fulltime or partime for switching career

[yash.522]

Hello, i have been working as an engineer for 5 years in a leading high-tech company & want to switch my career. I want to pursue MBA program which has good concentrations/majors in non-profit management or public affairs or sustainability. My main goal is to land in a job where i can use my skills to do some " public good". I want to know if such a drastic career switch can happen with a part-time MBA (or even online MBA)? I know all the advantages of full-time MBA (more networking, clubs, career services) but would have to turn a lot poor for many years if i quit my job for MBA. So, please advice.

I have seen that some of the top schools do offer such MBA majors but it is not clear from the class profile if they accept students with engineering background into such programs.

[Jon@Admissionado]

Well, it does seem like a fulltime MBA may be more your thing. But you should have a look into the specific programs and how you might be able to deal with that. For example Yale, which has one of the best nonprofit programs in the US offers loan forgiveness for those who choose such an industry and make under a certain salary (I think it was 75K last I looked). The thing about such a drastic career change is that passion is your starting point! And anything you can add to make your passion even more concrete will help you a lot. And anyhow, good Nonprofit jobs are often well paid, and public affairs and sustainability are pretty much good corporate jobs as well...

[yash.522]

Thank you Jon. You stated "anything you can add to make your passion even more concrete will help you a lot" --> Can you give me some suggestions on what schools look for in this aspect / what i have to do. Do they look for something like past volunteering experience or clubs I was involved with around my community?

[Jon@Admissionado]

Okay, what I mean is you want to do good... awesome... The school will start off being skeptical like "Oh. He just wants to get brownie points..." So you gotta PROVE that this is serious. Usually past action is the best proof of future action - so they are gonna look - Did you volunteer? Where doing what? What about your other social/professional experiences? How do these fit into your goal? And what about the work experience you already have? How can you make this industry jump while still making good use of the skills you already gained?

Does that help?

[bremkofi]

Admissionado has given you good advice. Have you checked out www.Vocaz.com? Engineering to MBA is their specialty and even if you can't afford to go all the way with them the site will be interesting for you. It has plenty of relevant statistics and backup stories for your quest. The switch is challenging and exciting. Good luck.