High-Tech/Telecom

Though it was one of the hardest hit industries in the last few years, the High-Tech/Telecom industry is not going away. This mammoth industry encompasses companies and conglomerates that make hardware, produce software, and provide services. Hardware includes a vast range of products including video broadcasting satellites, computers, and transmission cables. Services include running the switches that control the phone system and configuring networks for corporations and businesses. The software is the backbone of many of the hardware and services offered; it allows the hardware to function, and needs to be configured properly to run optimally. With a number of companies offering substitute goods and services, the competition in this industry is becoming fiercer, and they need business people to make them meaner and leaner and to give the company direction and incite to the trends and developments in their industry. In competition there are winners that create the losers. You are a winner, and you have the vision and technical interests to make an impact.

Life in the High-Tech/Telecom Industry:
Typically, MBAs work in management, business development, marketing or product development. The industry breeds competition that manifests itself even within companies. Your competition is fierce, sometimes to a fault, with backstabbing, cutthroat competition always out for your jugular, but the fact of the matter is, you didn't think that life could get this good. Frustrations can run high, as you manage people who don't necessarily report to you and take on several projects at once in order to generate new business through either expanding a new line or creating a new product. Your day, as well as the industry, can move at warp speeds From the moment you walk in the door, you will be bombarded with strings of e-mails, teleconferences, and will have to direct and work on proposal after proposal to build and expand new business and to help plan your firm's strategic path.

In an industry that moves at the speed of light, your career track can to, with some MBAs reporting they have been promoted three times in two years, with their salaries increasing exponentially. Flexibility, intensity and perseverance are the keys to success. Combine this with your ability to manage people and you will go far. Your dedication and drive will allow you to work 60-70 hours a week without breaking a sweat, and your commitment level will only increase as you move up the ladder. Starting salaries are generally reported at $70,000 and up, depending on the size of your company, but don't be surprised if that salary increases to over $100,000 in a couple of years.