What’s up, peoples. The email below is from another software developer who feels like he’s destined to be in that career for the rest of his life. He’s got an interest in doing an MBA and has asked me for some advice on how to approach the application process. I can’t say that the advice I’m giving is the perfect way to go about it, but I hope he finds what I have to say useful.
——–
SB wrote:
“Dear Marquis
You’re web blog is really amazing, and I admire you for spending your own free time to create it and help others.
Just recently I have been slowly losing my mind in the techie world. I have been working at [COMPANY NAME HIDDEN], a videogame company, for 2 years now, and
I am realizing that I might be labeled as a software developer/programmer for the rest of my life! I posted my resume on some job sites, and in just a matter of days, i
recieved dozens of calls for programming/software jobs, the same field that i am losing passion for. This made me realize that I needed to make some changes!
Doing my MBA has always been at the back of my mind, but now i am very seriously considering it. It would be a great experience, and the more i learn about it, the more interested i become.
I always thought that i was lacking management experience to even apply for an MBA, but it seems like your web blog says otherwise, which gives me more confidence.
I’m 25 years old, I have a computer science degree (major in software engineering) and a minor degree in mathematics, from McGill university (Canada). I graduated in 2006 with a 3.55 / 4.0 GPA 2 years work experience when june 2008 arrives, 1 year internship experience while i was in school
My current plan is to leave my job when my project is done (september 2008) and concentrate more on my GMAT and applications that are due in feb, no idea if this is a good approach, what do u think? I know these questions are hard for you to answer coach, but any helpful insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for your time!
peace
-SB
P.S This is how i’m starting to feel whenever I’m in front of my
computer doing some ‘programming’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxtyisoNBaI”
——–
My response:
SB,
Thanks for checking out my blog and sending me your question. As you know, I totally understand what you’re going through feeling stuck in the tech world and I commend you for making the decision to move out of it after only a couple of years. It took me four years to get on the MBA application bus and I probably should have applied a couple of years earlier. I especially remember the frustration of being considered to be a viable candidate for only programming jobs when business is where your interest is. Whew, seems like it was only yesterday that I was in your shoes…
First off, I’m a big fan of your plan to get an MBA and, from what you told me about your profile, you’ve got the foundation for a good business school application. Now, you’ve just got to get that GMAT over with and you’ll be ready to apply…but I DON’T think you should leave your job in order to focus on the GMAT and your applications. That might be a good idea in theory, but people apply to business school while working all the time, which shows that you don’t need to leave your job in order to put together a good app. And, thinking more practically, what happens if you don’t get accepted into any of your target schools? If that happens, you’ll be unemployed and will have to search for another job to cover your bills while you reapply to business school. Plus, you’d be out there on the job market having to explain a significant gap in your work experience. I realize that this is a work-case scenario, but it never hurts to think about the extreme downside and do whatever possible to avoid it.
Instead of leaving your job in September, I’d suggest doing the following:
- Start studying for the GMAT immediately –> You already know that an MBA in your future and the GMAT is something that you’ve got to get through, so you might as well tackle it as soon as possible. If you’re planning on applying in the Fall, you’ve got about 5-6 months until the schools release their latest set of applications. So, why not begin the GMAT prep right now? You could either sign up for a prep course or buy a couple of self-study guides, but I’d highly recommend that you take advantage of this headstart available to you right now.
- Take the GMAT sometime over the summer –> Many applicants tell me that one of the most challenging parts of applying to Bschool is having to take the GMAT while writing application essays. In your case, you’ve got an opportunity to avoid that by taking the test before the upcoming year’s apps are ever released. It might be a pain to worry about studying and stressing over the test during your summer, but you’ll thank me later when you’re avoiding the stress that other applicants will face by waiting until the Fall to take it. In my case, I’d taken the GMAT a couple of years before applying and doing so saved me a whole lot of pain during the process.
- Apply for Round 1 in the Fall –> If you follow the first two steps in this plan, you’ll have your GMAT score in hand by August/September, so you might as well apply for Round 1 at all your target schools. I’d guess that the “official word” on the timing of an application is that you’ve got just as good a chance at getting in whether you apply in Round 1 or 2. With that said, it never hurts to get the process out of the way early. When I was applying, I believed that I had to do all of my applications in Round 1 because I wanted to be a part of the group that set the standard for the incoming class, rather than possibly being compared to the group that were admitted in the previous round. I’m not saying that this is THE WAY to look at it, but it made sense to me back in 2003 when I was in your shoes.
With this plan, you’re not guaranteed to gain admission to business school, but it does allow you to spread out the work you’d have to put into applying and provides you with some financial protection just in case it doesn’t work out.
Take care and good luck with your business school applications.
-Marquis
P.S. That YouTube clip was HILARIOUS!!! I’ve definitely got to pass that one along to some of my friends.
——–
SB wrote:
“Dear Marquis
You’re web blog is really amazing, and I admire you for spending your own free time to create it and help others.
Just recently I have been slowly losing my mind in the techie world. I have been working at [COMPANY NAME HIDDEN], a videogame company, for 2 years now, and
I am realizing that I might be labeled as a software developer/programmer for the rest of my life! I posted my resume on some job sites, and in just a matter of days, i
recieved dozens of calls for programming/software jobs, the same field that i am losing passion for. This made me realize that I needed to make some changes!
Doing my MBA has always been at the back of my mind, but now i am very seriously considering it. It would be a great experience, and the more i learn about it, the more interested i become.
I always thought that i was lacking management experience to even apply for an MBA, but it seems like your web blog says otherwise, which gives me more confidence.
I’m 25 years old, I have a computer science degree (major in software engineering) and a minor degree in mathematics, from McGill university (Canada). I graduated in 2006 with a 3.55 / 4.0 GPA 2 years work experience when june 2008 arrives, 1 year internship experience while i was in school
My current plan is to leave my job when my project is done (september 2008) and concentrate more on my GMAT and applications that are due in feb, no idea if this is a good approach, what do u think? I know these questions are hard for you to answer coach, but any helpful insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for your time!
peace
-SB
P.S This is how i’m starting to feel whenever I’m in front of my
computer doing some ‘programming’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxtyisoNBaI”
——–
My response:
SB,
Thanks for checking out my blog and sending me your question. As you know, I totally understand what you’re going through feeling stuck in the tech world and I commend you for making the decision to move out of it after only a couple of years. It took me four years to get on the MBA application bus and I probably should have applied a couple of years earlier. I especially remember the frustration of being considered to be a viable candidate for only programming jobs when business is where your interest is. Whew, seems like it was only yesterday that I was in your shoes…
First off, I’m a big fan of your plan to get an MBA and, from what you told me about your profile, you’ve got the foundation for a good business school application. Now, you’ve just got to get that GMAT over with and you’ll be ready to apply…but I DON’T think you should leave your job in order to focus on the GMAT and your applications. That might be a good idea in theory, but people apply to business school while working all the time, which shows that you don’t need to leave your job in order to put together a good app. And, thinking more practically, what happens if you don’t get accepted into any of your target schools? If that happens, you’ll be unemployed and will have to search for another job to cover your bills while you reapply to business school. Plus, you’d be out there on the job market having to explain a significant gap in your work experience. I realize that this is a work-case scenario, but it never hurts to think about the extreme downside and do whatever possible to avoid it.
Instead of leaving your job in September, I’d suggest doing the following:
- Start studying for the GMAT immediately –> You already know that an MBA in your future and the GMAT is something that you’ve got to get through, so you might as well tackle it as soon as possible. If you’re planning on applying in the Fall, you’ve got about 5-6 months until the schools release their latest set of applications. So, why not begin the GMAT prep right now? You could either sign up for a prep course or buy a couple of self-study guides, but I’d highly recommend that you take advantage of this headstart available to you right now.
- Take the GMAT sometime over the summer –> Many applicants tell me that one of the most challenging parts of applying to Bschool is having to take the GMAT while writing application essays. In your case, you’ve got an opportunity to avoid that by taking the test before the upcoming year’s apps are ever released. It might be a pain to worry about studying and stressing over the test during your summer, but you’ll thank me later when you’re avoiding the stress that other applicants will face by waiting until the Fall to take it. In my case, I’d taken the GMAT a couple of years before applying and doing so saved me a whole lot of pain during the process.
- Apply for Round 1 in the Fall –> If you follow the first two steps in this plan, you’ll have your GMAT score in hand by August/September, so you might as well apply for Round 1 at all your target schools. I’d guess that the “official word” on the timing of an application is that you’ve got just as good a chance at getting in whether you apply in Round 1 or 2. With that said, it never hurts to get the process out of the way early. When I was applying, I believed that I had to do all of my applications in Round 1 because I wanted to be a part of the group that set the standard for the incoming class, rather than possibly being compared to the group that were admitted in the previous round. I’m not saying that this is THE WAY to look at it, but it made sense to me back in 2003 when I was in your shoes.
With this plan, you’re not guaranteed to gain admission to business school, but it does allow you to spread out the work you’d have to put into applying and provides you with some financial protection just in case it doesn’t work out.
Take care and good luck with your business school applications.
-Marquis
P.S. That YouTube clip was HILARIOUS!!! I’ve definitely got to pass that one along to some of my friends.
Marquis,
The pro bono blogging guidance that you offer here is awesome and very helpful. THANK YOU and God bless you brotha.
Peace