IT profile-Want to move to Healthcare Administration

[rahulg83]

Dear Stacy/Lisa,

First of all thanks for all the support you keep on providing to everybody here.

I am an Indian IT professional (I know how non-unique this part is), basically having 2 years and 8 months of experience in Banking and Financial Sector. GMAT score is 710 (AWA 5.5, Breakup Q50, V35) and I have pretty solid academic record (Graduate with honors) and average extra curricular experience (which is getting better day by day).

I have a distinct liking for healthcare administration and see myself working in same domain in long term. Though I don't have any relevant healthcare domain experience till now, I am planning to see through Pharma firm profiles in near future and learn about their management and processes.

I am planning to apply this year for round one for Fall 2011 sessions and till now have managed to filter out two schools, SDA Bocconi and NUS, Singapore. I still have some time before I start applying for more schools, to be precise 5-6 months. Can you guide me as in how can I strengthen my profile? Will a person having BFS sector background persuade adcoms for his interest in Healthcare domain without any prior full-time experience in same?

Regards,

Rahul

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Rahul,

I commend you for thinking this far in advance about how to strengthen your profile and determine a strategy for your applications. That type of thinking will serve you well when you are completing your applications in a few months. It is possible to make a significant career change as you desire to do, but you are right that you will want to convey in your applications how you will facilitate this change and what role the MBA plays in the transition. If you can get some exposure to the industry, whether professionally or through community work, then that would be a great start. You can also do some networking with professionals in healthcare administration to learn more about the different types of jobs to determine where your career might start in the industry and what you need to do to make it happen. I would also encourage you to apply to schools that have strong ties to the industry, including solid records of placement and industry-specific electives.

Good luck,
Lisa