MBA after PhD

Question

Hi,

I hold a PhD and am seeking your opinion on a one yr MBA with a view of getting a consulting role after that.

B. Engineering (Top 10 school in India)
M. Engineering (Singapore)
Ph.D (Singapore)

Work experience of 11 yrs in public/govt. sectors: role involves due diligence on investment potential of latest technologies - primarily in energy, environment, climate change and manufacturing sectors.

I am starting to prepare for GMAT now and hoping to start MBA in 2017 or 2018 - I will be approaching 40 yrs by then.

My questions are (considering that I only worked in govt. sector and not in corporate world)
1. How difficult is it to get a consulting role after one yr MBA for a person who has no corporate experience
2. One yr MBA (in the next couple of yrs) Vs. EMBA (at a later time , 40yrs + )
3. What GMAT score should I target

Motivation for MBA: Career progression and changing job to corporate sector from government sector.

Appreciate your comments. Thanks,

cico09 · Answer

Hi , Great question and I will do my best to give you an objective opinion. The mature students in MBA topic has been discussed extensively everywhere on internet. But MBA is a personal journey, the situation is different for every late 30's applicant. I will give you my background: 1. 35 years old male currently in technology side of hedge fund (Yes, the famous back office. Money and works hours are OK, but you do have less say) 2. Past experience includes boring technology shop (think HP, IBM), quantitative modelling, strategy consulting and running my own IT consulting shop for couple years. 3. Married with 2 kids (2nd one coming end of the year) 4. Two master degrees (can't turn down free education :lol:

) from top universities in Canada Based on my profile, everyone thinks I am crazy to quit my job. Too old, too many degrees, too many kids. MBA is a young man/lady's game. But I know I need the MBA to do the geography change that I have always dreamed off . This is the key to my application. You need to "convince" yourself first when you apply for MBA. Otherwise, you have even less of a chance convincing the adcom about your motivation and credential. At your late 30's, you need to work with your family first to figure out if you are willing to risk a stable and pensionable job for a chance to do the career switch. MBA at INSEAD will be a life changing experience, but you also need to be realistic about the ROI at your age. Just remember, you can take the same 70K euro and bet on something crazy to hit the jackpot. At the end of day, your MBA degree usually opens the door about once or twice in your life time. After that, you are just another person with an MBA degree. You might be bored at your public sector job, but you will have different perspective when you work 70 hours a week and don't have time to read bedtime stories to your kid. Remember, the grass is always greener on the other side. If you have read this far, I have failed to steer you away and you are probably very serious about MBA. Here are some further thoughts: Coming from a public sector background, your #1 priority is to convince the potential employer that you are wiling to work real hours. (I am not sure about public sector work in Asia, but I would expect a pretty light schedule where you don't have clients yelling at you for missing the deadline.) Unfortunately this is the label that everyone will put on you when your resume is screened. I know I am always skeptical about the work ethics of public sector workers in my country. EMBA V.S. MBA, If you are sponsored for the education, then I will do EMBA so you don't have to interrupt your career and family life. Otherwise, MBA is way more useful for recruitment, career changing and lifelong friendship. GMAT Score - anywhere between 700 - 750 is sufficient. Anything higher than that won't help your admission chance anyway. And one last thing, you should take GMAT in the next couple month and apply for the 17J class immediately, the MBA game is similar to most professional sports. It's a young man/woman's league and only gets tougher every year for old folgies like you and me. Good luck with your application.

PhDnowMBA · Answer

Hi, Thanks a lot for the detailed message. It feels like my mirror is talking to me

and the mirror is very articulate. The MBA decision is pending since UG when I suddenly stopped preparing for MBA when I got excited about R&D. The key points I have to further think about are: 1. Convince the b-school and also the potential employer that I am hard working - I did a PhD while on a full time job, working in free time and evenings/weekends for my Thesis. 2. Get a good GMAT score "asap" So, right now, its Target GMAT! I am not worried about ROI. Cost comparison wise, the MBA would cost me the same as a Car in Singapore (on road price). The only difference is, I will drive the car for 10 yrs

and the MBA is for one year (rest of the life actually). The opportunity cost is not included here, but I am okay with it. Thanks again,

cico09 · Answer

Great, get the GMAt out of the way and start working on your application theme.

With an PhD in Engineering, it's just an formality for GMAT anyway. If you had GRE, that may be sufficient anyway.

Good luck with the application to ISNEAD and feel free to PM me if you have any questions on the application process.

Hopefully, I will see you in Singapore next year.

Coachmba · Answer

Let me give you further details ...

Consulting - the high end is not an easy job wherever in the world.. its loads of work hours .. travel, flight, deck prep and managing team to deliver.. you have to count at least 12+ hours assuming you are super smart.. considering that you are switching career, this may go high...

at 40s.. if you are married or have kids that require assistance, wife/husband that requires more time from you.. then you better avoid consulting job profile.. and the same goes for Inv. Banks, Private equity, Venture capital, funds..

It's not about convincing someone of your talent .. its about whats good for you in life.. at the end of the day..

so you may want to rethink your strategy.. I know some guys beyond 45 enjoy consulting wherin their kids are above adolescent age and no one wants your assistance .. like, if your kids are 15+

you need to think on what you want in life .. why consulting and how it suits your family situation, etc..

PhDnowMBA · Answer

Hi, Thanks both for the message. If I can run away from my spouse for a few extra hours, that's motivation enough

for a consulting career ! Jokes apart, I have just written a one page essay to understand what I want out of an MBA and why now, just for the heck of it. I love the game and I am in it

Cheers,

bb · Answer

MBA after PhD

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