Tuesday, March 1, 2005

Discussion With MBA Grad: Full-Time Queen's MBAst

When I asked Queen's to put me in touch with some of their alumni they were quick to respond. They even found someone who was a professional engineer, had graduated in the last couple of years, and was in a location where I could easily meet with them.

First off let me summarize that the individual I met with was very happy he took the MBA, would do it again in an instant, and was very happy with the results after graduation. The program he when through was specific to students who already had a degree in science or technology. Since then the program has been changed and now is not specific to people with science or technology degrees.

Queen's MBA

The individual I met with was a few years older than myself and had used the MBA to switch industries. Prior to going back he was working as a facilities engineer in a small city between Alberta and Saskatchewan for a major oil and gas producer. After he completed the program he was recruited by a private company that describes itself as, "a global, energy advisory firm that provides comprehensive Investment Banking, Acquisitions & Divestitures and Global Equity Capital Markets services." Basically, he now helps oil and gas companies buy and sell properties. He analyzes and creates sales packages for oil and gas properties that companies want to divest.

When asked about the international component of Queen's he said that a large majority of the international students were from India.

He discussed the merits and drawbacks of a 12 month MBA in contrast to a 24 month MBA program.

Merits of a 12 month program:


  • Less time spent out of the workforce means the opportunity costs less
  • Don't have to pay for an internship

Drawbacks of a 12 month program:

  • No internship to try out an industry you have no experience in
  • Program is so intensive and busy that finding time to look for work is difficult
He had known several people who had taken the 2 year MBA and they all mentioned that the 2nd year wasn't as busy as the 1st allowing them time to search for work. His only word of advice was that the program was very demanding and to be prepared to be too busy to look for work until after completing the program.

Other MBA Grads I had discussions with:

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