Advice on IT consulting experience

[ledattack]

Hello!
I am an Indian male with a bachelors degree from a top 20 Indian university and a masters degree from a top 30 American university, both in Mechanical Engineering. After my masters degree i took on a business analyst role in the IT industry here in the US. I am employed by a small consulting company and have been working onsite at some big insurance clients for the past year. I was initially trained for a period of one month and then my resume was marketed to clients by my consultancy.

I have plans to do an MBA in the next 2/3 years from a reasonably good (top 30/40) institute and was wondering how admission committees will look at my experience. Will the fact that i am not employed Full time by the companies i work with go against me? With 3 years before i plan to matriculate, i guess the next 6-12 months are crucial if i have to change to a full time job. Also, i have passed my CFA level 1, but havent had any luck getting a job in finance. Is just passing the CFA exams without any experience in finance, seen as an advantage during the admissions process.

My profile in brief-
BSME - 3.3 GPA - Top 20 Indian University
MSME - 3.2 GPA - Top 30 US University
Certifications in Six Sigma, Scrum.
GRE-1450/1600 (havent written my GMAT yet)
Some volunteer work in the US (local foodbank, working with inner city youth)

Target programs: Carlson, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Kelly, Rice, Olin and maybe UNC. (This isn't a definitive list)
Also, i have been saving for the tuition and wont need any help financially.

Thank You!

[manyaabroadtpr]

Hello!
I am an Indian male with a bachelors degree from a top 20 Indian university and a masters degree from a top 30 American university, both in Mechanical Engineering. After my masters degree i took on a business analyst role in the IT industry here in the US. I am employed by a small consulting company and have been working onsite at some big insurance clients for the past year. I was initially trained for a period of one month and then my resume was marketed to clients by my consultancy.

I have plans to do an MBA in the next 2/3 years from a reasonably good (top 30/40) institute and was wondering how admission committees will look at my experience. Will the fact that i am not employed Full time by the companies i work with go against me? With 3 years before i plan to matriculate, i guess the next 6-12 months are crucial if i have to change to a full time job. Also, i have passed my CFA level 1, but havent had any luck getting a job in finance. Is just passing the CFA exams without any experience in finance, seen as an advantage during the admissions process.

My profile in brief-
BSME - 3.3 GPA - Top 20 Indian University
MSME - 3.2 GPA - Top 30 US University
Certifications in Six Sigma, Scrum.
GRE-1450/1600 (havent written my GMAT yet)
Some volunteer work in the US (local foodbank, working with inner city youth)

Target programs: Carlson, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Kelly, Rice, Olin and maybe UNC. (This isn't a definitive list)
Also, i have been saving for the tuition and wont need any help financially.

Thank You!

Hi,

Your background will surely add diversity to the class in the business school therefore this will act as your profile strength. Apart from the GMAT your work experience also plays a major role in the selection process. Along with the duration of work experience the quality is also looked at. Our recommendation is to apply post having minimum 3 years of work experience. Work experience is evaluated on the following parameters: Stature of the company, kind of work profile, leadership potential etc.

You can very well apply to the list of schools mentioned. Hope this helps. If you would need any further information, please do let us know.

[manyaabroadtpr]

Hello!
I am an Indian male with a bachelors degree from a top 20 Indian university and a masters degree from a top 30 American university, both in Mechanical Engineering. After my masters degree i took on a business analyst role in the IT industry here in the US. I am employed by a small consulting company and have been working onsite at some big insurance clients for the past year. I was initially trained for a period of one month and then my resume was marketed to clients by my consultancy.

I have plans to do an MBA in the next 2/3 years from a reasonably good (top 30/40) institute and was wondering how admission committees will look at my experience. Will the fact that i am not employed Full time by the companies i work with go against me? With 3 years before i plan to matriculate, i guess the next 6-12 months are crucial if i have to change to a full time job. Also, i have passed my CFA level 1, but havent had any luck getting a job in finance. Is just passing the CFA exams without any experience in finance, seen as an advantage during the admissions process.

My profile in brief-
BSME - 3.3 GPA - Top 20 Indian University
MSME - 3.2 GPA - Top 30 US University
Certifications in Six Sigma, Scrum.
GRE-1450/1600 (havent written my GMAT yet)
Some volunteer work in the US (local foodbank, working with inner city youth)

Target programs: Carlson, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Kelly, Rice, Olin and maybe UNC. (This isn't a definitive list)
Also, i have been saving for the tuition and wont need any help financially.

Thank You!

Hi,

Your background will surely add diversity to the class in the business school therefore this will act as your profile strength. Apart from the GMAT your work experience also plays a major role in the selection process. Along with the duration of work experience the quality is also looked at. Our recommendation is to apply post having minimum 3 years of work experience. Work experience is evaluated on the following parameters: Stature of the company, kind of work profile, leadership potential etc.

You can very well apply to the list of schools mentioned. Hope this helps. If you would need any further information, please do let us know.

[Dina@Fortuna]

Hello,
It sounds like you have a good plan and I don't think you should worry too much if you're working with several different clients, as long as your work is consistent (no major breaks in employment) and if you're working full-time hours that should count for your work experience. As you work with different clients, think about what you're learning, what you like/dislike, and hopefully this will help guide you in the right direction for the next company, as well as the type of company that will be a good fit for your MBA internship and post-MBA job. If there's any way to seek out some finance-related roles in your current work, that would be a great way to begin strengthening your finance skills to make a transition into finance. If you can't find finance-related experience at work, think of ways to build some skills outside of your job, maybe one of the organizations that you volunteer with would like some help in that area? Having CFA is definitely a plus! Good luck!
Take care,
Dina

[max_roper]

Hello ledattack,

Thank you for raising an important career development issue on this form. Please allow me to "piggyback" on the great advice previously provided by Dina.

She wrote: "If there's any way to seek out some finance-related roles in your current work, that would be a great way to begin strengthening your finance skills to make a transition into finance. If you can't find finance-related experience at work, think of ways to build some skills outside of your job, maybe one of the organizations that you volunteer."

Again, excellent advice by Dina. However, if you are experiencing some difficulty in gaining finance (or non-IT) experience within your current work environment, consider becoming a volunteer business consultant for an organization that assists non-profits or small businesses. In this capacity will have an opportunity to complete important financial planning and/or analysis projects for an organization in need via a 1 to 2 hour weekly commitment.

Consider one of the below organizations as a great way to gain a rewarding non-IT leadership experience.

1) SCORE
2) Taproot Foundation
3) USA Leadership Corps

These organizations recruit, train, and match driven professionals like yourself with small businesses or nonprofits in need of business planning or strategy assistance.

Thank you again, ledattack, for raising an important career development question.

Maxwell Roper
Outreach Director
USA Leadership Corps (USALC)
www usaLeadershipCorps org