When traditionalist women were of college age, they were not allowed to attend institutes of higher learning. Some wanted to, but like having their own patents, credit cards, or the right to vote, it simply wasn’t allowed. Women fought long and hard and eventually were granted these rights. Today the number of women attending college is greater than the number of men seeking higher education.
The Baby Boomer generation also has a small percentage of college graduates. Most boomers, both male and female learned their skills on the job.
They grew into their position. Many received promotions to the management ranks as “home grown” senior ranking members in their industry.
Perhaps that is why they are so committed to their children’s education.
Generation X, the “latch key kids” knew what they wanted and an even greater number of them than the boomers are college graduates.
They are college educated employees highly skilled in technology and committed to their careers and their personal life.
Many are married with children or are thinking of taking this step as they note that time is skipping along and it’s time to buckle down.
Generation Y is one of the most well educated groups in the workforce. They have a different take on college education and many entered the workforce with their MBAs and a Plan. They expect to climb the corporate ladder rapidly. Some enter the company with their business plan for the change they want to see in the organizaitons they join.
If they are not promoted within two years they bail, quit, move back home. Whatever it takes, they show their displeasure with the corporate decisions by skating away.
I found it interesting when one of their college courses was a study of Drew Barrymore’s life.
Drew was in her twenties at the time. Hardly enough life to study in my estimation. Yes, they received college credits for this class.
Times change and there’s always a new generation on the horizon with their own unique needs, and generational differences, that demand to be met.
The digital generation barely speak to each other. They have lost the crucial skill of face to face communication. Their spelling and writing skills are in the toilet due to increased time talking with their thumbs. Even when sitting or walking together other they use digital devices to communicate with each other.
It is the age of Social Media.
So it was no surprize to learn today that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) has announced plans to offer a new MBA specialization in Social Media Marketing.
The new program will allow students to study Web 2.0 concepts like microblogging and podcasting, and adapt these new ideas to existing business plans. The MBA in Social Media Marketing will be offered both online, and at seven campuses. You can learn more about it here.
This confirms that the ubiquitous social media is here to stay and today’s generation is gearing up to take advantage of everything it has to offer.
What do you think of this new MBA? Would you like to have one, to teach one of the classes, or to hire one of the graduates? Click below to leave your comments.
Nice blog, Yvonne, and your JAD Communications business seems interesting as well, but you're missing an important part of the equation: Generation Jones (between the Boomers and Generation X). Given the nature of your work, you're missing a lucrative opportunity by ignoring GenJones, and your work runs the risk of looking outdated and obsolete as GenJones becomes increasingly widespread.
Google Generation Jones, and you’ll see it’s gotten lots of media attention, and many top commentators from many top publications and networks (Washington Post, Time magazine, NBC, Newsweek, ABC, etc.) now specifically use this term. In fact, the Associated Press' annual Trend Report chose the Rise of Generation Jones as the #1 trend of 2009. Here's a page with a good overview of recent media interest in GenJones: http://generationjones.com/2009latest.html
It is important to distinguish between the post-WWII demographic boom in births vs. the cultural generations born during that era. Generations are a function of the common formative experiences of its members, not the fertility rates of its parents. And most analysts now see generations as getting shorter (usually 10-15 years now), partly because of the acceleration of culture. Many experts now believe it breaks down more or less this way:
DEMOGRAPHIC boom in babies: 1946-1964
Baby Boom GENERATION: 1942-1953
Generation Jones: 1954-1965
Generation X: 1966-1978
Generation Y/Millennials: 1979-1993