the press.  They are similar to the communications department of a company since their role requires them to protect the company and the reputation of the company.  The salary range for this position is $40,000 to $69,000.  The required credentials are to have a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree.   One can work in the field with minimal experience but should expect to make the lower end of the salary range.  The more experience you have, the more you will make in the field.  Most of the experience will be from working in the field first hand.

Technical Writer – Technical writers prepare documents for the media.  They prepare press releases, magazine articles, newspaper articles, technical documents, manuals, etc.  This is interesting because of the amount of writing they do and the amount of detail required to complete a task.  The salary range for this position is $43,000 to $69,000.  The required credentials are to have a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree.   One can work in the field with minimal experience but should expect to make the lower end of the salary range.  The more experience you have, the more you will make in the field.  Most of the experience will be from working in the field first hand.

Resources

N.N.  (2011, March 27). Salaries for Human Resources (HR) Manager Jobs. Retrieved on March 30, 2011 from http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Human_Resources_(HR)_Manager/Salary.


As I close out on this post, I am faced to think of the career field in Communications that will best fit my role as WonderWoman.

The Fictional Character

The fictional character of Wonderwoman is one that inspires me.  She has serious strength and does not allow the real world problems slow her down.  She does not stand alone.  She has Superman in her corner.  She is a member of the Justice League which is an elite club that takes membership seriously.  She is a true friend who takes her role seriously.  During a day, she covers a lot of ground and proves to be succesful.  Other women are jealous of her because of her beauty (inside and outside), her strength, her superhero powers such as flying, and her friendships with others Justice League members such as Superman.  Who doesn't want to be Wonderwoman with all of her amazing characteristics?  As a bonus, she has cool jewerly that she proudly displays for all to see. 

Below is a link to read more about the amazing Wonderwoman and to see why I chose her as my role model. 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.supermanhomepage.com/images/characters/who-images/wonder-woman1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.supermanhomepage.com/comics/who/who-intro.php%3Ftopic%3Dwonder-woman&h=755&w=500&sz=96&tbnid=YKOYpsDoFykuxM:&tbnh=142&tbnw=94&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwonderwoman&zoom=1&q=wonderwoman&hl=en&usg=__6NBMD-Tlk429EQ5j6avVEQCiqXI=&sa=X&ei=ijaRTY-hEuO-0QHnx8jgDg&ved=0CEIQ9QEwCA

Connecting Heros

Think about how different the superhero world was before modern technology.  I am thankful that I am not forced to rely on some super power to communicate with my family, friends, or fans.  Modern technology makes it possible for an ordinary WonderWoman like me to be connected to others at all times of the day or night.  I don't have to sit in a room with my fellow superheros to share a secret message or to plan out a day.  Thanks to the improvement of technology, I can be a true WonderWoman without a lot of extra time being spent on deliverying message.

WonderWoman Strikes Again!  She never stops communicating and keeps her world safe and informed.

Technology Connects the World

My friend's husband is a member of the Army.  He has done his duty to serve our country and to leave his family for a full year.  Now that he is back in the United States, she needs to relocate back to Kentucky to be with her husband.  It is a difficult decision for her to move again.  Thinking about her situation has really made me appreciate how technology connects the world.  I remember how my grandparents kept in touch during the war.  They wrote letters back and forth to each other.  They were forced to patiently wait for a response and to continue to keep the line of communication open.  I read some old letters where my grandfather expressed the desire to hear his bride's voice.  This thought alone makes me appreciate how technology connects the world.  My friend was able to keep in touch with her husband during his deployment thanks to email, Facebook, and Skype.  Her husband was able to see and speak to his children a few times a week which was important for their entire family.  During emergency situations, he was able to make a brief phone call so that he could hear his bride's voice.  Times have changed and so has the technology.  When I consider the benefits of technology in this situation, I am going to say that the technology is an improvement that we can all benefit from and that should not be taken for granted.  One word of caution is that when soldiers are using modern technology, they must keep their mission and confidentiality in mind. 

Just as an added note, I am going to personally rely on this technology to keep in touch with my friend.  I can use Facebook, texting, phone calls and email to keep in touch with her and to encourage her during her move.  She has already expressed that she will be lonely after she moves.  If I can take a few minutes a day to keep connected to her and to encourage her, she will truly benefit.  The road to a friend's house can be as close as we choose to make it.  Thanks to technology, it will still feel like she is here.  I can even see her incredible smile by using the Skype option on our computers.

Below is a link to an article that I recently read regarding soldiers keeping in touch with their families thanks to technology.  They also express the concern about soldiers exposing too much information on the Internet and that soldiers could be let down if the family member is not available at the time the soldier is attempting to contact their loved one.  Enjoy the story.  God bless America, God bless our military who make tremendous sacrifices to protect us on a daily basis and God bless the families who share their soldiers with our country.  They are the true super heros of the world and deserve all the credit.   

http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story/Pros-and-Cons-of-todays-technology-for-soldiers/Hm0SmoVJak2n5uH_tzUjOg.cspx

Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

The following case study was presented for review and consideration.  It is important to consider how to approach the employee presented in the case study and to anticipate the response that the employee may illustrate.  In addition, consider the conflict management techniques that should be used for the situation described.  “You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

            After reading the case study, it is clear that you are dealing with a difficult employee.  It is important to understand why the employee is behaving the way that he is behaving.  Is this employee dealing with a difficult time at home and carrying the load to work?  Is the employee a victim of bullying in the workplace?  If it is possible to determine the root of the problem, this is great because you can quickly begin to address the situation.  If not, as a manager, you must begin to decode the employee and figure out what is going on to cause this behavior. 

Dealing with a difficult employee is not an easy task and the situation can’t be ignored.  Negative situations can become a cancer in the workplace. The bad behavior will not only set a tone in the office but, it can also bring down morale for the other employees which will result in a bad work environment.  Even though the employee’s attitude may be difficult to deal with, the employee still needs to be treated with respect.  Schedule a meeting with the individual and plan to avoid separation from the individual.  “If we are to deal effectively with intractable issues and those with whom we are conflict, we must find a way to diminish the separation between ourselves and others” (Abigail, 2011, p. 269). 

During the meeting, suggest to the employee that his or he behavior is difficult and that the behavior should be considered and addressed.  Be cautious on how you present the information so that the employee does not feel that they are under attack.  It is easy to attack an individual especially if you feel that their behavior is difficult.  Remain calm to avoid unnecessary conflict during the meeting.  Don’t just criticize.  Be prepared to offer suggestions on improving the behavior and to help the employee grow.  Don’t just put the negatives out.  As humans, we need to hear positive things to grow and to want to improve the situation.  Not only should you deliver this message verbally but, plan on putting items in writing.  Schedule a follow-up meeting to check in and see how the employee is doing on the new goals that have been presented.  It is important to show the employee that you are following up on their progress and that you want to see them succeed in the environment. 

Remember to anticipate the employee’s response.  It is hard to hear negative things about ourselves so be prepared for the employee to feel insulted and defensive.  Remain calm and encourage the employee to do the same if you see that they are demonstrating defensive behavior.  Pay attention to your body expressions and to the employee’s.  When you are speaking, sit up tall and be direct.  You want to send a positive message about fixing the negative behavior.  It may be helpful to plan out a variety of scenarios prior to entering the meeting.  Think about if you present example number 1 and then write out the variety of answers that the other member of the conflict could have in response to the suggestions. Finally, during the meeting, “avoid any threatening gestures such as arm waving, pointing, standing up, or making a fist” (Abigail, 2011, p. 37). 

Confronting another individual about their behavior is not an easy task and it should not be taken lightly.  Don’t go running into the situation without preparing first.  Do you research, practice out the situation, schedule the meeting to discuss the behavior and show the individual that you care enough to follow-up.  Schedule a follow-up meeting that shows that you expect action and that you are available to help encourage a behavior change. 

In conclusion, conflict management and addressing poor employee behavior is not an easy task.  Negative behavior can be reversed if it is addressed properly and the employee has a desire to do so.  Schedule a meeting with the employee to discuss the behavior.  Try to find out what the root cause of the behavior is.  When meeting, be aware of your own posture and physical actions.  Offer suggestions to the employee on how to change the behaviors.  Set-up a plan for the employee and schedule a follow-up meeting to check in on the employee’s progress.  If all goes well, you will have a new employee that will inspire the rest of the group. 

 

The Question of Cupcakes

Has anyone tried a Georgetown Cupcake before?  I think that I am a bit obsessed with the company, the sisters and most of all their product.  Is it pssible that those brillant sisters made it big because of creative communication?  I am not sure.  They are true WonderWomen and deserve a serious round of applause.  They took the simple idea of cupcakes and made it so large that there are rumors of cupcake wars.  Other companies have now tried to copy the idea and to create stores just like Georgetown Cupcake.  I am not going to mention their names but I will be honest, they are not competition to Georgetown.  The Queens of Cupcakes deserve all of the credit.  They have a genius marketing department that does an awesome job of selling and promoting the company.  Communication is key to make a company a success.  Not only can communicaiton help to promote a group but it can quickly destroy the company if the communication is negative. It is important that the information remain positive.

I am sure that the real WonderWoman could have a 100 Georgetown Cupcakes without gaining a pound.  This WonderWoman will need to go for a run to help offset her favorite keylime cupcake from the best cupcake spot in the world.

http://www.georgetowncupcake.com/

Below is a link to a paper I wrote about Georgetown Cupcake.  The assignment was to write as if you were writing for a magazine. 

https://docs.google.com/DocAction?action=updoc&hl=en

His and Her Brains

Recently, I have been hearing information about the communication styles of men versus women.  It made me think of how I communicate with my SuperMan.  I highly recommend listening to Mark Gunter on Focus on the Family.  His segment was called His and Her Brains.  He had a great sense of humor.  He discussed how men process information and how women and men link information in different detail.  For example, me keep work separate from home.  Women are different because we connect everything.  Our friends are connected to work and work is connected to home and home is connected to church, etc.  You get the point.  Think about how you communicate with the opposite sex today.  Do you need to adjust your way of thinking and communicating?  Is it possible that you are sharing enough or perhaps you are not sharing enough?  My advice to other Wonder Women is to think about it when you are talking. Don't keep talking when you are walking around. It's hard for your SuperMan to hear what you have to say if you are walking away.

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/popups/media_player.aspx?&FAMILYTYPE=null&Tab=Shows&subcategory=FocusOnTheFamilyDailyBroadcast

Are Teenagers Connected or Less Connected Today?

It has been brought to my attention that teenagers today could actually be considered lonely despite the numerous methods available to them to keep them connected.  There is a part of me that agrees.  Children these days are missing the important part of communication that includes face-to-face communication.  I recently had the privilege to interview a woman who is 98 years old with a super sharp memory.  She commented that people these days are lacking some communication skills that her generation benefited from.  For example, her generation spent time talking to each other in the neighborhood.  Our teenagers use their outside time to text, talk on their mobile phones, or to listen to their Ipods.   They are often too busy with their heads down to take a moment to communicate.  I see this with my son.  He spends time talking to his friends in a text instead of picking up the phone to call them.  Some days it takes him hours to plan for his friend to come over to our house to play games.  The reason is that they must spend a lot of time going back and forth with just a few words at a time.

At the end of the day, I feel that they are more connected to the technology but less connected to each other.

Below is a link to a paper that I wrote on the topic.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A-6rtji054PDBSP2JlJb0JlS5yXSVaUDTbdRLkH5vtg/edit?hl=en#

Twitter

Today was a day filled with preparation for depositions at work and the normal mom stuff such as grocery shopping, doctors visits, and homework. While going from place to place, I had a chance to reflect on ways to quickly share messages with all of my friends and support teams that encourage me when I am feeling tired and weak. I need to be able to reach others to provide the strength needed. I hear about people using Twitter all the time but never considered the value of a media technology that posts just one or two lines until today. Who says that Twitter must be used to express my current feelings? Why can’t I use Twitter as a tool to reach the masses. I could go on and tell the entire soccer team that practice will be on-time at the normal field and that everyone should remember to bring their water. I can use this feature to remind my scouts that they should wear their Class B uniform tonight instead of Class A because we are going to work on a service project for our local American Legion. I can Tweet about how I feel extra super hero strength when I can reach so many people by using my cell phone or computer instead of calling each and every member of our group to share a quick message. I no longer worry about getting the chatty individual on the phone that forgets that I am balancing a lot these days. Twitter is another media technology that I am going to store in my bag of superhero tricks and powers. Just like the entertainment world, I am going to make Twitter work for me. They use this technology as a means of telling their fans where concerts will occur and if they have a new song. I will use it to keep the daily events moving along. As a bonus, I can link my FaceBook and Twitter all together.

Thanks to FaceBook, Twitter, television and texting…..WonderWoman strikes again. She raised her awesome bracelets together, completed many mundane tasks and stayed focused on getting her work complete.

Beware of What You Text

Not all media technology catches the attention of all users. Some reach younger audiences, some reach older audiences, some reach professionals and some of us just find technology to reach us in the manner that is necessary for that moment in time. FaceBook caught the attention of the majority of 13-34 year olds and television captured varied audiences. They are not alone in their super powers. Texting on the mobile phones is a power that many use today. Younger generations hold on to this power more than they do the words that fall from their mouths. They would prefer to quickly pound out a variety of acronyms on their phone keypads then to dial the digits and press the “talk” button. They seem to find more power in the three letter acronyms than they do in the long winded conversation. Knowing this, I am able to accept support from my son. He will quickly send me reminders on my cell phone during the day or a quick “THX Mom” or “U R doing gr8.” Those simple combinations of letters and words are far from meeting grammatical approval but they are words that mean the world to me as the WonderWoman who needs encouragement from her family while using the various modern technologies that are available at her fingertips. I can’t help to wonder if I did not have children if I would ever be exposed to the wild world of texting. I must extend one warning. Beware of using acronyms if you don’t know what they are because one wrong letter can end up expressing the wrong ideas. Trust me, I made that mistake once and still get flushed in the face when I think about it. 

Television

Staying on topic of keeping a goal and finding tools and support to reach a goal, I am going to recommend that the television be used as a means of reaching your goal. Television is another media technology that has been around since the early 1930s and has been used as a means of communicating to people of all ages. The television can be used to provide pure entertainment at the end of the day when your inner WonderWoman is tired but unable to just fall asleep. The television can keep you informed of daily news, events, and the weather to plan for the upcoming days. In addition, the television can be used to provide additional shows or programs that can enhance your topics for school papers. By using the television, you can check the weather to find out that it might be raining in the morning which will make it difficult to train for your upcoming 5k, which is a goal for WonderWoman in the year 2011. By being creative, you can scroll through the various available channels until you find an exercise program that can provide the indoor training necessary to stay on task. It’s important to stop and think about the media technology that is available at our fingertips. Remember that they are tools that can be used for a purpose such as reaching a goal or just be used for a daily task that is required to be done. Reach in your inner superhero soul and figure out what super strength (a.k.a. media technology) you need today in order to fly towards your goal. Based on the amount or rain, thunder and lightning that my area experienced today, the television is my super strength needed to get the required exercise to fly for the day. As a bonus, the exercise provided extended energy to stay up late to complete last minute additions to an assignment due tonight.  WonderWoman strikes again!

Goals

Living a day as WonderWoman can be very tiring. Life is not all fun and games but, it is about setting goals and reaching high to get the medal. I view WonderWoman just as I would Superman. They have a strength that the rest of us wish for and always come out as a winner. I often wonder why we have to live in a make believe world in order to have those powers. Are those of us outside of the super hero world not worthy of the required strength to reach our goals? Of course we are able to do anything that we set our minds to do. There is no task too big or small for us if that is really what we want to do. Today, ,my inner WonderWoman has decided that it is time to focus on my goals. My goals include finishing this class, finishing my degree, getting my Microsoft Office Specialist Certificate for Word and to run a 5k. Some are short term goals while others are long term goals. I am going to dig deep inside and pull out strength and wisdom to stay focused and to push forward to the finish line. It is important to me that I finish strong.

FaceBook

Part of reaching a goal is to figure out how you are going to begin your journey. Personally, I can imagine that the sky is the limit as long as I can build many baby steps toward the top of the ladder. The first baby step is to develop a support system. Thanks to today’s awesome technology, FaceBook is a social technology that is easy to access and free to join. This network does require membership. Once you are a member, you may begin to invite others to view your page by requesting that they become your “friend”. Friends post their personal information, thoughts, pictures, videos, etc. on their own page. Depending on members status, they can view the information and add their own thoughts, pictures and comments. The members / friends can link information and keep each other current on things taking place in their lives. FaceBook should be viewed as a great place to meet others and a great place to seek the required support to reach the ultimate goals. When thinking of the goal of graduating from Ashford University, fellow students can become “friends” on Facebook to offer support and encouragement. Ashford University, like many other business, are also available on Facebook. Since the target age for FaceBook is 13-34, chances are that they will be many other working parents who are seeking the same goal of getting their degree before their children graduate from high school.

“The unfortunate aspect about living life without your own goals is that you may very well reach a point in your life where you will wonder, ‘what would have happened if I had only done…”          Catherine Pulsifer

WonderWoman Strikes Again

Have you ever wondered what that statement means?  I have and now I know.  I am wonder woman and when I strike, I get the job completed.  I spend time organizing not only my life but, my husband and sons' lives as well. 

Today, I left my house at 6:00 am, dropped the kids off at school, worked, did my grocery shopping on my lunch hour, came home with the kids, cooked, dinner, cleaned dishes, read books with my 5 year old and sat down to finish off this blog.  After recaping my day, I can only think of one thing......Wonderwoman strikes again.  She came in, saved the day and got plenty of things completed. 

Power to the woman!