Engineer switching to MBA

[MUnited]

<p>blipsburg,</p>

<p>For Engineering Cornell is certainly better than HYP, actually it is better by a lot, and Cornell is on par with SM for engineering. Therefore, I believe that if you try and approach the career center you will be able to gain entrance into business oriented internship. I remember hearing about one girl who was in engineering and interned with IBM and Citigroup, and now she works with one of them (I forget which one). Also, the corporate world looks favorably upon engineers. Also, if you want to go into business make sure you take some economics courses.</p>

<p>p.s. it's not switching to MBA, a lot of engineers get MBAs, as many of them from universities like Cornell want to rise up the corporate ladder.</p>

[sakky]

<p>Cbreeze, Ksanders has answered your question. Basically, when you see engineers going to employers such as "Lehman Brothers" or "Morgan Stanley" or places like that, I think it's fairly clear that they aren't taking engineering jobs. </p>

<p>
[quote]
For Engineering Cornell is certainly better than HYP, actually it is better by a lot, and Cornell is on par with SM for engineering. Therefore, I believe that if you try and approach the career center you will be able to gain entrance into business oriented internship. I remember hearing about one girl who was in engineering and interned with IBM and Citigroup, and now she works with one of them (I forget which one). Also, the corporate world looks favorably upon engineers. Also, if you want to go into business make sure you take some economics courses.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Well, the truth is, when you're talking about elite investment banks, the strength of your overall school matters more than the strength of your engineering program. Whether you think that's fair or not fair, it's the truth. Purdue, for example, is an excellent engineering school, but relatively few of its engineering students become bankers. Harvard is clearly one of the premier launching pads for investment bankers, regardless of what you major is. </p>

<p>This gets to another point I've made here rather often on CC, which is that the quality of the individual programs don't matter all that much when you are an undergrad, as most people will not actually work in the field in which they majored in. For example, few history majors actually become professional historians. Few sociology majors actually become professional sociologists. And the truth is, from the very top schools, not that many engineering students will work as engineers for more than a few years. Many of the top engineering students will immediately switch to consulting or banking or other such business functions, and of the rest, many of them will eventually do so, often times through the MBA.</p>

[epoch_dreams]

<p>A lot of people have been doing everything BUT answering the OP's question. I'm not here to ask you why it is you want to switch into banking/consulting. Who doesn't these days? If you're smart enough to be an engineer and you have decent interpersonal skills; I think banking/consulting is an excellent career to think about.</p>

<p>I myself, thanks to alumni connections from my college, have to talked to a few current executives at certain firms including citigroup and goldman. The people I specifically spoke with, were, as a matter of fact former engineers. They worked in the area for several years before transitioning into banking. Through my family, I also know someone who worked as a process design engineer for 5 years and he is an executive a chemical engineering company who decided not to choose banking. These people have conveyed to me what I am about to tell you.</p>

<p>As an engineer, you have a leg up on your GMAT's. People with quantitative skills just do better on the exams. Top MBA programs love engineers. As a matter of fact, the percentage of engineers at top MBA programs is quite astounding. A LOT of engineers get into top programs.</p>

<p>Grades become obsolete and MBA programs seldom look at grades unless your applying to an MBA program with little to no work experience (which is a bad idea and almost no one gets in with no work experience). It is important for you to understand that MBA programs care mostly about work experience and GMAT scores. Like in everything, exceptions are made they are rare.</p>

<p>Top MBA programs typically look for candidates anywhere between 4-6 years of experience. Your best bet is to work as a biomed. engineer for this amount of time, do well in your GMAT's and then you will get into a top 12 MBA program. </p>

<p>Hey, if you can handle engineering at GTECH, you can do this.</p>

<p>You don't have to get into a Harvard/Wharton/Sloan/Stanford/Columbia MBA program. There are many other excellent programs that aren't quite as competitive like Yale/Cornell/Tuck/Chicago (still competitive of course). Once you get into these MBA programs, as long as you don't screw up and take advantage of their excellent career services centers (and work on your interview skills), you should be able to start as an ASSOCIATE at an I-bank.</p>

<p>Starting of as an associate at a consulting company is more competitive.</p>

<p>So don't try and immediately break into the profession as a low level analyst. You can get in later through an MBA program which you have plenty of time to prepare from.</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

[Wildflower]

<p>"So don't try and immediately break into the profession as a low level analyst. You can get in later through an MBA program which you have plenty of time to prepare from."</p>

<p>I completely agree with this. You will be dealing with less BS, since you are not the lowest of the lowest. You will also be on a career path (with the opportunity to being promoted beyond 3rd year analyst).</p>

<p>However, from different conversations I've had with different people in NY (major firms), being a former analyst seems to establish credibility when seeking an associate internship out of b-school -- you've been there and done that. It sounded as if they interview better, too. But then again, one of the guys that told me this (VP) entered I-banking for the first time after earning his Harvard MBA. </p>

<p>Bottom line: if you want to enter I-banking, then try and enter I-banking. You can always try to get an analyst job right now, but chances are you won't get one. If you do, all the better. Why waste 7 years in engineering if you want an investment banking career?</p>

[LoJT]

<p>EDIT tenchar</p>