Technology is the white-hot industry of our time and MBAs are flocking to the tech industry by the dozen; some of whom are master’s graduates with information technology degrees but, interestingly, some have no background in IT at all. Some of the most well-respected and highest-grossing businesses are tech firms and MBA students are keen to land a job with them. The entrepreneurial spirit can be explored with gusto in the technology realm too, making a technology start-up an exciting place to posit yourself. Which industries are losing these great business minds as a result of tech success and how will IT and business continue to fuse in future projects? When MBAs were asked for whom they would most prefer to work technology companies came out top, with Google at the number one spot and Apple and Amazon both rounding out the top five. This is a departure from traditional routes which once saw MBAs clamouring to get into finance, which is considered a more financially lucrative option. On the same list only one bank, Goldman Sachs, made it on to the top ten. It seems that many students are more interested in being a part of something innovative than something with the highest salary. Working for a tech company carries greater cultural gravitas too. Technological change is so fast-faced and as ordinary consumers are keen to accept these changes in their own lives, the people who made it happen, those with information technology degrees and with MBAs, are often hailed as heroes. The appeal is not only external of course. Many MBAs relish the challenges of working in an industry where they are forced to think on their feet. In one study, it was found that only 5% of respondents had worked in IT prior to getting their MBA while 25% wanted to work for a tech firm afterwards. Without this background in information technology, it might seem like business school graduates will have their work cut out. Many in just that position think that's part of the fun. As Ben Silbermann of Pinterest points out, when building a business, "your team is everything... We try to bring people with different backgrounds [together] and point them at the same goal." Those from different backgrounds are even more valuable to an innovative company. The sectors are beginning to come together to work more fluidly. Nick Barniville, the director of the MBA programme at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin explains how they aim to show "how MBAs can use technology to create long-term competitive advantage." Their courses explain how technological innovation can be used inside any business to analyse the market and capture value. As a result he says, "We get a huge interest in tech-oriented companies from candidates who are interested in careers in strategy, business development, and consulting rather than people interested in hard-core technology jobs." The increased interest in the technology industry for MBA students reflects many things. Firstly, many of those with information technology degrees are choosing MBAs for postgraduate study for the doors it may open in their already chosen field. Secondly, many business school graduates are attracted to the dynamic and fast-paced world of both existing tech firms and the potential of new start-ups. The third factor explaining this trend is simply the ubiquity of technology itself since technology is becoming increasingly essential in every kind of business, not just as applications, but as investigate tools which drive success. *Image courtesy of bplanet / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
