Office Hours

Speaker 1 (00:00):

Giselle (00:10):
Hi everybody, my name's Giselle Kowalski and I'm the digital marketing strategist here at Texas State University. You're listening to Office Hours, and today I'm here with Adrianna, one of my interns. How's it going, Adrianna? Good, how are you? I'm great. So you got to talk to Jake Waddingham of the McCoy College of Business. How did that go?

Adrianna (00:26):
Really well. We actually had a lot more in common than I thought we would've.

Giselle (00:28):
Really? Like what?

Adrianna (00:30):
We're both first gen and he was a journalist major, and I think that's something that we connected on.

Giselle (00:36):
Yeah, because you're in mass comm too, you're in DMI, right? Yes. Yeah, we talked about that in the last one. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. And he had a lot of cool anecdotes about him running and also being in college at the same time, and he was very relatable.

Adrianna (00:48):
He was.

Giselle (00:48):
Yeah, right. Yeah, he was a cool guy. So yeah, we hope you guys enjoy this conversation with Adrianna and Jake Waddingham.

Adrianna (00:58):
So to start us off, I want you to introduce yourself. What is your name? What do you teach here, and how long have you been here at Texas State?

Jake Waddingham (01:04):
My name is Jake Waddingham. I am an assistant professor here at the McCoy College of Business, in the Department of Management at Texas State, and I am getting ready to start my second year.

Adrianna (01:15):
Awesome. All right. So to dive in, we're gonna have like an icebreaker question. If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?

Jake Waddingham (01:21):
So one of the, this is going to be a really specific one, but his name's Kyle Merber. He used to be a professional runner and now he writes a daily, or a weekly newsletter, and he gets to travel to all of these great places around the world. He gets to interview all of these professional runners, and he's still active with running. So I think his lifestyle and his ability to be able to, you know, write something that's really funny but still really relevant is something that I still try to aspire to do. And so I think Kyle might be one of the guys where I would kind of want to tap in and if I was anywhere close to as fast as he is, that would be great too.

Adrianna (01:58):
Okay, cool. So when you were growing up, what did you wanna be?

Jake Waddingham (02:01):
When I was growing up, um, I grew up on a small farm in southwest Iowa. And so I really never planned on leaving that area. I wanted to be a journalist, I wanted to tell stories. And so working for kind of my hometown newspaper was something I was really interested in. Starting about my senior year of high school, I ran our local cross country race and I got interviewed afterward by the local sports editor and thought that was really cool. And so that was kind of what jump-started my interest in journalism and newspapers and wanting to tell other stories.

Adrianna (02:34):
That's cool. Was that your first job then? Is running the newspaper kind of?

Jake Waddingham (02:37):
So I worked for, I started at community college and so I worked at a co-op with my dad during my time at the community college, and I worked as an intern for the newspaper. But my first job after finishing my bachelor's degree was back at my hometown newspaper.

Adrianna (02:53):
That's so cool. What college did you go to and what did you go for?

Jake Waddingham (02:56):
Yeah, so I'm a first-generation college student. My parents were always very supportive and encouraging for me to go to school, but I didn't necessarily know what I wanted to do or where I was going to do it. And so I ended up going to community college first about 15 miles away from my high school, and I had the opportunity to also run cross country while I was there. And so, while I was at community college, I ran for the Spartans and I worked for the local newspaper. And so I was fortunate enough to get recruited to come down to Texas at the University of Texas at Tyler. And I ran cross country and track for the Patriots, and I majored in journalism and political science. So it was a great experience. It was the first time I really got to go out and experience and travel and try new things.

(03:40):
Living in Texas for three years, you know, I wasn't born Texan, but I got here as quickly as I could, and it was a really great opportunity for me to pursue what I thought my big first step in my career was going to be. And then after getting a job and working for my hometown newspaper, it was clear that there were other paths that I really wanted to pursue. And so I went back to school at Iowa State University for my MBA. I had some great mentors there. I had some great advice for some friends and had the opportunity to start thinking about a Ph.D. for the first time. And, uh, I went to a predoctoral conference and got networked with a lot of really great people, and that was how I got connected with and was, you know, thankfully accepted for Auburn University for their Ph.D. program in management.

Adrianna (04:23):
That is insane. So you, like, you bounced around from a different career from journalism to business. Did you have any doubts going into that?

Jake Waddingham (04:30):
Definitely. One of the things with journalism, I loved my co-workers and I really enjoyed all of the different topics I got to cover. You know, I would cover local politics, I would cover agriculture every chance I got, I'd help out the sports team, but to be frank, I also had student debt, and I had bills to pay and rent to cover and journalism salary wasn't quite covering that plus all of the other things I wanted to do. And so going back and getting my MBA was really that chance to kinda refocus and retool, and get that introduction into the business world that I didn't necessarily have from my undergraduate degree.

Adrianna (05:06):
Nice. So throughout all of your college experience, what was the most difficult part of it?

Jake Waddingham (05:09):
During my undergrad, I was running cross country and track, which I really loved. I was also working for the sports information department, so I was taking pictures at all the home events. I was running the ticket sales and the concession stand. I was also working for the student newspaper and just trying to be a normal college kid as well. So balancing all of those things was something that was both really exciting but also really challenging. Um, I remember one 48-hour stretch, I ran a track race and then went up to help the sports information department do the announcements for the rest of the track meet and then came back to campus and started a concession stand and ticket sales for baseball and softball and another event, and that what didn't even count my newspaper responsibilities or my homework, so it was extra busy.

Adrianna (05:56):
Yeah, you have a lot going on. I feel that right now, I'm doing the same thing where I'm working like with the radio station and I'm working here and I have classes coming up, like balancing it all. Did you figure out a way or was it just sort of like exhausting?

Jake Waddingham (06:05):
It was definitely exhausting. There was also some beauty in the chaos. I got to meet a lot of people that I still stay in touch with, which was really exciting. And it was also just helped me kind of learn some of that day-to-day grind of, you know, work is going to be tough, some days I'm going to have projects or deadlines that I'm going to have to just get through. And I'd already been working and experiencing that for a couple of years.

Adrianna (06:28):
Once you graduated and you got your Ph.D., what was the next step for you?

Jake Waddingham (06:32):
The next step was moving to Texas. So, um, after I finished my Ph.D., in the summer of 2022, I loaded up U-Haul with my wife and our Pomeranian and we drove across highway or Interstate 10 all the way into Texas and got settled here in south Austin. And so really excited to be back in Texas. Excited to be a Bobcat. This is my first placement after my Ph.D. and it's been a very fast and very exciting first year.

Adrianna (07:02):
That's awesome. So I don't know much about business. That's one of the main things coming into this. I was like, I have no idea what you even teach. So could you tell me what you teach and explain it? Like if I was a five-year-old?

Jake Waddingham (07:12):
So I teach the senior capstone management 4335, and it's the senior capstone, meaning every major in the College of Business, whether you're finance or marketing or management, they all take this course before they graduate. And the key question that we try to answer during the class is, why does company A outperform company B, all right? And what steps can they take? What are some strategic decisions that they can make for some of that competition? And you can apply it to multiple aspects of your life. Why does candidate A get the job over candidate B? Why does the entrepreneur get funding over another entrepreneur? And so we really dive into the different levels and mechanics that go into that decision-making process and how organizations can really perform better.

Adrianna (07:57):
Awesome. That's good to know. What's your favorite memory from teaching at Texas State?

Jake Waddingham (08:00):
So, my favorite memory so far of teaching at Texas State, I was really fortunate to throw out the first pitch at one of the baseball games. And so that was a really fun and unique experience. It was during kind of the teacher and faculty appreciation week, and I got to throw it out to Chase Mora, who set the record for the, for home runs for freshmen. So that was really awesome. So that was just a fun Texas State experience. Within the classroom, the students have been great. We've got a lot of first-gen students, which I can really relate to. I really appreciate that we're, you know, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. And a lot of the students are extremely active as well. A lot of them are working, they've got activities here on campus that they're involved with, and it's been really cool just hearing their stories and hearing about, you know, how they came to Texas State.

Adrianna (08:49):
Awesome. So from those student stories and from those students, what have you learned from them?

Jake Waddingham (08:53):
Some of the things that I've learned from the students so far is how difficult it can be to prioritize what's important, especially when you've got so many things going on. I of course really enjoy my class, but I also know that there are important things going on within their lives. And so I've had to really learn how to have some empathy and how to really work through, you know, students who have things going on in their lives and know that while my class is important, we're also trying to make sure that they are prepared for their next steps. And so, you know, helping them talk to recruiters or, you know, having them meet during office hours to go over a resume. It's not necessarily part of my course curriculum, but it's something that's stressing them out or something that they have questions about and don't know where to turn to yet.

(09:35):
And so I've tried really hard to make sure my door's open and have those conversations and experiences that, you know, they may not know where to turn or may not know, you know, if it's a bad or stupid question or not. Those don't really exist if you don't know what the answer is. And so I try really hard to help with that. And they've taught me a lot too about what they're interested in, what they're doing here in Central Texas, and where they want to end up, which has been really a fun part to be a part of their next steps in their lives.

Adrianna (10:01):
That's really cool. Opening your door to students is something that sticks with them I think. So it's really great that you do that. What is the proudest moment of your career so far?

Jake Waddingham (10:08):
Going to college was something that my parents always really wanted. I don't think they expected me to stay in college as long as I did or don't necessarily fully understand what the Ph.D. was like, but that accomplishment in and of itself was really important to me.

Adrianna (10:22):
That's so cool. If you could talk to your younger self back in Iowa, what would you tell him?

Jake Waddingham (10:26):
Yeah, I think my younger self would be really surprised. But also impressed I have had the opportunity to travel, which I never really thought I would do. I didn't get on a plane until I think I was 19 or 20 years old. So that experience of being able to go to Europe for a couple of times has really been eye-opening. I've had the opportunity to meet other runners from Kenya and athletes from Australia and really learn about their life experiences and how they grew up, which has been a lot of fun.

Adrianna (10:55):
Can you give me any advice that I can use to pursue my career goals?

Jake Waddingham (10:59):
The first thing that I would say for pursuing your career goals is realizing that the first step after college doesn't have to be the last one. Every opportunity that you get into, every experience that you have, take the pieces of that that you really enjoy and continue to pursue those passions in whatever format it might take. I loved my job as a journalist. I loved telling other people's stories. Now that I am a professor, I still do that. I still enjoy writing. I still have the opportunity to write journal articles and tell stories, but now I do it with data, and I do it through surveys, and I have just taken little pieces of all of my experiences and tried to make them a part of who I am and who and what my job is.

Adrianna (11:42):
Awesome. Thank you. I'll definitely keep that in the back of my head. I think I do get scared that my next steps will be the final one, so that's great for clarity. So before I leave, who is this chicken? Like a guy with the mustache and the hat in the office? Who is this guy? It looks like a McDonald's chicken nugget, but preserved in like a resin, and it has like googly eyes and glasses and a mustache and a top hat. That's exactly what it is. It's hanging from a shelf. I wish, like I need people to see it. This is really cool.

Jake Waddingham (12:08):
The mustache is a really important part. It sure is. A good mustache is top-notch whether it's on a nugget or on anybody else.

Adrianna (12:14):
Exactly. I agree a hundred percent.

Jake Waddingham (12:16):
I love Chick-fil-A. While I was working on my MBA, I took a class in negotiations, and one of the things we had to do for that project was negotiate something that you think would be non-negotiable. So walk into a store and say, I know this price says a hundred dollars. What if I only give you 80? It was a really tough final project, and I didn't necessarily wanna walk into a store. And so what I did was walk into Chick-fil-A and I asked them to sponsor me as a runner. Now I'm not a very fast runner, and I am definitely not the fastest that was at the school at the time, but I got a really awesome Chick-fil-A singlet. They paid for a couple of my races. And through that love of Chick-fil-A, I have acquired several different chicken-themed amenities, , including that very authentic and petrified chicken nugget that is very real, but should not by any means deteriorate based on the way that they processed it, so.

Adrianna (13:21):
That's so cool. Does it have a name?

Jake Waddingham (13:22):
He doesn't, I believe they're called Nuggie Buddies.

Adrianna (13:25):
Nuggie Buddies!

Jake Waddingham (13:25):
That's so cool. Yeah. Not sponsored by Nuggie Buddies or anything, but they are a fun little gift.

Adrianna (13:31):
A great decoration as well. Yes. Yeah, I love that. We just had Chick-fil-A today. That's what I had for lunch. Yeah. So that's a crazy connection here.

Jake Waddingham (13:38):
Love, love Chick-fil-A sweet tea. Uh, those are two of my vices. So, yeah, if you see me on campus, it's either probably in my office or in the line at Chick-fil-A. Okay.

Adrianna (13:47):
I'll see you there. 'cause I'm there all the time too, . So thank you. Thanks for talking to me today too.

Jake Waddingham (13:52):
Oh, I appreciate it. I really appreciate it. Thanks for stopping by. Of course. The door's always open.

Adrianna (13:55):
Awesome. , thank you. Thank you guys so much for listening to this episode of Office Hours with me, Adrianna and Jake Waddingham. We hope you enjoyed it and we'll see you next time. Bye guys.