Applications of Operations Research That HELP PEOPLE

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>I've come to a sad realization in the last few weeks. I'm graduating from college next week with degrees in MIS and supply chain management, and I've come to the conclusion that my "educational experience" has consisted of nothing more than regurgitating mindless, bureaucratic, pseudo-intellectual drivel designed for no other reason than to allow my school to offer a couple more majors. </p>

<p>If you haven't figured it out yet, yes, I'm a business student. I feel embarrassed to say that, and cringe every time someone asks me what my major is. My jaw hits the floor when I see some of the morons graduating from the same program as me. Hence, its almost impossible for me to take any sense of pride in my undergraduate experience. No one seems to respect business majors, and frankly, I can't blame them. </p>

<p>That's not to say the workload is light, but the work is hardly ever challenging, and almost always consists of ascending other-worldly status to common sense ideas, as if this somehow makes them more "academic."</p>

<p>Anyway, a few months ago I expressed interest in operations research. Part of the reason is the fact that operations research is rooted in the hard sciences. My business degree has rendered me a cheap imitation for someone with these skills. </p>

<p>Now, that being said, I would not want to work as an operations research analyst if my role was to help greedy companies optimize their distribution processes from third world countries where they exploit poor people, or anything that supports this kind of disgusting corporate puke. </p>

<p>Basically I want to avoid the corporate sector altogether.</p>

<p>*So my question is, are there ways I could apply the skills an operation research analyst has in a positive way? (i.e. one that helps GOOD people?) * For example, are there ways to optimize how food is dispersed to foreign countries by the Red Cross? These are the kinds of problems I would want to help people solve, not the kind that fatten a few greedy peoples' pockets at the expense of someone else. </p>

<p>Sorry for the long post. </p>

<p>Best wishes everyone.</p>

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<p>just try work for a company that you think is doing positive things. all of the "good" businesses such as non-profits etc. have management/ business positions too</p>

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<p>How about non-profits? There is a lot of opportunity there, check out the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, they have a number of jobs that would fit your education but not your background really. Still, it gives you a direction. There are a lot of charitable organizations that will pay you to utilize your skills.</p>

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<p>If by 'rooted in the hard sciences' you mean math, statistics, probability, linear algebra, etc. you would be correct.
In any case, I'm sure there are plenty of ways to use OR to help charities, however it may be too high tech for them to handle. They may have more basic logistical needs.
OR isn't just used for distribution, you can also use it to optimize product mixes, budget expenses, etc. Anything that needs optimizing. From queues (like lines at the bank, DMV, amusement parks, fast food places) to network flows. Many different applications for government, business, etc. Example: how many seats on an airplane at what prices, what mix of planes should an airline have, what routes at what time of day/day of week, etc. etc.</p>

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<p>toppppppppp</p>

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<p>
[quote]
So my question is, are there ways I could apply the skills an operation research analyst has in a positive way? (i.e. one that helps GOOD people?)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>One of the more newer applications of operations research is applying OR techniques within hospitals to reduce medical errors. Anita Tucker has published some interesting papers on the internal operations management processes of medical centers to improve patient safety and standardize care. I would argue that that's one way that an OR analyst can help 'good' people. I think it's a travesty that the patient-care process is so variable that people can get wildly differing standards of care based, among other things, simply on what time of the day they may enter the hospital.</p>

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<p>sakky, that is a very good point. ill look up some of her papers.</p>

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<p>to the Op I think you're on a great quest ... it probably will take some thought and proactive action on your part but OR could have applications in lots of areas of public good. One big area of OR applications is around logistics problems ... how about helping the Red Cross be more efficient in the collection and distribution of blood ... or working with public transportation systems to optimize their networks and service levels given limited budgets. Think about asset allocation and knapsack problems and where they be used ... helping charities decide how and where to allocate monies. etc.</p>

<p>I know it is unlikely that a lot of OR jobs will be explicitly advertised by organizations like these (I know because I have two OR degrees and share your desire to use our skills for the greater good) ... so you may need to seek out, maybe define, and sell your skills and how they would benefit a company. For example, a hospital or HMO may have project manager or process improvement jobs that your skills would fit very well ... maybe not an exact match of that they were thinking when they posted the job ... but maybe in a way that will be VERY benficial to the organization. My recommendation is to not read job ads hoping one will pop up ... but target organizations in which you are interested and set-up information interviews to get yourself on their radar and to get them thinking about how they might be able to leverage your skills. (Ultimately they need to know about you and see value to their organization in your skills).</p>

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<p>Maybe in the public transportation area: optimizing trains, subways, bus routes, equipment mixes, schedules, capacity planning.</p>

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<p>another idea ... check the rosters of professional organizations to see where people work ... this may point you to organiztions hiring OR-types to which you are drawn</p>