Typical Post-MBA Career Paths for Manufacturing Engineer

Question

I have heard and read about many finance or related fields going into IB, consulting, or transitioning into hedge funds and PE, but I have heard that MBA programs also value engineers in the mix of their entering class. For manufacturing engineers that graduate from top 15 MBAs, other than shifting into consulting, entrepreneurship, or pursuing a program management role at a tech company, what are some post-MBA careers that manufacturing engineers pursue?

I ask because I have heard that changing industries is not the best course of action for employment or even admission, so (since an MBA is a business degree) I was wondering what paths manufacturing engineers have open to them that give the admissions committee confidence/assurance that the candidate will find a job after graduation.

ConsultMasaki · Answer

Hi there, MBA programs do indeed value engineers, and I have worked with multiple engineer clients on their business school applications. Consulting, entrepreneurship, tech product management are common post-MBA goals, but it's not as if there are cookie-cutter answers that schools expect from applicants to the question why an MBA. What they care about is that whatever your post-MBA goal is, it needs to be realistic. Of course the closer you already are to that goal, the more "realistic" it is. But the reality is that most applicants apply to business school precisely because they want to switch careers, whether that is function, industry, or both (which is the most challenging). But I have also worked with some who didn't want a career switch at all, and just wanted an MBA to prepare themselves for more managerial responsibilities. All are totally legit reasons to pursue an MBA. The key is, the more you can articulate your plan on how exactly you are going to get there, the more convincing (realistic) you will be in the eyes of adcom. So you should be able to explain in detail what that plan entails. E.g., Which sub-sector of tech? Which company? Which product in particular? Why? Is there anything you’ve done so far that demonstrates your aptitude for this? Otherwise, why would you be the one to seize that opportunity? Or fill that market need? Why, and how would an MBA help you get there? Engineers whose applications are successful have solid narratives that answer all the above, and more, demonstrating their aptitudes for whatever it is that they want to do.

You can read more about career changers and technical job-specific challenges on my website/blog.

You can read more about career changers and technical job-specific challenges on my website/blog.

ExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hello  TheAspirantMBA ,

Apologies for the delayed response here.

While a career shift is possible, you are correct in understanding that a sync between your background and career goals is very often considered desirable.

To answer your question, manufacturing engineers often move into Operations, Project Management, or Supply Chain roles. That being said, you must always try your best to build a convincing argument for the goal that really lies close to your heart.

All the best!

Typical Post-MBA Career Paths for Manufacturing Engineer

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