Hi everyone,

First of all thank you for this platform. It has helped me figure out the answers to many queries along with busting a lot of MBA myths.

I am from India with a Master of Computer Applications degree and have gained around 12 years experience in IT. I am working as a Lead software engineer with a focus on data engineering, data visualization and cloud development. The clients are from US and Canada. At present, the work is majorly new feature planning, timeline estimation, taking architectural decisions and delegating the software development part to junior developers.

I am fortunate that I have been praised for taking initiatives, quick decisions with good communication and presentation skills. I realized that along with decent soft skills, my interests are towards the big picture and I could contribute more than just software development. So, I started looking towards international full time MBA programs.

I am excited about an international full time MBA because of the learning communities, case studies and networking opportunity it provides. I have been part of multiple EC activities during my earlier education and thoroughly loved it.

Post MBA goal is to grow into Technology consulting role and work abroad. Please correct me here, if this looks like a long shot.

Due to less restrictive visa rules and 3 year PGWP duration, I started looking at the schools in Canada often suggested in this forum - Rotman, Ivey, Schulich, Smith, Desautels, UBC. Soon, the following questions hit me. Please guide.


1. I intend to continue in the same industry. Should I look for programs other than MBA in Canada? If yes, could you please help me with some direction.

2. Most of the above full time MBAs prefer candidates in the 2-8 years experience range (per their info sessions). Is 12 years a negative point to apply to these schools ?

3. Should I also focus on schools in other continents where average experience of the class is on the higher side?


Thank you for your time !

PS: I have this gut feeling that I will be back with more questions.

Hi,

Should I move this to the "General forum" ? I was hoping to get some guidance.

Best
-Ankush

Do you really need an MBA to get into technology consulting? I don't think it is that important but I suppose an MBA with a post-grad visa would help facilitate a move to another country. 

Have a look at the websites of some of the major consultancies like the Big 4 to gauge the types of skills and experience you would need in technology consulting. Check out PwC for example here https://www.pwc.com/us/en/careers/why-pwc/stem-careers.html 

An MBA in of itself is not a guarantee to become a successful technology consultant. You need a broad spread of technology expertise and ideally deep expert skills in one or two areas, preferably the ones that have a lot of demand at the moment like cloud, AI, analytics, cybersecurity and infosec etc. 

Also think where your skills and experience will fit - are you more of a business facing consultant or pure technology consultant? Finally, get a feel for what level you would be able to enter consulting e.g. Associate, Manager, Senior Manager and so on. That would also help to inform your decision.

Aslamo has some good insight here. I'd also argue that an MBA is often a valid route into the tech consulting sector. You can use the same process outlined above to figure out which schools are your best bet. My sense is that the ranked schools in and around Toronto (Rotman, Ivey, maybe Schulich) plus McGill would be the routes with the least friction. 

As far as your work experience is concerned, it's not really that big of a worry, and not one that should direct you to other places. However, notably, the biggest consulting firms hire on the younger side.

For many international students, Canada is a good place, at least in terms of the language and openness of the visa process. However, salaries tend to be lower in Canada than in other places.