Anybody went to MBA/LAW from engineering?

[pak-one]

i bet he was single at the time. :---) i am of the opinion that you do not have to be a genius to do anything. it is all about how much effort you are willing or can put in. i have a guy at work who is going to booth right now. he is having a hard time finding a job because of the stiff competition and of course the weak economy. i think it will be a matter of time before he finds something.

for non-profit work, do you know what kind of work did he do? i have volunteered through our company program to mentor/tutor kids at the local high school but i do not think if that is a big deal (it would have been different if i would have started this) . also, in pak i have helped in starting a small 'school' for kids with needs but that again is in pak and am not sure if it would be appropriate for the application.

He was single at the time. You definitely have the right mindset. Most people who end up succeeding in their careers, or life for that matter, are persistant and dedicated.

As for the co-worker at Booth, I agree that he will find a job eventually, in the meantime, I hope he is reaching out to his network, applying, and doing his research to land the right position.

My friend was always interested in Rwanda after doing his thesis on the genocide there, so he spent some time with a French NGO developing maternal health programs and delivery. In terms of non-profit work, it does not have to be glamorous and you don't need to find a cure for cancer either. It looks like you have some good experience already - it would be good to weave that into the essays and eventually interviews.

I work with a lot of MBAs and have friends who have pursued the degree. I am still debating whether its worthwhile for me. I'm in banking so the opportunity costs become significantly higher. Also I am evaluating exit opps into PE, so I might not even need the degree. Again all the best, you'll do brilliantly as long as you put in the time.

[X2]

that is a tough question to answer at the moment since things can change and it will depend on what the circumstances are when the time comes.

i don't think if top 20 would really be an issue if one can get company sponsorship for the program. i think mba is just to help get your foot in the door if you are from an engineering background. if you are offered a position at a non-engineering company which is willing to fund for your mba then that would be a great option also. i wouldn't mind doing an internship at one of these firms just to get an idea of how it is but since i am working full time it does not seem possible to even try looking for something.

just because someone has company sponsorship does not mean he or she can get in a top 20 program.
as I stated, if an engineer is doing an MBA at a top 30 or 40 or 50 program, is he better off or worse off than he would be without the degree for his career goals.

[heart_beat_1]

@X2

just because someone has company sponsorship does not mean he or she can get in a top 20 program.

x2 bhai jan, what i meant was that if a company sponsors your mba then it should not really matter if it is a top 10 program or top 50 (means: you should do it without giving it a second thought). it becomes more of an issue to consider going to a top 10 program if you are funding your own education and you have not yet found a non-engineering position.

@X2

as I stated, if an engineer is doing an MBA at a top 30 or 40 or 50 program, is he better off or worse off than he would be without the degree for his career goals.

i cannot see why would a degree hurt his career goals (since getting an MBA aligns with his career goals: Example: Lucid). he should be better off with the degree than without it.

i did not get into MIT for engineering (not that i applied) but that does not mean i wasn't going to get a degree at all from a lower ranked uni.

[heart_beat_1]

Re: Anybody went to MBA/LAW from engineering?

pak-one, Rwanda..that is pretty good. i have wanted to always go to one of these areas and help but i just think we are too busy in our lives to do something like that. also, i think you can find plenty of people back home who can use help so it kind of becomes moot to go across the continent.

[X2]

@heart_beat

x2 bhai jan, what i meant was that if a company sponsors your mba then it should not really matter if it is a top 10 program or top 50 (means: you should do it without giving it a second thought). it becomes more of an issue to consider going to a top 10 program if you are funding your own education and you have not yet found a non-engineering position.

i cannot see why would a degree hurt his career goals (since getting an MBA aligns with his career goals: Example: Lucid). he should be better off with the degree than without it.

i did not get into MIT for engineering (not that i applied) but that does not mean i wasn't going to get a degree at all from a lower ranked uni.

Understood, sometimes I ask the obvious, since we have many people who read these threads now or in future so covering different angles.

[phoenixdesi]

@pak-one

Lucid, I am not doubting your reasons here, but if we return to numbers that can extrapolated over a lifetime top 20 schools are far stronger then the rest. That is not to say that you won't be able succeed without a solid MBA, the outliers discussion is a different matter altogether.

Completing an MBA for scholastic reasons is great, but it's starkly different from the vast majority of degree seekers who are looking for career advancement. A few points:

• A top20 is exactly what the average person who does not want to be a CEO will need. In fact there are more F500 CEOs from lesser ranked schools than you would expect, however most senior management roles tend to go to Top20 grads. So getting a good MBA degree is more useful than not.

• I don't assume that anyone has $160K + laying around, which is why the ROI becomes more important. If you're going to drop six figure, plus the lost opp costs and career advancement potential, is Wharton or School X a better bet? Most people would chose Wharton for the exit opps and the ability to pay back the student loans.

• Unlike Law and Medicine, MBAs don't have to contend with additional certifications (USMLE, Bar exams) and coupled with wide availability of Business programs throughout N. America, the market is flooded with MBAs. I would contend that even a Top20 MBA isn't a guarantee for a successful career, it just allows you to be comparatively well positioned. If places like HBS and Wharton are churning out 700-800+ grads a year, one will have to go beyond the brand. However no one can deny that landing an summer internship (critical for career changers like HB) is significantly easier due to the massive recruiter access at both of the schools. What you do with the internship is up to you.

• The Alumni/Career services help may be mechanistic but it gets results. Without the strong results, the Top20 would not be where they are, both in terms or rankings and alumni participation. As for strong network, not all Top20 schools are like HBS, Wharton..Places like Tuck and Cornell have the tightest yet most diverse networks that would put the big guys to shame.

• In terms of high points on the resume, I would hope that the MBA even if it's from HBS is not the high point. Part of what is great about the degree is the ability to form bonds and strengthen networks, the cross pollination of ideas and perspectives. I don't make the claim that being in Top20 program will expose you to a uniformly intelligent student body, however you will find highly motivated and focused peers, which is usually a more rewarding experience. Particularly when you compare that programs where people are getting the degree solely for the credential on the resume.

That being said, I am pretty leery of the MBA degree. It's applicable to very specific subsets of people: Career changers, career advancers, and those interested in management. Many people get the degree for the wrong reasons. I have real estate agents who went to business school and add MBA to their card. To me that's a joke, as am management degree is not required for a successful career as a real estate agent. On the flip side, if you're looking to get into PE/VC schools/networks will matter a lot more.

Every time I visit this forum, I see a thread debating merits of earning an MBA from a top 20 business school…based on my personal experience, I do agree with everything that Pak One said…

but Lucid and X2 have also made some relevant points….as a rule of thumb, unless there are pressing constraints (financial concerns, personal situation, spouse issues, really low GMAT score as well as poor academic record etc) that would prohibit you from applying to a top 15 business school, try your best to earn your MBA from a top 15…and it is not top 20 or top 25….it is really top 10 or may be top 15 that would allow you to have a serious shot at McK/Bain/BCG/BOOZ, BB banks or boutiques, top leadership programs at Fortune 50 firms, coveted asset management and investment management positions and PE/VC jobs…outside top 15, you are talking about Emory, North Carolina, Austin, CMU (tepper), Rochester, Washington University, Georgetown and Vanderbilt which by the way have excellent business schools but probably not good enough for above-mentioned jobs….even if we ignore all other intangible factors, (alumni network, quality of fellow students, conferences, networking opportunities etc) the decision to pursue an MBA from a B-school (out side top 15 but within top 25) is a hard one in terms of ROI….your initial investment will still be the same (almost same….the tuition fee at Vanderbilt/Emory/Georgetown/WU/Marshall is pretty similar to Columbia/Wharton/HBS/Chicago/Kellog/Sloan/Tuck for instance) but your earning power would be seriously compromised…..so IRR would be significantly lower...

but like X2 mentioned, if you don’t get into top 15, go to top 25 by all means and if you don’t get into top 25, try top 50….if you are convinced to make a career change, MBA is still the best way to go….another common debate is about full time vs part time MBA programs….I would leave it for some other day…but again as a rule of thumb, try full time, if not feasible, go for Executive MBA…if not go for part time…..