Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century

This week's blog assessment asked us to discuss our 21st Century skills, and I couldn't help but think of the Disney movie, "Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century."

Zenon was banished to Earth after causing commotion on the space station she lived on. Of course being from another "planet" she was initially tagged "weird" and avoided. While it may seem a tad silly, this movie actually creates a great scenario for cultural awareness. 

Two boys from school, Greg and Andrew, eventually befriend poor Zenon after they all decide to listen and get to know each other. As the article, Cultural Awareness in the Workplace states, one of the key components of creating a welcoming work environment is educating yourself about the backgrounds of your fellow employees. You can then use your knowledge to help break down cultural barriers. 

Our assessment also asked us to discuss the skills we would need in our respective fields.

Being a Marketing major, the 21st Century skills that will make me excellent are to be innovative, to communicate effectively, and to be creative. 

As the 21st Century Skills, Education, and Competitiveness Guide states, our economy has changed. The U.S. has made a major shift from providing predominantly manufacturing jobs to being a major service driven economy. 

Marketing is a fast paced, ever changing field. It is important to be innovative to stay ahead of the competition. I also need to be able to use the new innovative technology to not only make my job easier, but to stay relevant. 

Marketing is the communication aspect of the business world. Without it, consumers would not realize they need to buy your product, where to buy it, and for what price. Communication within the workplace is also vital! We all know how frustrating it is when we find ourselves in a group where the leader doesn't know how to communicate. An effective communicator keeps the morale up and tasks on track. 

Creativity is another essential piece of the marketing pie. Employers are looking for people who can think outside the box for ways to separate their company from the competition. 

These skills can be acquired with further education and most importantly experience. Work experience is the best experience to gain these skills, but volunteer work and experience working in groups from school are all great practice on communication and creativity. 

Back to my girl Zenon. She discovers trouble back home and has to come up with an innovative and creative way to save her space station (because no one believes her, of course). 

Like the stellarnarious girl that she is, Zenon saves the day by using her creative, innovative, problem-solving 21st Century skills.