An engineer's MBA

My foray into the industry began as a software engineer. Most MBA applicants have backgrounds in finance/banking/consulting. During my application process, I was confronted with many questions about my background- ranging from "Are engineers at a disadvantage while applying to MBA schools?" to "Does my engineer background help in my MBA?". Simply because, I could not see a one-to-one mapping between what I did at work to the courses and work in an MBA or post MBA. Well, that would make my life tough. Furthermore, bschools do not assess your skills prior to application. I had to rely on business week forums, online research to decide how to confront these questions. After spending a month pouring over these forums and talking to some people, I was relieved. There are several folks who have crossed this path. If you are a software engineer like me, don't be tense. Here are a few guidelines:

1) Beyond Coding/programming/whatever : What have you done that goes beyond coding? I am sure that as an engineer, you are not simply coding in the corner. You have to present,defend and build your ideas. Sometimes, you may have done project management as well. How about process defining, formulation and actually implementing it in a team? Make a list of all such things and think about you will convey these.

2) High level picture: Present a high level picture of the things that you have done. You are the CEO of your own work. Go beyond "developing systems" to thinking about "why this system was built? What role does it play?What's the impact of this system?" and mention those things in your application.

3) IT language: that's a no-no. MBA application is not your project report. Avoid using too much IT talk. Instead of saying "built a client server front end module to retrieve HR database records from some system", use laymen language that is easier to understand. Include other elements of your project. Did you lead a team while doing this project? Did you manage or direct other for their tasks? Now, how about "Managed a team of 3 to develop a HR system with client server functionality".

4) Write those numbers: Did your work improve productivity, caused an increase in sales or revenue, impacted your company positively? Get those stats in your resume. When someone else is reading your resume, these will help them to easily quantify your impact.

5) Communicate well: The general assumption is that engineers are 'ok' or 'not so good' at their verbal skills. If you are not constrained by this assumption, then you should present your application clearly and convincingly. Outside, you might keep yourself out of bschool.

Last, but not the least, being an "XYZ engineer" is your biggest advantage, and will help you to stand out from the pool of i-bankers, consultants, finance specialists applying to b-school. Engineer an articulate and convincing application.