For Matteo Castagno, an MBA was the answer to this question as he managed to switch from IT to the food and drinks industry following a full-time MBA at Italy’s MIP Politecnico di Milano.
MIP’s International MBA program is offered in collaboration with a range of multinational companies including the Boston Consulting Group, IBM, and Microsoft.
Through a placement at Italian luxury firm Moncler, and visiting companies like IBM and Google on a class trip to San Francisco’s Silicon Valley, Matteo realized he wanted a career switch.
Matteo, who worked for an IT research and innovation center pre-MBA, landed a top business analyst job at Nestlé Nespresso after graduation.
How did the MIP MBA help you land a job at Nestlé Nespresso?
Without the degree at MIP, it wouldn’t have been possible to completely change my career path and find the position I was aiming for.
MIP’s industry links were crucial when I was looking for project work. I had many job interviews and eventually landed project work with Moncler, currently the most prominent company in the Italian luxury sector, and a job after the MBA with Whirlpool, and then Nestlé Nespresso. Without the placement service of the school I wouldn’t have had the chance to enter these specific sectors.
During the MBA, I learned new business concepts and I studied in depth how different businesses are managed and their best practices. This allowed me to gather my thoughts about the development of my own career.
Why did you decide to pursue an MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano?
I wanted to switch my career path and decided to enroll because I felt I was missing some competencies in terms of business acumen and soft skills.
I chose MIP Politecnico di Milano because of the innovative way the MBA is structured, in particular concerning the boot-camp aspect which gives you the opportunity to attend courses in various fields of application held directly by top companies like UBS, Microsoft, and Bottega Veneta.
What stands out from your trip to Silicon Valley?
The Silicon Valley exchange was a great experience. I got to know the most innovative part of the world, where world-changing businesses are born. We chatted with the founder of Logitech, attended a seminar at Stanford, and visited companies like IBM and Google. We met with people working at 500 Startups, a top venture capital firm, as well as Plug and Play, the world’s largest startup accelerator.
We became totally absorbed in the culture shaping the businesses established there and saw many of the topics we studied in our classes in practice. We could also feel how the whole concept of failure has a different meaning there, and how this can help people to innovate further instead of losing hope.
What advice do you have for anyone considering an MBA?
Go for it! Be prepared to challenge the status quo and aim for what you think fits you best.
It won’t be easy and you’ll need to cope with very high uncertainty. It is not only about the MBA degree at MIP Politecnico di Milano itself; it is about yourself; how you want to build your knowledge and who you want to become.
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