In the MBA Admissions world, Indian, Engineer, IT (IE-IT) combination apparently is plenty. At least that is what many IE-ITs out there think. A large number of IE-ITs also think they are in a tremendously competitive 'pool'. This thought naturally is extrapolated to a bigger question, How will I differentiate myself from the other 999 clones?. While an important question, in my opinion the roots, progression and manifestation of the question are all wrong.
I am an IE-IT applicant, So my words, thoughts and actions have some credibility. I do not expect everyone to agree. I would love to have a healthy debate In case you differ with my opinions.
In my opinion, a regular IE-IT applicant has tremendous advantage. The advantage is firmly rooted on many unique aspects.
India has 28 states and 7 union territories. Each of those states differ from each other in more than subtle ways. We come from different cultures, talking different languages, experiencing different ideologies and reading different newspapers. Let us not even go near the cuisines; how lame is it that so many restaurants out there call themselves 'Indian'?, Can there ever be an Indian restaurant showcasing at least 28 dishes; one each from each of those states?, How many chefs are going to be there!
Your experiences mould you. And since those experiences are different, how you became who you are is different. Hence I do not see lack of uniqueness in an IE-IT.
Now, let us focus on the IT aspect. My IT experience has made me an expert in certain areas of the following industries; investment banking, pharmaceuticals, food and nutrition. I know aspects of book publishing and assessing personalities in 29-dimensions :-). I know how e-commerce makes money, and I know how to analyze the customer demographics to make informed marketing decisions. How many applicants out there, you think, carry such a huge opportunity to learn so many different businesses? I would say very few. In any year, most of IE-ITs shift across three business segments. You are supposed to learn, master and apply skills in completely new industries overnight. Now, it is easy to get tangled in braces, semicolons and asterisk. But those with business dreams written all over will learn the business of the project they are in. If you do not, please do. While how you comment a line of code may change from project to project, and may at times be an exciting learning opportunity, do not miss the bigger picture and miss the chance to internalize one more new business knowledge. Believe me you the uniqueness will be written all over each of us once we do this internalization.
IE-ITs are exposed to tremendous leadership development opportunities daily! You know what I am talking about, we get to learn from our managers up close, we get to lead teams fairly early in our careers, we get client facing assignments sooner, we interview people...And, if your job is not letting you do all these, you have the option to turn in your papers and walk over to some where across the street where you get what you want.
International experiences are something that sets IE-ITs apart. We do not get to work in 'one' country abroad; we frequent countries. Be in the look out for new cultural experiences. Understand the local customs, the way people do business, underlying philosophies etc. Don't take comfort in the dal and chapati. Experiment. Get to know your neighbors. Learn from every morsel of 'newness' that comes across you.
While IE-ITs have similar opportunities to be unique, the uniqueness of these opportunities make all the difference. So, I believe being IE-IT is nothing but a great advantage when you are trying to set yourself apart.
Ohh, one more thing, stop worrying about that high GMAT. Nobody cares much!
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4 comments:
I think everyone has a unique story to tell, even if at the face of it we all look the same (same industry, same function, same GMAT, etc) --- the things that drive us are very personal. Now the challenge is getting our passions and ambitions into our application for adcoms to see. =)
Two good points you make about leadership opportunities and analytical skills that IT provides to engineers....
Dunno if any body has done a research/study on what are the "residual skills" in those who work in IT for some time - it'd be interesting.
And that brings me to the point - why are the b-schools NOT recognizing it ? Is it just because these skills are available to JUST TOO MANY IEITs ? or is it that no IE IT has ever thought about it or talked about it because of a herd mentality ???
You are in a VERY LARGE application bucket and, to be competitive in it, will need to have EXCELLENT marks on your GMAT and TOEFL!!
You are competing with thousands of IE-IT's who have 750+ GMAT's and 300 TOEFL's..
I agree with AsianGal's all encompasing view. The generalization is correct. The devil always lurks in the details.
Meru: I do not think B-Schools has any reluctance in recognizing these uniqueness. I believe the marketing aspect focuses on all wrong points. It is hard for me to believe that all the two dozen Product Management Aspirant IE-ITs I met during my app process truely believe that is what they want to do with their respective lives. Dreaming, planning and walking the talk are important aspects of this application process. I firmly believe we are all here in this world, living one and only life, and this world has enough challenges for each of us to make our marks for the generations to come to enjoy. It only needs a little bit more of introspection to do yourself the justice of pursueing what you want to pursue. Once that decision is well made, the marketing process comes naturally. I will not even be surprised, even if some of us find that the MBA is not exactly what one wants to get.
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