3 Down, 10 To Go

I will keep this post short because it is Friday afternoon and while I love to write, I am exhausted and I am sure you are as well. However, I feel compelled to announce, I AM DONE WITH DIGITAL CONTENT CREATION!! 4 weeks to learn HTML, CSS, and HubSpot and I passed with flying colors. I can now enjoy about a week of not worrying about classes before starting my Accounting class. Have a great weekend.

Happy Friday!

 

Best,

Katherine

 

Daily Recap:

Sleep: 5 hours

Study: 1 Hour to take my HubSpot exam

Workout: 4 mile run, POP Pilates routine I skipped last night

Weekend Plans: Sleep, drink wine, and celebrate my brother’s 25th birthday!

I See the Light!

I am almost done with this class! One more section and an exam that should take me 4-5 hours and this class is toast. 4 weeks and more hours than I care to think about and I can safely say that I have a pretty good grasp on HTML, CSS, and HubSpot’s platform. In a few more days I will have tried out jQuery. These are all skills that I have wanted to learn and I highly recommend for anyone who wants to work in digital marketing. Even if you are never going to be the one coding a website, having a strong grasp on what is going on behind the scenes will not only help you create better strategies, but will also make you more valuable to your team. This is the type of motivation that keeps me going when classes get tough and I’m exhausted from work but still need to get homework done. It may be a little rough now, but I can get through and it will be worth it once I am done. I’ve made it through one semester unscathed, in fact you could say that I came out on the other side better than I was before.

Outside the stress of class, another grad school issue that has been weighing on me is the question of my MBA concentration. As of now I have a Marketing concentration within my MBA, which means that 3 of my electives come from a select group of Marketing classes. Last semester I took Consumer Behavior which fell under that category. I took a similar class as an undergrad which meant that material was even easier than expected (I will never claim that the difficulty of Marketing classes is on par with many other majors), but the discussions in class were much more engaging with professionals who have already seen these principles in action compared to sophomores and juniors discussing theory. I am likely to keep the Marketing concentration, but my question falls to whether I should add an Information Systems Management concentration. I spoke with the head of the Inbound Information Technology program at orientation and was intrigued by the program that he has built over the last few years. Intrigued enough in fact, to register for the Digital Content Creation class (which he teaches) that has occupied the last 4 weeks of my life. The classes that we discussed directly relate to my industry and my areas of interest. However, the addition of a second concentration will fill up my last 3 elective slots which limits my class options. I passed on taking a two weekend management class that I was interested in this month because it wouldn’t help me meet my requirements if I decided to pursue two concentrations. The bigger question is what path will help me the most in my career. Would I benefit more from having those concentrations and focusing my efforts in one or two areas or would it be more beneficial to explore other subjects and throw in an entrepreneurship class with my Marketing classes? At the end of the day, does having MBA (Marketing) or MBA (ISM) on my resume make more of an impact than just MBA?  My options come down to sticking with just a Marketing concentration, take on both ISM and Marketing, or drop the Marketing concentration and declare ISM. It may be time to follow up with my college mentor and have a serious chat about what is most beneficial before I go any further down this road.

If anyone has dealt with this question in the past or is currently dealing with it, let me know. I’d love to start a conversation around this topic.

Best,

Katherine

 

Daily Plan (12pm)

Sleep: 9 Hours!

Study: None last night, 3-4 hours planned tonight

Work: Got here at 9am, we’ll see what the day brings

Workout: Planning a run and some POP Pilates tonight

Brand Storytelling – Article by Mitch Duckler

Happy Monday everyone. I hope you’ve been able to check out and enjoy my Monday Motivation post. I needed a little extra motivation to get out of my nice warm bed this morning.

I know this blog is dedicated to surviving grad school while working, but I came across an article that I really enjoyed and I thought I’d share it for anyone who works with brands and in particular marketing. The article is written by Mitch Duckler, a strategic consultant from Chicago. He examines not only the shift from one way communication marketing to the two way conversation that has emerged between brands and consumers in recent years, but how brands can do it effectively and why they need to do it. The article is a little longer than your typical marketing blog post, but it is worth the read. If you have a chance, click the link, take a look, and leave a comment or Tweet me (@KJacoby26) letting me know what you think.

 

That’s all for now!

Best,

Katherine

 

bit.ly/1S5MhFd 

Monday Motivation 1/25/16

• I did not create this image and take no credit for it

Sunday Shenanigans

Caffeine and notes #gradschool

One more week, one more week.

That is all I need to be able to complete this class. I have until February 6th to completely finish the class, but if I can get it done early I fully intend to do so. I ran into some bumps when working with HubSpot, making it much more complicated than it needed to be. We’re going to blame lack of sleep for that one.  Now, that I’m feeling more confident in the platform, the last couple sections of this class should be a lot easier. One more week, and then I am briefly free until Accounting starts in February. These Sundays spent on homework are the days that make me ask why I decided to go back to school. I could be binging House of Cards or reorganizing my room, but instead I am learning how to write code and implement forms. Those thoughts general don’t last very long, I quickly remind myself that it will all be worth it for those three letter after my name, but they do present themselves and make homework seem all that much more of a pain.

Today’s entry will be shorter than most; I still have several videos to watch before updating my class site and I need to squeeze my workout in today at some point. I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday and I great week. Don;t forget to check back in later this week.

 

Best,

Katherine

Daily Recap:

Sleep: 9 Hours

Work: 2 Hours

Study: 4 Hours

Workout: (Planned) 2 mile run, one episode of House of Cards on the bike, 40 minutes of POP Pilates

**Update** Planned workout didn’t happen, turned into just an hour of POP Pilates including a couple cardio dance routines 😉 I think it still counts.

This May Be A Thirsty Thursday

Can we talk about traffic for a minute? As someone who grew up in a relatively small town and walked to work for the first 3 years of her career I can say that traffic is not something I deal with well. I am generally a patient person, but as soon as the cars ahead of me slow down for seemingly no reason, my patience evaporates. Now, I understand that when there is an accident all other cars should slow down for safety reasons, but what about the general every day morning where people just refuse to drive, or worse, they’re so busy on their phones that driving becomes the secondary priority (which leads to accidents anyway). I suppose that in some ways the slow crawl of traffic I deal with everyday may be better than the alternative of full speed accidents. I was almost side swiped this morning because the driver of the car had to avoid being run over by a woman on her phone in her large SUV who changed lanes without even looking. To say the driver of the car didn’t take it well would be fair, as he proceeded to pull in front of her and stop to get her attention. This was  about a mile before my exit was impeded by an accident where a Trailblazer managed to rear end a Jeep so hard that there was no longer a grill or headlights in her front end. All before 9am and all making me crave something stronger than my morning tea.

With that, it’s back to work. Enjoy your Thursday!

 

Best,

Katherine

 

Today’s Notes:

Sleep: 8 hours (most I’ve had in a while)

Work: 8-9 hours

Studying: 3-4 Hours. So close and yet so far from the end of this 4 week course

Workout: POP Pilates

Healthy Living – The Great Stumbling Point

It’s that time again. The third week in January where New Year’s resolutions start to fall apart. The snooze button is hit a few more times, those workouts become shorter and less frequent, and those sugary afternoon snacks creep back into your daily routine. If you’re still holding strong on y0ur resolutions, that’s great! Keep going strong! If you’ve slipped a bit, it’s ok, there is no rule that says you can’t get back on the horse well after New Year’s.

The truth is, it is hard to change routines, whether that change is to add in a workout, change your diet, or maintain your regularly healthy lifestyle when new activities and responsibilities arise. In my case, that is balancing work and school, but other obstacles include multiple jobs, kids, or a new position at work that demands more hours. Less me time means less time in the kitchen preparing healthy meals, less time in the gym, and more time cramming in quick but often less healthy meals. Increased stress also tends to make that chocolate cake or bag of chips look more and more like your ally. I know my weakness is dark chocolate, and while I am usually good about limiting myself to one piece as a treat after dinner, recently the stress of my four week  crash course has made only one trip to that bag of Dove chocolate hard. Lack of time and sleep has also led to less intense workouts and more “rest” days than usual.

So what is a stressed out girl to do? The easiest solution may seem to be letting those resolutions or dedication to a healthy life slip; after all, you can always pick them up after things calm down right? True to an extent, it is never too late to start or get back to living healthier. However, the longer you hold onto bad habits, the harder they are to break. The better solution is to keep your healthy life at the top of the priority list and make small concessions or changes to make time for you. Maybe that means getting up 10 minutes earlier and taking a jog around the block or making a healthy breakfast. Maybe it means going to bed a little earlier instead of staying up to watch Kimmel. Whatever the change, make sure that it is something that helps make you feel better.

Since staying healthier is always easier with a partner and maintaining a healthy life is a big part of this crazy ride I’m on, I’ll be dedicating a certain number of posts to tips, tricks, and struggles to keeping it balanced. Be sure to check back and share your stories, tips, recipes, and advice for staying happy and healthy.

 

Best,

Katherine

 

 

Monday Motivation (& House of Cards!)

For your Monday viewing pleasure…

*I did not create this image and take no credit for it

With that sentiment, I hope all of you are off for the holiday and doing something enjoyable (even if that means just lounging). I will be taking in the Detroit Auto Show this morning (if you can go, make sure to check out the Buick Avista, it’s my new car crush), followed by my first trip to Red Smoke BBQ, and then home for homework (boo).  If I finish home work at a decent hour though, I will be heading to my TV to continue watching…House of Cards!

I know I am way behind on the excitement of this show and there have already been three seasons of intense political scheming, but I was officially introduced to this Netflix phenomenon  on Friday and after only two episodes I am hooked. In real life, politics tend to make my head hurt. I actively stay informed of current happenings in the world and I consider myself a responsible citizen when it comes to keeping up with the news; however, political discussions have never been something I enjoyed. Political shows on the other hand, have generally kept me intrigued. USA Network had a mini series a few years ago called Political Animals that I quite enjoyed and wished they would have brought back, especially since the final episode left a cliffhanger. But back to House of Cards. First off, I love Kevin Spacey. He has impressed me in many a role and continues to do so in this show. The writing of the show is also on point. The stoic nature of some of the characters could have led the show to be dry and at times boring but instead, the writers have crafted well timed and pointed, sometimes lethal, lines to deliver a rather captivating show. HoC is a show that makes you pay attention not only because you want to know where the story goes, but because you don’t want to miss any of the jabs or comments that make the show a subtle comedy.

Time for me to head off to the Auto Show. I will be sure to post some beautiful cars and possible BBQ pictures this week.

 

Best,

Katherine

Sunday Shenanigans 1/17/16 Edition

Thank God for long holiday weekends (and apologies to anyone who has to work Monday, I’ve been there).

I know I am not the only one who is thinking this and most people think it every time we get a long weekend, but this week in particular has elicited this response from me. It’s not that this week was awful, but it was incredibly busy on  both the work and school fronts, with school in particular causing at times unnecessary stress. Frustration boiled over a few times while trying to complete my HTML homework, which only made completing the project more difficult. More than once I thought I had made a mistake when I was simply viewing the project in the wrong viewport (window/device size for those who are not familiar with HTML). I eventually figured it out but not before I had inched closer and closer away from being ahead in this class. Luckily for me, the next section of the class isn’t as intense as I thought it was. In fact, we are moving into the HubSpot tools that I was really excited to learn about.

Work is keeping me busy, which is great because I am being added to more projects and expanding my skill set, but also stressful when trying to balance everything. As much as I hate to say it, the casualty of more work than hours in the day has been my workout schedule. I still have managed to get in a workout all  but two days, but not to the level that I have become accustomed to. The lack of a good physical outlet for stress combined with the inner guilt of feeling like I am slacking on my workouts doesn’t do much to alleviate stress. I try to remind myself though, that I am still doing something physical most days and in a few weeks I will be able to replace the 6 hours of studying in one day with getting back to my regular workouts and having some downtime.

With that said, it’s back to the school grind for a few more hours. Enjoy your weekend!

 

Best,

Katherine

 

Today’s Plan/Recap

Sleep: 10 Hours (Alleluia!)

Study: 1 hour down, probably about 5 to go

Workout: 1 Hour Pilates plus biking while I watch my class lectures

Work: Emails sent off this morning, no more work today if I can help it.

 

Just Keep Swimming

For anyone who has seen Finding Nemo, you know where the title of this post comes from. I personally love that movie, and Dory’s catch phrase was the motto for my swim team during senior year of high school, so the phrase has a special meaning. I’m sure Dory’s voice singing it is also now stuck in you head (if it wasn’t now it is, you’re welcome). I had forgotten they were releasing a Finding Nemo sequel until my sister geeked out after seeing the poster at the movie theater this weekend.

Dory’s favorite phrase has been with me the last couple days as I try to complete the last couple chapters in the textbook before my Digital Content Creation class moves on to other subjects. I now know why programmers and developers are in demand and why they cost so much.HTML5 and CSS are awesome tools, but the hundreds of lines of code and trying to keep all the rules straight can be tedious. Then of course, if you make a mistake along the way finding where you made the error can be a nightmare. This is one of those topics that as I go through it I feel like I totally get it and everything is going smoothly, and then I either take a break or make a mistake that I should know how to fix, and my brain shuts down. “Nope, you don’t know this, anything you read in the last hour was not absorbed.” Thank you brain, appreciate the help. My lack of a decent night’s sleep since last week is also probably not a helpful contributor to my ability to complete this homework. Unfortunately that is unlikely to change until this weekend.

Bright side, despite my lack of sleep and pile of homework, I have been incredibly productive at work. I was experiencing major writer’s blog for my company blog over the holidays but that seems to have corrected itself. In fact, if you have a few extra moments, head over to my  LinkedIn page to see my latest post on how luxury brands are embracing the digital realm (please don’t judge for the shameless plug).

Alright, homework headaches and work plugs aside, it is time for me to get back to the wonderful world of HTML5. I hope everyone’s evening is splendid and spent in a more enjoyable way than mine.

 

Best,

Katherine

 

Daily Recap:

Sleep: In bed for 7 hours, awake and trying to get comfortable for several of those

Studying: 4 hours

Work: 8.5 hours

Workout: 40 minutes of stationary bike, going to try to squeeze in 30 minutes of POP Pilates before bed