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MBA for engineer?

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daire

Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1
MBA for engineer?
Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:26 PM
Hi all!
looking for some career advice, i'm 29/30 years old, with 8 years telecom exp, GMAT 710. Originally a BEng Computer engineer, currently working as telecom architect /product manager. Thinking of going into mainstream consulting and wondering would an MBA help my career, and whether a one or two year MBA is better for someone like me - who doesn't have a lot of core business experience - but has some customer interaction and consulting experience.
Any Ideas? Also wondering on ROI, as at the moment earning €80k a year, and i'm unsure if the cost of an MBA in somewhere like Spain's IE is justificable seeing the average wage after receiving MBA. Thoughts?
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Thomas


Joined: 03 Jun 2008
Posts: 75
MBA for engineer?
Sun Jun 08, 2008 08:34 PM
Hi daire

Do you want to continue staying in Europe? If you do, you may consider business schools like INSEAD, Oxford or Cambridge for your profile.

McKinsey hires MBAs from top business schools every year and if you can graduate from these schools, you would have a potential opportunity to work in the company, IF this is what you want to do for your post-MBA career.

Good luck.

Kind regards,
Thomas
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jkloren


Joined: 20 Feb 2007
Posts: 13
MBA for engineer?
Mon Jun 09, 2008 06:48 PM
Daire,

I'm a 38 year-old geek with a somewhat similar background --enterprise & system architecture, product management, some telecom experience, a few tech certifications, over a decade of tech consulting.

I'm just finishing up the International Executive MBA program at IE Business School. IE definitely attracts a lot of engineers because of its strong focus on innovation, and the Executive MBA program is extraordinary. However, if you're looking for a career in international consulting with a big firm (like McKinsey), you should definitely consider INSEAD as well (as suggested above).

wondering on ROI, as at the moment earning €80k a year, and i'm unsure if the cost of an MBA in somewhere like Spain's IE is justificable seeing the average wage after receiving MBA. Thoughts?


I'll assume that you're paying for your own MBA. The IE MBA programs are still priced at a level where that's feasible (they are priced much lower than comparably ranked MBA programs). And statistically graduates realize a substantial increase in salary--163% on average, according to the Financial Times (Source: rankings.ft.com/emba-rankings).

Here are a few suggestions that may be helpful:

1. Based on your age and experience level you may be able to "squeeze" into an Executive MBA program. Some programs will take consulting experience in lieu of management experience. If you can manage to get into an Executive MBA, I would highly recommend doing so (despite the slightly larger price tag). In the International Executive MBA the level of knowledge and experience of my classmates is truly astounding. I have definitely learned more from my cohort than from our excellent professors.

2. If you're looking for programs and schools that have strong reputations in technology and innovation, I would suggest looking at:
- Imperial College: Tanaka, London
- IE Business School, Madrid (and Shanghai for the International EMBA, alias IXMBA)

3. If you're looking for programs and schools that focus on international consultancy, I would suggest looking at:
- INSEAD, Paris & Singapore
- Trium (NYU: Stern, HEC, LSE), New York, Paris, London

In looking at MBA programs, I would also recommend considering what kind of network you want have. A truly global network? A regional (EU) network? A network of seasoned executives? A network of young entrepreneurs?

Also, a lot of people will tell you that rankings and accreditations don't matter that much. I disagree. According to Time magazine, 500,000 MBAs are expected to graduate this year (Source: www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1729545,…). An MBA requires a substantial investment of time, effort, and money. If you want that time and effort to pay off, then I recommend that you do a lot of research, find the best fit program for you, and then fight like hell to get in. After 6 months of research, the IE IXMBA was my top choice, and it was the only school I applied to. As you can imagine, I was pretty nervous writing those essays!

Best of luck!

Julian
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