MBA for oil and gas pofessional

1 1

Posted May 21, 2016 03:06

Hi
I have 6 years experience in oil and gas industry in north America as a geophysicist. My educational background is PhD in geophysics. I lost my job during the current downturn. I am planning to go for an MBA with energy concentration and want to go back to Oil and gas industry. Does it sound like a viable plan? Can it really plan to go back?

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Duncan

13.776 15.332

Posted May 22, 2016 11:29

That sounds viable. See Specialisations often don't matter http://bit.ly/speMBA

Also, consider programmes aimed at people with graduate degrees, like the one years MBAs at Cornell and Kellogg.

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maury

442 353

Posted May 23, 2016 13:23

The Cornell and Kellogg programs would be great choices.

You might also want to look at schools that are strong in energy which also have shorter programs. SMU - Cox's Fast Track MBA comes to mind.

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Logan

7 14

Posted May 24, 2016 13:54

Also, be sure to have a good explanation for your unemployment - MBA admissions people want to have a clear idea of your career arc, and if it's interrupted this will cause them to raise their eyebrows.

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Duncan2

6 12

Posted May 25, 2016 02:07

Also, be sure to have a good explanation for your unemployment - MBA admissions people want to have a clear idea of your career arc, and if it's interrupted this will cause them to raise their eyebrows.

Did you not think the OP's description of how they came to be unemployed was clear enough? The current downturn in the global oil and gas industry is well understood.

Just to throw another idea out there - Aberdeen Business School at RGU have an accredited 3-year online MBA in oil and gas management which may be of interest to those working in the sector. I don't know how it compares against similar courses but it has a good reputation within the UK O&G industry.

[quote]Also, be sure to have a good explanation for your unemployment - MBA admissions people want to have a clear idea of your career arc, and if it's interrupted this will cause them to raise their eyebrows.[/quote]

Did you not think the OP's description of how they came to be unemployed was clear enough? The current downturn in the global oil and gas industry is well understood.

Just to throw another idea out there - Aberdeen Business School at RGU have an accredited 3-year online MBA in oil and gas management which may be of interest to those working in the sector. I don't know how it compares against similar courses but it has a good reputation within the UK O&G industry.

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Logan

7 14

Posted May 27, 2016 12:19

Did you not think the OP's description of how they came to be unemployed was clear enough?

No, I don't, and neither would an MBA Ad Comm. Plenty of people made it out of the downturn unscathed, and plenty others made lateral moves out of depressed industries. I'm sure that OP has a valid reason for his unemployment, he just needs to demonstrate that in his application essays.

[quote]Did you not think the OP's description of how they came to be unemployed was clear enough? [/quote]
No, I don't, and neither would an MBA Ad Comm. Plenty of people made it out of the downturn unscathed, and plenty others made lateral moves out of depressed industries. I'm sure that OP has a valid reason for his unemployment, he just needs to demonstrate that in his application essays.

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Duncan2

6 12

Posted May 27, 2016 16:12

Did you not think the OP's description of how they came to be unemployed was clear enough?

No, I don't, and neither would an MBA Ad Comm. Plenty of people made it out of the downturn unscathed, and plenty others made lateral moves out of depressed industries. I'm sure that OP has a valid reason for his unemployment, he just needs to demonstrate that in his application essays.

I don't understand your point. 'I was made redundant' is simple to understand. It's a statement of fact. There's no need to demonstrate or justify anything.

[quote][quote]Did you not think the OP's description of how they came to be unemployed was clear enough? [/quote]
No, I don't, and neither would an MBA Ad Comm. Plenty of people made it out of the downturn unscathed, and plenty others made lateral moves out of depressed industries. I'm sure that OP has a valid reason for his unemployment, he just needs to demonstrate that in his application essays.[/quote]

I don't understand your point. 'I was made redundant' is simple to understand. It's a statement of fact. There's no need to demonstrate or justify anything.

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Logan

7 14

Posted May 30, 2016 12:20

I don't understand your point. 'I was made redundant' is simple to understand. It's a statement of fact. There's no need to demonstrate or justify anything.

Yes, the fact itself is simple to understand. But as any of us who's ever applied for a job after being unemployed (myself included) know, "I was made redundant" is never the end of the story.

Employers and MBA admissions people are looking for clear career arcs. If an unemployed applicant is up against others who have had steady career growth, the simple fact of the unemployment will obviously be a flag.

It's not out of the question for those who have been laid off to get into an MBA program. But it usually requires that the applicants have clear explanations for what happened, along with why there is an employment history gap and where their career is headed.

[quote]I don't understand your point. 'I was made redundant' is simple to understand. It's a statement of fact. There's no need to demonstrate or justify anything. [/quote]
Yes, the fact itself is simple to understand. But as any of us who's ever applied for a job after being unemployed (myself included) know, "I was made redundant" is never the end of the story.

Employers and MBA admissions people are looking for clear career arcs. If an unemployed applicant is up against others who have had steady career growth, the simple fact of the unemployment will obviously be a flag.

It's not out of the question for those who have been laid off to get into an MBA program. But it usually requires that the applicants have clear explanations for what happened, along with why there is an employment history gap and where their career is headed.

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Razors Edg...

1.082 833

Posted May 31, 2016 11:46

Some good info on this topic here:

http://find-mba.com/articles/what-to-do-about-a-work-experience-gap

Recent letters of recommendation might be a sticky point. Also, they might think that since you don't have any recent work experience, you may not be able to add much to class discussions.

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