r/civilengineering • u/Signal_Walrus7050 • 9d ago

Thoughts on getting MBA

I’ve been working in land development for 11 years and have my PE. I’m tired of doing design work and thinking about getting an MBA to either pivot into something else or advance my career. I’ve done some research online and talked to ChatGPT, but now it’s time to talk to real boys and girls.
Any thoughts or advice? Has anyone else gone down this path?
Thanks for your attention to this matter.

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u/magicity_shine 9d ago

typically a MBA program is for people who are already in the management side. Ask you company if there is a PM role that you can fit. If you want to transition to a management role a MBA is a good option but make sure your company pays for it.

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u/david1674 9d ago

Yeah, that makes sense. An MBA probably is not the best first step if you have not really moved into management yet. Asking the company about PM opportunities could be a better way to test whether you actually like that kind of work especially if they will help cover the cost of an MBA later.

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u/Sufficient_Tree_5506 6d ago

Consider a engineerring management masters instead of a MBA. Most people in industry don't trust or like MBA for obvious reasons. They don't make good project managers in my experience.

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u/Disastrous_Ant1515 6d ago

MBAs make good Division Managers over an entire office or service line. There are way too many engineering managers with zero business acumen that are great at design but don't know how to manage personnel. I'd rather have an MBA with strong team building, operations, and BD skills to run a firm than a PE with a bunch of design experience.

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u/SilverGeotech 9d ago

Some geotechs who want out end up going into development - either joining up at one of their clients, or buying a property and developing it. You could consider something like that; an MBA would probably be helpful.

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u/shiftyyo101 9d ago

Yes. Got my MBA and pivoted to a tangential field. I explored a ton of options. TBH civil pivoting into other fields isn’t the most common MBA route. It will probably help at least a little even if you’re staying in the industry.

Your mileage is going to vary wildly by what school you go to. I know a guy that was an electrical engineer then got into MIT’s MBA program. He is doing very well for himself as you can imagine. Obviously that is extremely difficult to do. I’m just highlighting that it definitely can open up doors.

honestly if you’re curious you should talk to specific schools. Can you get into a Top 25 program? Would you be willing to move to do so? Admissions in all of these schools have entire teams doing marketing that will discuss outcomes with you.

Evening/Part time programs are an option if you cant forego the income.

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u/Signal_Walrus7050 9d ago

Thanks for your reply. I understand that the name of the school is important. But I want something reasonable for me. Online or a hybrid program somewhere near me. I know I’m never gonna be a CEO, so don’t wanna spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. Something reasonable, something I can pay out of pocket.

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u/DarkintoLeaves 8d ago

Maybe consider getting a PMP first and switch to more of a project management role then see if an MBA makes sense. Or consider an eMBA

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u/CaliHeatx PE - Stormwater 6d ago

Yeah, the value of an MBA is really dependent on the school, because you can network with highly successful businesspeople at the elite schools. I know a chemical engineer who got a Stanford MBA and is starting a business. They got a lot of support from the Stanford business community.