There are other “in” MBA post graduate programs as well
If you thought that every CSE engineer prefers IT as his/her MBA post graduate program, then think again as there are others such as Marketing, Finance, and even Supply Chain Management that are rated highly by experts and even by prospective fresh MBA post-graduates.
The above thought is fits in well with analogies of career counsellors who believe that engineering as a subject of study is taken by students due to parental and peer pressures; here, it is worth remembering that the interest of a majority of these students lies in Management.
Recent MBA post-graduates believe that the ideal scenario would be to opt for a branch such as Supply Chain Management and Logistics in case somebody has an avid interest in getting into management roles. Opting for branches such as marketing and finances also secures a job at the management level after attaining desirable (based on what the company heads think) level of work experience
Follow your graduate academic skills; don’t isolate them
There are also off-beat aspects which involve you juggling dual roles whilst completely utilising your academic skillsets. Field Application Engineering and Technical Sales is one example wherein you explore your technical as well as business side.
“Field application engineering is not exactly a sales job, here you give correct explanations and solutions for the clients to understand the product, acting as an engineer,” states Utsava Rathi who works as a Manager at job search engine Neuvoo. Utsava closely analyses the FAE industry.
As a Field Application Engineer (FAE) your pre-requisites are designing (both hardware and software), along with VHDL, C, and more. More generalised skillsets would be effective communication and presentation skills. All these in tandem potentially ensure that you are in a level playing field in an industry that is slightly unconventional.
Experts also advise fresh CSE graduates to consider an MBA in Marketing and apply at different software firms that hire for their technical marketing teams. Software marketing and sales is a lucrative career in the west and is now catching up in India as well. However, the catch here is that this field requires readiness for working in a target-oriented system and in pure physical sales domains that require constant travelling and meeting people.
“I have personally guided software engineers, having avid interest in sales, towards this domain. It is also vital that engineers apply for MBA programmes after acquiring a couple of years of work experience in an industry related to their academic degree,” adds Dr Radhakrishna who also suggests that this process would guarantee optimal growth and career progression.
Finally, you are your own judge
Despite experts advising you to take up MBA programs that are in sync with your computer science graduate skills, you are free to choose what you are good at. Remember that it is never too late to pursue your interests. There is wide scope for all branches of MBA. You could also choose offbeat aspects like Finance in case you prefer to work as an Accounts/Finance Manager across organisations.
With an MBA you could also start a venture on your own; most of the startup owners today are young MBA post-graduates having studied engineering at the graduate level. Do keep in mind that it does not hurt to follow your dreams, even if it has consumed your graduate life.
Major contributors to the story
| Dr Ali Khwaja | Founder and Chairman of Bengaluru-based Banjara Academy, and expert career counsellor |
| Harish Babu | Trainer and technology consultant, at KEONICS, working with Govt. of Karnataka on its IT reachability programs |
| Dr. Radhakrishnan HK | Bengaluru-based career counsellor and expert |
| Utsava Rathi | Manager at job search engine Neuvoo |
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Other Bengaluru-based career counsellors who requested annonymity |
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Written by Rahul R, Senior Technical Journalist at EFY
