Let's see...

LaBarrister · 07-12-2012, 12:06 PM

What on Earth is there to do for a person with a degree in English literature and chemical engineering who has a profound infatuation with leadership, writing and personal development?

I've thought about law school (of course, how fancy), specifically patent law, but that sounds boring. I want to take over the world (not literally). I've thought about joining the Peace Corps, NGO Development section, and plan on writing a few good books.

Does anyone else have any suggestions? I know you do, so please share them. I would be so delighted to have you join me on my quest for purpose!

terenc · 07-12-2012, 09:06 PM

Businesses / non-profit work revolve more around "critical thinking" and "writing ability" rather than any solid sort of skills.

Chucktown · 07-12-2012, 10:01 PM

I can definitely tell you were/are a lit major.

As for Patent Law, I agree, it sounds like one of the most boring jobs one could imagine.

But to piggyback on terenc, Business is a good choice. Getting an MBA will let you bring your quant, communication, and desire to lead together. Just make sure it is a top MBA. Otherwise, and this is just my opinion, they don't seem to be worth the time unless your employer is footing the bill.

boneh3ad · 07-12-2012, 10:14 PM

Except to get a "top MBA" you need work experience first. Heck, if you show up to an interview with an MBA and no experience, you will probably get laughed at, assuming you could even get the interview.

Chucktown · 07-13-2012, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Except to get a "top MBA" you need work experience first. Heck, if you show up to an interview with an MBA and no experience, you will probably get laughed at, assuming you could even get the interview.

This may be anecdotal to this program. However, a friend of mine graduated from Duke's Masters in Engineering Management (the engineers MBA) program directly after completing an EE degree- so no experience. She was picked up by a global engineering firm and offered a nice six-figure salary. Apparently this was normal to the other graduates as well.

xINTJx · 07-13-2012, 12:16 PM

Double major in English Lit and ChemE? ***?!?!? That's sounds like a horrible idea. Choose ChemE as your major, and then minor in English.

Atemporal · 07-13-2012, 02:16 PM

^ I think he/she already has the degree in hand. That's what it sounds like, at least.

terenc · 07-13-2012, 09:04 PM

@Chucktown: That was a Master's in engineering. It is quite routine for people to get Masters degrees straight out of college. The lone exception is the MBA - which is much different than a Master's in engineering management. Furthermore, her job was at an engineering firm -- not a business firm for a business position.

Chucktown · 07-14-2012, 10:11 AM

From Duke MEMP:

Quote:

The core curriculum consists of marketing, finance, intellectual property and business law, and management, similar to key courses in an MBA curriculum...This broad curriculum develops engineering professionals ready to address today's complex business problems with innovative solutions.

An MEM is definitely not an M.Eng. Also, while her job was at an engineering firm, it was a leadership position, albeit technical leadership, but still leadership. Are we really saying only business firms (which I am not really sure have a solid classification) are the only ones which have business positions. Management is management, just some have different focuses.

boneh3ad · 07-14-2012, 10:39 AM

I'm a bit skeptical of your report, Chucktown. Respect is earned, not conferred with a degree, and most companies acknowledge this by not putting people fresh out of college in leadership positions regardless of the degree they have. Either there is more to this story or else I remains skeptic. Hiring a recent grad into that sort of position without any experience simply doesn't make good business sense.

Chucktown · 07-14-2012, 10:59 AM

As I said, it is an anecdotal experience, and only confirmed with her. It does me no good to make up stories and waste my Saturday with fiction. Duke is a powerhouse in the business world (as much as it pains me to say as a Carolina grad), and with a bigger name comes a bigger network and opportunities. You can be skeptical, I'm not going to twist your arm.

I just looked up their average starting salary for 2009 (only year I could find), and it looks like she did come out on top of the pack. Average starting salary from the 1 year MEM program was around 70k in 2009. So yes, she was above the norm. Maybe she had some connections others didn't. But as I started this all with...it was an anecdotal experience...

terenc · 07-14-2012, 06:44 PM

From the salary statistics alone, it is pretty clear that the MEM program is not comparable to the MBA program. The starting salary of 74k in 2011 is only about 10k more than the starting salary of your average engineer. (In fact, your average software engineer undergrad from a top school like Duke makes roughly that much), and pales in comparison to your average Duke MBA grad who makes 122k (salary + guaranteed non-signing bonus).

Furthermore, the MEM program is only a one year program. Furthermore, it seems to be very class-oriented. The problem is that the point of an MBA is not to take business classes and "learn business." The point is to network, have the brand name, and have alumni connections.

http://memp.pratt.duke.edu/sites/mem..._2010-2011.pdf
http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/documents/...ntstats2010-11

Vladenschlutte · 07-14-2012, 08:59 PM

Quote:

I'm a bit skeptical of your report, Chucktown. Respect is earned, not conferred with a degree, and most companies acknowledge this by not putting people fresh out of college in leadership positions regardless of the degree they have. Either there is more to this story or else I remains skeptic. Hiring a recent grad into that sort of position without any experience simply doesn't make good business sense.

I'm still not convinced personally that anyone who's smart would ever go into HR.

Japher · 07-16-2012, 04:48 PM

Doc Control or ERP creation/sales
Training module for ChemCAD or other modeling program
write a ton of manuals

KamelAkbar · 07-16-2012, 10:36 PM

If you think you have a propensity for leadership, go lead something. Find something you like and go do it. It's probably not going to be something standard that we can suggest on this forum, and it's problem not going to be something very specific that you need to go to school for.