GMAT Forum
4 postsPage 1 of 1
- Sandeep
Which school is better?
Hi Alex,>> I have been thinking about pursuing a MBA degree for a long time > now, but never really got around to doing it. At my current age, 37, > I feel I am too old to pursue a full-time degree and don't feel > like giving up two years of earnings. I have a MS in Civil > Engineering with 6 years of experience in Civil Engineering and > about 8 years of experience in IT. I also have 2 years of > entreprenurial experience. Currently, I work in the Dallas area and > was looking at the options available:>> 1. UT Austin DFW program: General Management on every other weekend. > This is not the typical EMBA program becuase the class profile is > much younger. Also there are no electives. Cost 80K>> 2. SMU PMBA or EMBA : PMBA allows you to take electives> Cost 80K>> 3. Cornell-Queens EMBA: This is a new program from Cornell. 6-8 > students at each vide0-conferencing location. More like an EMBA > program. Cost 100K>> 4. UTDallas : Cost 20-25K but not very recognized.>> I would like to get your input on these programs and which would be > better suited for me.>> Thanks> Sandeep
- MBAApply
Why are you doing an MBA? Without knowing why you want a degree at this point in your life and what you want to do with it (knowing what you DON'T want isn't the same as knowing what you want -- and the latter is far more constructive to know), it's hard to really give you any concrete advice. You may not even need an MBA.
Keep in mind that a lot of it comes down to personal circumstances and that elusive "fit" - different individuals will need different things. Getting an MBA isn't like buying a new router or a new appliance at Best Buy where you can create some "spec sheet" to compare side by side and rank order "features" you like.
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com
Keep in mind that a lot of it comes down to personal circumstances and that elusive "fit" - different individuals will need different things. Getting an MBA isn't like buying a new router or a new appliance at Best Buy where you can create some "spec sheet" to compare side by side and rank order "features" you like.
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com
- Sandeep
Which school is better?
Alex, Thanks for the quick reply. Whereas, I am not totally decided as to what I want from an MBA, I am not totally clueless either. Let me first start by saying that I have no aspirations to get into Investment Banking or Strategy Consulting(the work would be very interesting but at my stage in life I would not be able to handle the travel) and the idea of starting from scratch is not very appealing. This is one reason why it really does not matter that I apply to the slite Top 10 B schools which are typically feeders. Having worked in IT and Engineering (technical) fields, I would like to leverage that experience into fields like Technology Strategy (and be the bridge between the technical side and the business side). I also would be interested in working for Internal Strategy Departments at Corporations but I am not sure if they require a few years of experience in the Top Tier Strategy Consulting Companies or degrees from Top B schools.
The UT Austin and Cornell Programs in the DFW area are certainly reputable but with a General Management focus ( no electives), the PT program at SMU is looks very well rounded but a step below in reputation of the first two schools. The program at UT Dallas seems to be very good if I just wanted to continue with IT, but a rung below SMU's reputation.
Your thoughts..
The UT Austin and Cornell Programs in the DFW area are certainly reputable but with a General Management focus ( no electives), the PT program at SMU is looks very well rounded but a step below in reputation of the first two schools. The program at UT Dallas seems to be very good if I just wanted to continue with IT, but a rung below SMU's reputation.
Your thoughts..
- MBAApply
Well, it sounds like you're choosing between UT and Cornell. Again, I'm not sure why the concern with electives (you may be drinking the MBA marketing kool-aid...). An MBA degree is by its very nature a general management degree.
Anyhow, again it comes down to where you want to live or settle down longer term - if Texas is your most likely home in the short- and medium-term, then it makes sense to do your MBA in Texas (i.e. get into the best EMBA/Part-time MBA in Texas that is convenient for you in terms of location). If you're looking to go east, then Cornell may make more sense. Also, your goals are a little vague anyhow - you really need to do more research into the kinds of business-oriented jobs at large tech firms -- "technology strategy" and "internal strategy" sounds sexier and more substantive than it really is (and these jobs are typically filled with ex-management consultants) - problem with these jobs is that you're not really contributing anything tangible and the growth within the firms are very limited. There are product manager jobs, business development (sales), and so forth - jobs that have a more direct revenue impact.
My suggestion is to go to your local library and get the Vault.com career guides and do a bit more research into what it is you want to do.
In any organization, you are either "making" the product (tech: engineers), or you're "selling" it (tech: sales/bus dev, product mgmt). If you're neither (accounting/finance, HR, corporate strategy, etc.) you are overhead - your job is to support the makers and sellers.
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com
Anyhow, again it comes down to where you want to live or settle down longer term - if Texas is your most likely home in the short- and medium-term, then it makes sense to do your MBA in Texas (i.e. get into the best EMBA/Part-time MBA in Texas that is convenient for you in terms of location). If you're looking to go east, then Cornell may make more sense. Also, your goals are a little vague anyhow - you really need to do more research into the kinds of business-oriented jobs at large tech firms -- "technology strategy" and "internal strategy" sounds sexier and more substantive than it really is (and these jobs are typically filled with ex-management consultants) - problem with these jobs is that you're not really contributing anything tangible and the growth within the firms are very limited. There are product manager jobs, business development (sales), and so forth - jobs that have a more direct revenue impact.
My suggestion is to go to your local library and get the Vault.com career guides and do a bit more research into what it is you want to do.
In any organization, you are either "making" the product (tech: engineers), or you're "selling" it (tech: sales/bus dev, product mgmt). If you're neither (accounting/finance, HR, corporate strategy, etc.) you are overhead - your job is to support the makers and sellers.
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com
4 posts Page 1 of 1