Changing Careers: Manufacturing to, Well, Anything Else

I have 15 years of experience as a design manager in a transformer manufacturing company. I want to do a two-year master's program at a top business school, and then I do not wish to return to this industry. In what field would my prospects be best?

In some ways, it is a shame you are so determined to leave your current industry, because the most powerful credentials are those that combine educational background with hands-on experience. You might find that your master's degree allows you to re-enter manufacturing at a totally different level, and that might change your outlook on the industry considerably. Your 15 years of experience and your degree would give you a unique advantage over most other new business school graduates.

Still, if you are determined to leave your current field, try at least to choose a field that leverages your experience to some degree. One example would be to get an MBA in finance and look for a career specializing in either stock analysis or investment banking focused on the manufacturing industry. Another example would be to pursue a master's degree in sales or marketing and work in an industry that acts as a supplier to your former industry. In each of these cases, your insights and contacts from your prior career could come in handy.

In either case, whether it is finance or sales and marketing, you may want to focus your business school degree on a skill set that cuts across individual industries. With a fast-changing economic landscape, you may be better off with readily transferable skills than by committing narrowly to one industry.