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Nov 2007:30 AM PST
-08:30 AM PST
Learn what truly sets the UC Riverside MBA apart and how it helps in your professional growth
kryzak
Major Poster
Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Last visit: 10 Aug 2013
Posts: 5,452
Given Kudos: 14
Status:Um... what do you want to know?
Location: SF, CA, USA
Concentration: Technology, Entrepreneurship, Digital Media & Entertainment
Schools:UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA 2010
GPA: 3.9 - undergrad 3.6 - grad-EE
WE 1: Social Gaming
25 Apr 2010, 13:20
Kudos
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Getting into a tech company
In terms of MBAs looking to get into tech, the biggest advantage you have is a technical background. Whether it's an engineering, sciences, and computer science degree(s), or you've worked at a tech company before business school, as product managers, product marketing managers, BD, or strategy role. I split everyone into the following 4 categories:
With a previous role in tech company:
Having been a PM/PMM/BD at tech company, with a tech background, means you are not doing a career switch mostly likely, or you're only doing a functional switch after your MBA. Your chances are very high that you can make the move, as you can leverage your previous background in tech (whether it's leading a product to launch, looking at the long term strategy of a tech company, or managing engineers/developers). Many people I know switched from a B2B tech company to a B2C one, or from traditional tech (think Intel, Symantec, Cypress Semiconductors) to digital media (think Facebook, Apple, Google).
Having a tech background but no previous work experience in the business area:
If you have a tech background, and worked in something completely different before (consulting, finance, aerospace/defense, etc...), then your job is a little harder, but not too difficult. Your key strength is your understanding of technology (or at least pretending to based on your undergraduate degree
), knowing how to work with tech people, and being able to bridge the gap between the tech features of a product and the value proposition to the customers. Most pure engineers only think in terms of features and adding as many cool tech into a product as possible. Your job is to convince the recruiters/hiring managers that you are "beyond" that, and can convince engineers/developers to not only think about the features, but also how to market/sell the product and what strategies you should take.
During the interviews, companies usually look for how well you work with people, how fast you think (some brain teaser questions), how you solve mini-business cases, and what project management skills you can bring to the table. I fell into this category, and found myself selling my ability to manage tight/fast projects, work with lots of engineers, work cross-functionally (with finance, HR, ops, etc...), and can think strategically. If you can convince them that you have the necessary fundamental skills and can learn fast, you are golden.
Having no tech background and previous work experience in the tech industry:
These include all the "poets" who worked either as marketing, finance, or consulted for a tech company. While you don't have a tech background to rely on, hopefully you have a strong understanding of the tech industry and the general issues that plague management. If you can continue your knowledge of the industry, or develop new knowledge for an adjacent tech industry you want to get into, then you can weave a credible story to the recruiters and convince them that you can hit the ground running, work with tech people, and solve tough business questions.
Having no tech background and no work experience in tech:
By far the toughest route, but not impossible. The key is to COMPLETELY immerse yourself in tech once you get to school. Read all the blogs, attend conferences in the tech field you're interested in, join all the tech clubs, run for leadership in the tech clubs, put together tech conferences at your school, do an independent study on a tech topic, take all the technology related business classes, heck, maybe even take a course at the engineering/computer science division at your school, etc... The point is, EAT AND BREATHE tech for your two years at bschool, and your knowledge of the industry, especially the one you're interested in, will shine through when you have conversations with recruiters and during an interview. You will still need some luck in beating the other candidates with tech backgrounds, but hopefully all your hard work will put you on even ground going into the interview.
In terms of MBAs looking to get into tech, the biggest advantage you have is a technical background. Whether it's an engineering, sciences, and computer science degree(s), or you've worked at a tech company before business school, as product managers, product marketing managers, BD, or strategy role. I split everyone into the following 4 categories:
With a previous role in tech company:
Having been a PM/PMM/BD at tech company, with a tech background, means you are not doing a career switch mostly likely, or you're only doing a functional switch after your MBA. Your chances are very high that you can make the move, as you can leverage your previous background in tech (whether it's leading a product to launch, looking at the long term strategy of a tech company, or managing engineers/developers). Many people I know switched from a B2B tech company to a B2C one, or from traditional tech (think Intel, Symantec, Cypress Semiconductors) to digital media (think Facebook, Apple, Google).
Having a tech background but no previous work experience in the business area:
If you have a tech background, and worked in something completely different before (consulting, finance, aerospace/defense, etc...), then your job is a little harder, but not too difficult. Your key strength is your understanding of technology (or at least pretending to based on your undergraduate degree
), knowing how to work with tech people, and being able to bridge the gap between the tech features of a product and the value proposition to the customers. Most pure engineers only think in terms of features and adding as many cool tech into a product as possible. Your job is to convince the recruiters/hiring managers that you are "beyond" that, and can convince engineers/developers to not only think about the features, but also how to market/sell the product and what strategies you should take. During the interviews, companies usually look for how well you work with people, how fast you think (some brain teaser questions), how you solve mini-business cases, and what project management skills you can bring to the table. I fell into this category, and found myself selling my ability to manage tight/fast projects, work with lots of engineers, work cross-functionally (with finance, HR, ops, etc...), and can think strategically. If you can convince them that you have the necessary fundamental skills and can learn fast, you are golden.
Having no tech background and previous work experience in the tech industry:
These include all the "poets" who worked either as marketing, finance, or consulted for a tech company. While you don't have a tech background to rely on, hopefully you have a strong understanding of the tech industry and the general issues that plague management. If you can continue your knowledge of the industry, or develop new knowledge for an adjacent tech industry you want to get into, then you can weave a credible story to the recruiters and convince them that you can hit the ground running, work with tech people, and solve tough business questions.
Having no tech background and no work experience in tech:
By far the toughest route, but not impossible. The key is to COMPLETELY immerse yourself in tech once you get to school. Read all the blogs, attend conferences in the tech field you're interested in, join all the tech clubs, run for leadership in the tech clubs, put together tech conferences at your school, do an independent study on a tech topic, take all the technology related business classes, heck, maybe even take a course at the engineering/computer science division at your school, etc... The point is, EAT AND BREATHE tech for your two years at bschool, and your knowledge of the industry, especially the one you're interested in, will shine through when you have conversations with recruiters and during an interview. You will still need some luck in beating the other candidates with tech backgrounds, but hopefully all your hard work will put you on even ground going into the interview.
kryzak
Major Poster
Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Last visit: 10 Aug 2013
Posts: 5,452
Given Kudos: 14
Status:Um... what do you want to know?
Location: SF, CA, USA
Concentration: Technology, Entrepreneurship, Digital Media & Entertainment
Schools:UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA 2010
GPA: 3.9 - undergrad 3.6 - grad-EE
WE 1: Social Gaming
25 Apr 2010, 13:51
Kudos
Bookmarks
Potential Tech Careers (quick summary):
Not sure what people want to see in the tech area, but here are some potential areas in tech that you can work in. By no means an exhaustive list or even industries, but just a quick start for people who are interested:
Big Traditional Tech (hardware):
These are the Intels, AMDs, Cypress Semiconductors, wireless chip providers (Qualcomm), and other hardware manufacturers. They are generally B2B companies, but you can probably lump Apple in here since their main business is the hardware, but they also fall into Digital Media and Entertainment (DME) and the B2C area too. A lot of these companies are starting to branch into DME, since that's the "hot" field that all companies are going into. Adding multimedia products and trying to get products that consumers are interested. So it's an exciting area if you get into a group that is working on a B2C product in the DME space at these companies.
They're usually not as easy to get in, since the traditional culture is still to train their engineers to become PMs. So this area usually produces those engineer PMs who go to business school to switch to B2C (see first category in previous post).
Big Traditional Tech (software):
These are the Symantec, Sybase, Microsoft (in some sense), Adobe (in some sense), VM Ware companies. They generally do enterprise software, B2B, and look for PMs who have software development background or know how to run a software development project. Companies like Microsoft and Adobe also have DME branches that focus on B2C.
Digital Media and Entertainment:
See the thread on Media and Entertainment in terms of the types of companies. A lot of traditional tech companies (HW and SW) are moving into this space. These companies probably hire the most MBAs out of all the tech industries, as the products are all about the consumer and a lot of marketing research and consumer behavior understanding is needed. Perfect type of job for MBAs of all kind.
Many of the traditional Media and Entertainment companies (film, TV, music) are adding a digital branch, which generally hires more MBAs than their traditional branch. The internet and social media space hires a lot more MBAs and most of them are in the startup area. Of course, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft dominate the internet area in terms of MBA hiring
media-and-entertainment-careers-93265.html
Tech Startups:
Mostly in the internet and social media space these days. Facebook, Zynga, StumbleUpon, and Foursquare are a few that you may hear often. These companies look for tech or "numbers" background, hiring a lot of MBAs, and generally is a great way for you to learn the industry quickly.
Clean Tech:
I don't know much about this, but lots of startups in the solar power, biofuels, and alternative energy area. Harder for MBAs to break into, especially if you don't have a tech background.
Bio Tech:
I also don't know much here, but a bio science background helps, as well as a Masters in Public Health type dual degree.
Not sure what people want to see in the tech area, but here are some potential areas in tech that you can work in. By no means an exhaustive list or even industries, but just a quick start for people who are interested:
Big Traditional Tech (hardware):
These are the Intels, AMDs, Cypress Semiconductors, wireless chip providers (Qualcomm), and other hardware manufacturers. They are generally B2B companies, but you can probably lump Apple in here since their main business is the hardware, but they also fall into Digital Media and Entertainment (DME) and the B2C area too. A lot of these companies are starting to branch into DME, since that's the "hot" field that all companies are going into. Adding multimedia products and trying to get products that consumers are interested. So it's an exciting area if you get into a group that is working on a B2C product in the DME space at these companies.
They're usually not as easy to get in, since the traditional culture is still to train their engineers to become PMs. So this area usually produces those engineer PMs who go to business school to switch to B2C (see first category in previous post).
Big Traditional Tech (software):
These are the Symantec, Sybase, Microsoft (in some sense), Adobe (in some sense), VM Ware companies. They generally do enterprise software, B2B, and look for PMs who have software development background or know how to run a software development project. Companies like Microsoft and Adobe also have DME branches that focus on B2C.
Digital Media and Entertainment:
See the thread on Media and Entertainment in terms of the types of companies. A lot of traditional tech companies (HW and SW) are moving into this space. These companies probably hire the most MBAs out of all the tech industries, as the products are all about the consumer and a lot of marketing research and consumer behavior understanding is needed. Perfect type of job for MBAs of all kind.
Many of the traditional Media and Entertainment companies (film, TV, music) are adding a digital branch, which generally hires more MBAs than their traditional branch. The internet and social media space hires a lot more MBAs and most of them are in the startup area. Of course, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft dominate the internet area in terms of MBA hiring
media-and-entertainment-careers-93265.html
Tech Startups:
Mostly in the internet and social media space these days. Facebook, Zynga, StumbleUpon, and Foursquare are a few that you may hear often. These companies look for tech or "numbers" background, hiring a lot of MBAs, and generally is a great way for you to learn the industry quickly.
Clean Tech:
I don't know much about this, but lots of startups in the solar power, biofuels, and alternative energy area. Harder for MBAs to break into, especially if you don't have a tech background.
Bio Tech:
I also don't know much here, but a bio science background helps, as well as a Masters in Public Health type dual degree.
02 Jul 2010, 23:43
Kudos
Bookmarks
NIce Info Kryzak.....Do you have information on the type of roles mobile majors (nokia, motorola) hire MBAs for?
Many thanks,
time4mba
Many thanks,
time4mba
. Could you please let me know your email id where I could send you some of my queries?
