Converting to Business from Engineering – Ben Connell – MSc Management (Business)
Why I chose to do MSBM.
As I approached the end of my undergraduate Engineering degree in UCD, I knew that my future career path was more likely to be in the business world than as an onsite Engineer. However, I had no idea how I could make the transition between the two fields. The MSc in Management (Business) in DCU was highlighted to me by a careers advisor as the perfect stepping stone for someone like me. MSBM was sold to me as an intensive one year masters course where if I was willing to work hard and apply myself I would walk away with a strong foundation in a range of business and management areas. As well as this, I spoke to several alumni of various postgraduate programmes in DCU, all of whom remarked about the inviting atmosphere and culture within the university. I can safely say this was proven to be true due to the level of support that was provided to me by our programme chair, lecturers and business school despite the global pandemic and its effects.
My MSBM Experience.
Completing the Masters in Management (Business) over the last 12 months has been a challenging but incredibly rewarding experience. I have watched myself develop skills ranging from various data analytic skills to gaining a clear understanding of how important interpersonal skills and technology are to a modern manager. The course has given me the opportunity to explore a wide range of fields with Next Generation Management a particular highlight in this regard. The range of topics I have studied have allowed me to really explore which aspects of the modern corporate world appeal to me and helped to figure out what the next step for my career will be.
My Advice to Incoming Students
I would have two major pieces of advice for incoming MSBM students:
Firstly, throw yourself into the course by getting to grips with the work and content from day one and by making friends and socialising with as many people as possible. I think that by being on top of your work and having a network within your class, your experience in the course will be improved tenfold.
I would also recommend reaching out to lecturers early in the semester. My experience this year has been that all the lecturers are more than happy to help and solve any issues you have within their class which was a relief to me considering my lack of background in business.
How MSBM Helped to Bridge the Gap Between my Engineering Undergraduate and a Business Career.
MSBM has proven to be a crucial stepping stone for me this year. The qualification has opened doors to career opportunities that simply would not have been available to me before this year. As well as this, I think arguably more importantly this course has helped me to develop a myriad of soft skills that I can now combine with my analytical skills which I developed during my undergraduate degree. When I reflect on the year as a whole, I can see that I would never have developed so many skills in such a short period of time without completing this course. I am now confident I have the foundation to build my ideal career from here.
View course page for our MSc Management Business here