Last night I attended a very nice reception held by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto to welcome our first year Skoll/MBA students. For those who are not very familiar with this program, Jeffrey Skoll BASc/MBA program is a joint program that gives you the opportunity to complete your engineering and MBA degrees along with your professional experience year and management internship in 6 years 8 months! Indeed a unique program.
I met with a great bunch of first and second year Skoll/MBA students and some of our alumni.
I asked our Skoll/MBA students why they pursued an MBA on top of their engineering degree and the answers were very interesting. They said that after their professional experience year, they realized that they were more interested in business than science. They wanted to improve their business acumen and go beyond being the “technical” person. Some were interested in finance and some were interested in consulting. They are all working very hard to secure a good internship this summer!
One common feedback was around the learning experience in the MBA program. So far, they have all found the learning experience to be very different at Rotman than the one in the engineering program. The students said they love the interaction during the classes and peer learning experience in the MBA program at Rotman. Sticking to their teammates for at least two quarters help them bond better. They said they love the class discussions and find these discussions eye-opener. Most of them admitted that they now have to sit in the front row to better participate! Throughout the program, they discovered their transferrable skills. Before the start of their MBA program, they had no idea how useful their quant skills would be in this program.
Another interesting insight from our students is that they seem to enjoy the wealth of networking opportunities and the support they get from the career services. They like the exposure and knowing that there are many different opportunities out there.
At the end of the evening, I realized that what these Skoll/MBA students shared with me is actually applicable to any career changer, especially if the transition is from engineering to management. If you would like to move into leadership roles, you will always need a formal business education to learn the business concepts. Of course you will also need practical experience and the internship experience will allow you to put what you have learned in class into practice. After gaining the knowledge and the practical experience, you are ready to embark on your new career.
What a wonderful learning experience for me. I am glad I was able to meet with these great students. Wishing them all the best with their summer internships!
*For more information on our joint program, please visit http://rotman.utoronto.ca/skoll/index.htm