Switching careers pre-MBA to entry-level role in tech

I would not recommend it for a couple of reasons. First, although it would be less of an issue for European schools (which tend to skew a bit older) top US b-schools are typically looking for applicants who have 3-5 years of experience upon matriculation. You're in a good spot now with 4 years (which would put you at the 5 year mark if you apply this fall & start in 2020) but if you wait & get another job -- and then give yourself at least a year or two in that new job so you can demonstrate some meaningful accomplishments -- you're going to end up being quite a bit on the older end, which will hurt your candidacy. Second, as you point out, this transition will likely mean taking a step down, which will also hurt your candidacy. The adcom wants to see career progression and is unlikely to be forgiving of a step backwards. Taking a step down will also hurt your ability to show meaningful accomplishments (since you'll be more junior) which will be a strike against you as well. That said, you really don't need this tech experience prior to applying. Many people use b-school as a chance to make a career change, and the idea is that once armed with an MBA you will be prepared for a more senior role than you could secure right now. As long as you've done enough research on the industry to be able to make a compelling case for the work you want to do post-MBA it's totally fine if you don't actually have tech experience. You will want to be sure to do your homework though. Saying you want to be a product manager at a tech firm is still quite broad. They'll want to know your 2-3 target firms & the specific type of product you hope to work on. You'll not only want to be ready to speak to the big trends expected to impact that type of product/that niche within the tech industry & what that translates to in terms of challenges & opportunities for companies in that space. That will then allow you to paint a picture of the unique impact you plan to have in the ST & LT as you tackle those problems & take advantage of those opportunities. It's critical to be specific though like I said - there are a lot of different tech products out there & you'll have a much different argument if you are talking about working on a product like gmail vs. a product in the self-driving car space or iOT.

I hope that helps! If you have more questions feel free to reach out to us directly. Claudia at claudia@admissionado.com can set you up with a free consultation with one of our MBA Consultants for a free consultation.

That's very helpful, thanks Jon!

Happy to help!