Hello Everyone,

I have experience in developing software for ECU’s in car(Embedded Automotive domain).I want to continue my career in automotive industry even after my MBA.Can some one suggest which specialisation is better to opt for MBA.Also please suggest some good business schools for automotive industry(GM,Ford,Chrysler etc.,.).

Thanks in advance.

Which countries are you looking at?

I don't think you need to do a specialization to work in the automotive field, since you already have experience in the industry, unless you were planning doing something ultra-specialized, which would probably defeat the purpose of an MBA.

Instead, a general MBA from a strong school would probably be more appropriate.

In the US, maybe some of the midwest schools could be worth looking at. Ross for example places with GM. Krannert, maybe? I know they have recruiting relationships with Ford and Rolls-Royce.

Dear Maury,

Thanks for answering to my query.

I am looking at universities in USA.Currently I am in India working as lead.So pursuing full-time MBA at age 35 is really worth it in USA like job opportunities post MBA will be good or affected because of my age.Can you please explain.

If you don't already have the right to work in the US then an MBA there might not lead to work there.

Hello Duncan,

Thanks for replying.

I have seen people with 3-7 years of IT experience working in India.Later they study in average business school in US and able to get jobs.

Please advise.

I invite you to review the data. H1B visas go to a small number of firms, and the sponsorship opportunities are limited. It works out for some people, but not for most.

There is the OPT visa, which is available for grads of MBA programs in the US. This is a 12-month work visa (or 36 months if you have completed a STEM certified program.)

This means that you could work during that time. After that, assuming you've lined up a job with an employer that's willing to sponsor you, you'd need to go through the H1B visa process, which is awarded on a lottery system and is not a sure bet at all.

But if you just want to work for 12 months and then go back home, then you wouldn't need an H1B.

Hello MBAhipster,

Thanks for the information.

Can you answer the below queries:

1)Pursuing full-time MBA at age 35 is really worth it in USA like job opportunities post MBA will be good or affected because of my age.Can you please comment about this.

2)I heard that most of business schools reject the candidates having more years of experience for the 2 year program.So can you suggest me some good schools which prefer candidates with >35 age.

Thanks.

You asked your question to MBAhipster...so I am sorry for jumping in and interrupting.

1) Age matters ... somewhat. Typically MBA in US is a young person's game. Simple reason is that at 25 your avg. salary that you can let go doesn't hurt you as much (opportunity cost) than what you tend to make post MBA.

Of course this is gross generalization. I did my MBA when I had 6+ years of work ex. It worked out for me since my purchasing power due to currency conversion and otherwise as well was in peanuts, now it's much better.

2) Previous work experience matters. Changing functions is extremely difficult - if not impossible - the more experience you have. I had 6+ in hardcore telecom in India in engineering/project management. I thought I'd make a good candidate for someone like a Verizon or Cisco in their let's say product management roles. But it appears that those firms value functional expertise more over industry knowledge for those specific roles.

So an English major 23 year old someone was selected by Cisco for Product Management roles over a guy who could detail a telecom network in his sleep. Your software development experience of X years won't be washed away with 2 years of whatever specialization -- unless --- it's another tool belt specialization - something like a Data Scientist / Data analysis.

You see, like any other culture or society.US is full of perception. If you get your MBA from a mid tier/ lower mid tier school. Then you'd be seen as a brown guy who needs H1B etc etc. and a risky investment.

3) Companies are risk averse. Given for a similar "generic" roles like Brand Management, Project Manager etc. a 20 year old english freaking major having studied Shakespeare, poems etc. would make a less riskier junior project manager than you despite you having a PMP and 8 years of work experience in making codes or whatever you did.

For a generic but somewhat specific function like Finance/ Accounting/ Suppy Chain no company will hire you at a manager level - because you don't have relative work experience. You may get hired at a junior level/ analyst level making $60,000/year.

For a specific roles in tool world. You maybe hired and make $120,000/year. If you have like AWS certification or know the difference between Kafka and Spark. But then again --- you don't need to get your MBA for that. Go for a less expensive 1 year MS + some certification program if that's what you want to do.

4) Brand Name matters: If you get into top MBA schools like Ross for example then don't worry about point 1,2,3 I mentioned above since there still be companies like EY/Amazon/Deloitte coming to your campus or alumni connecting with you to help you out. If you get your MBA from outside of top 15/20 in US - then I don't need to tell you the consequences. You are smart enough to figure those out.

Hope it helps.