Well, this was the first question posed to me by most of my interviewers. Expectant of the most obvious question, my modest reply was formulated beforehand.
“Yes, I deeply value my engineering background which infused in me the ability to reason, to think beyond facts and gave me a bend towards technology. However, I felt there is a need to understand how businesses operates in itself, the workflows and the processes involved before the final product is launched into the market. In short to view the bigger picture, a B–school education is a definite requirement and thus ventured into the field of Management Education”. Convincing enough, I thought to myself.
However, the next comment left me speechless. “I have received many applications with the same background, any specific reason for the similar pattern?” Hysterically, I brushed aside the question, even though it’s very common these days.
In my opinion, career growth prospects are higher for management grads as it gets difficult for growth beyond a point based on merit alone. Leadership positions require more than domain knowledge and technical expertise, they require people skills to manage their team, decision making abilities, capability to strategize etc. The management ecosystem lures you into planning, risk taking and presenting innovative ideas to a wider audience, thereby transforming you into a charismatic leader.
In pursuit to the above query, I perceive that a quick consultation with my fellow management professionals will definitely help. Share your thoughts on “why you pursued management studies after an engineering program?”
Much appreciated!
PURELY HUMANE 