Corporate world is pure business and nothing else. Succeeding in business requires domain knowledge as well as the skills to take decisions which matter in testing times. The importance of an MBA in that respect also becomes very important. Masters of Business, as its full form is, teaches and orients an individual to take complex manoeuvres under high stress conditions. As a research done by Times of India shows, the majority of CEOs of large multinationals are engineers +MBAs reinforcing the importance of quantitative and technical domain specific knowledge in running a business and which can't be contested even by a layman. If you are into bricks and mortar business, the basics of structural engineering and solid mechanics are always an added advantage. Although a property dealer in a small scale work may disapprove of this by using the same designs everywhere he's making a small house, same can't be said of a big contractor engaging in innovative and first time executed projects. This being said, it can't be generalised that a civil engineer cannot work in a firm other than his domain at a managerial post and its not at all compulsory to have technical knowledge beforehand, otherwise all commerce people will not get any jobs and same with others. But regarding the importance of engineering in general, I believe that to do business it's a very valuable advantage. We have been taught programming which is key to technological aspects almost everywhere whereas others if not specifically inclined or coached tend to have it as their Achilles heel. The numerical analysis ,differential equations, calculus in general, higher mathematics including algebra, eigen values and eigen vectors, optimisation techniques are all applications of mathematics and are of immense utility in a consulting firm. Further the knowledge of languages like Java, C++,Mathcad and my personal affinity to MS Excel are the areas I believe engineering has given me the motivation and zeal to explore. Innovative ness is another area redefining businesses in markets throughout the world. Android came and has virtually wiped out Nokias of yesteryear. Engineering teaches the practical applications of science contrasting with the general science courses which focus on experiments which have weak links with the reality at present, though it may become pathbreaking in future. In this aspect I was encouraged by my transportation engineering prof to make a computer application on finding the orientation of a runway which otherwise manually was a very tedious and time consuming work. This I consider as my achievement till date in my life and my paper on the topic was accepted at the Second International Conference on Civil Engineering at Dubai. Dubai in itself was a marvellous experience. It filled in me the desire to one day work in those skyskrapers and be a part of real cosmopolitan, modern and global city of the world. So this was all about why an MBA after engineering. Now why an MBA altogether is a very good thought. Life has taught me that at the end it's "business". It's been a hard and for good learnt lesson that money is the driver of everything and management of capital is the most important task. Howsoever one may be connected to his school, college or profession, the reason they are existing and there on ground is money and on a larger scale everyone is doing business. Exchanging of work for money is business, of money for goods and goods for money is business, of researching for new products in exchange of grants and producing results or faking them to get more grants is business, of teaching for money and studying for money is business, and so can everything as I see it is one or the other way is business going on day and night. And the success of a person depends on how good he does his business and as I have discussed the importance of theoretical or domain knowledge before working, and MBA becomes necessary if one wants to perform well in this world full of business.
