And This is Just in the First Week…
Wednesday, September 12, 2012 / Bookmark & Share
By Al Titus-Glover, MBA '14, MS-ISE '14
Al titus-Glover is a first year MBA student pursuing a simultaneous M.S. degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2012 with a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering.
The first week, in many respects, was different from any I ever experienced in my undergraduate studies. Usually, you can expect to read over some syllabi, get a general idea of the classes, and get dismissed from class considerably early. Not quite the case for a Virginia Tech MBA student. If someone would have told me during orientation that I would actually learn new material on the first day of all my classes, I probably would not have believed them. The first week of classes was far more productive than I ever experienced. I was privileged to hear Dr. Brown lecture on the importance of balance sheets in Accounting and listen to Dr. Kumar’s explanation of why Facebook’s stock has plummeted. If I was able to get all this information in a week – the very first week – I cannot imagine how enlightening this program will be for me.
Furthermore, as a simultaneous degree student combining the MBA with a Master’s in Industrial and Systems Engineering, I was a little worried about the transition into business. Thinking as an engineer came natural to me because I have trained as one for years. However, I welcomed and will continue to embrace the rewards of facing such a challenge. Although I am only a week in, I know I made the right decision and plan to help recruit more engineers to take advantage of such a beneficial program.
A lot of people ask: why two degrees? What do you want to do? I aspire to work in the intelligence community. I am intrigued by television shows and movies such as 24, The Bourne series, The Kingdom, Taken, Body of Lies, etc. I realize that movies have a tendency to hyperbolize ideas; however, I feel like there are constant threats to our national security and the defense industry is constantly changing. I want this type of job because I am passionate about solving these types of problems. I know I would enjoy the legitimate sense of accomplishment knowing that the safety of Americans depends on how well the people in my industry perform.
I feel like engineering provides me with the technical and analytical skills; however, adding an MBA will hopefully provide the managerial and financial skills necessary for a successful career in intelligence.
Originally published Septmber 2012