Partner Sites


Logo BusinessBecause - The business school voice
mobile search icon

Computer Coders Seek To Engineer A Business Education

A growing number of tech sector employees and engineers are banking on business education, as business schools begin to teach students computer science.

Thu Feb 12 2015

BusinessBecause
Before Bella Handojo became a business student, she was a food sciences undergraduate, with years of experience researching and writing reports on the manufacturing of food stuffs at university. Now she is an entrepreneur, cooking up a venture that she hopes will shake-up the food and drinks industries in Indonesia.

“I come from a country where education and work motivation is considerably low. I want to be able to create opportunities,” Bella says.

She has completed business education in a whirl. A masters in entrepreneurship took her across three different countries – France, China and the US – at three leading business schools, including EMLYON.

“Moving from one country to another within one year has helped me to adapt faster to situations,” Bella says.

There are many transferable skills, from tech to business. “Entrepreneurship is not just accounting or finance; it is about being outrageously creative in any field – engineering, IT, science or arts,” she says

She is one of a growing number of former techies that have banked on formal business education.

A 2014 survey of 5,604 business school applicants found 5% more tech employees and 0.3% more engineers were opting for business education than the previous year.

Bella and alumnus Abhinandan De are the new faces of the evolving business school scene. Abhinandan is a manager at IIAS Group, a company with interests in the education, hospitality, tourism and manufacturing industries.

He moved into management after a career as an industrial engineer, including at a steel plant in west Bengal, India.

“I [have] always wanted to be an entrepreneur and to build a business,” he says. “Engineering is hard work; it prepares one to not only be analytical, but to go through the grind of college.”

A masters in entrepreneurship has helped him to switch careers. He is now developing a business plan for a mobile applications business. “I can feel the difference that the program has made,” Abhinandan says.

“Not only has it made me more aware about how the start-up world works, but it has also provided me with the key skills [and] insights [needed] to think like an investor.”

The disruptive influence of technology is forcing business education to alter its content. At the same time, its graduates are increasingly pursuing careers in start-up companies or in innovative tech businesses like Google, Apple and Amazon.

Silicon Valley themes are now more common. Harvard Business School, for instance, launched a cross-disciplinary project – called its “Digital Initiative” – to help shape conversations about the transformation of the current business climate.

Harvard recently announced that it will start offering a business-focused version of its popular beginners’ class in computer science. About 25 HBS students have cross-registered for the undergraduate course this year.

Harvard in 2013 ran a survey of students who had enrolled in CS50, the introductory computer science course. More than 80% of them said they felt it was worth learning to code.

Harvard follows New York’s Stern School of Business, which announced plans to start a course that will teach students how to visualize data and use Python, a programing language.

Hacking for Hustlers, an intensive one-day coding workshop for business school students, last year ran classes at Harvard, NYU Stern and Wharton, all US-based.

South Carolina’s Aiken’s School of Business Administration is developing a part-time MBA aimed at students with undergraduate degrees in one of the STEM subjects, to launch in 2015.

Many more STEM graduates are studying at business schools to follow a start-up path. Magesh Rengaswamy, enrolled in the full-time MBA at EMLYON Business School in France, spent five years engineering in the energy sector in India.

“I realized the importance of undergoing a formal business school education to strengthen my entrepreneurial skill-sets,” he says.

He thinks the transition has been enriching so far. “The small MBA cohort size, with diverse backgrounds, is a key advantage,” says Magesh.

He has ambitions to eventually launch his own energy company. “I consider an MBA to be right decision, to gain knowledge and develop networks, in order to fast-track my professional career,” he says.

Technology industry darlings like Stanford GSB and MIT’s Sloan School of Management are seen as feeders to innovative tech firms and the field of entrepreneurship.

Yet even Wharton, a business school regarded as a finance specialist, this week announced that it was working with two internet start-up companies to teach students about entrepreneurship through online learning.

But other engineers prefer to pursue a corporate career path. Sandra Rodriguez spent several years working as an industrial engineer before enrolling in an MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano, a leading Italian business school.

“I had the opportunity to [get to] know great people from around the world and at the same time live the Italian culture,” she says. When Sandra graduated, she landed a job at Luxottica Group, the NYSE-listed luxury fashion house.

“Italy has a culture of building high-quality products and luxury brands,” she says.

But working as a planning and reporting supervisor today at Luxottica in Italy’s Belluno city, Sandra still values her engineering background. “The [engineering] work experience helped me to understand concepts and connect the dots,” she says.  

Student Reviews

emlyon business school

Student

Verified

4/12/2023

On Campus

Intense courses, helpful professors

I am an international student in my 3rd year and I love going to this school and do not regret chosing it for my BBA. The classes are helpful, professors are always there to help as well and we have a very understanding administration.

Student

Verified

18/03/2023

On Campus

Leadership in an amazing city

I decided to do my exchange in Emlyon because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, and I found a space with very capable People.. participatory, empathetic and full of leadership. I will never forget Lyon, apart from giving me an unforgettable experience, he gave me great friends

Student

Verified

23/11/2021

On Campus

A lot of opportunities professionally and socially. A unique program in France.

You can choose your courses and do your internship, exchange whenever you want. It's flexible and adapted to the needs of each student. A great program and a great city! Professionally, it opens a lot of doors for you to find internships or jobs in France or abroad thanks to the network and career events.

Fabian

Verified

7/06/2020

MSc in Digital Marketing

Combining both worlds into one, this course gave me all the on-demand technical skills in data science while maintaining a business-oriented approach. Thanks to the strong academic profile of this university I was able to secure an internship and full-time job at Amazon.

Student

Verified

14/10/2018

Top Business School fostering innovative entrepreneurs

EMLyon is one of the best business schools. The campuses, associations and courses offered provide the students with the best options to build the future they have chosen. The various opportunities to study and work abroad also offer a deeper understanding of the world, not only economy-wise but social, which helps the student become as well a better individual and not only a pre-formated business school student.

Student

Verified

9/06/2020

Emlyon campus in Paris

It has a great international community and you have access to many international tools, courses and professors. I had many networking events and workshops for students. Campus and some details of the program could have been improved or need to be bigger in order to have a better student life.

Student

Verified

21/11/2022

On Campus

Entrepreneurship

Overall good content and good activities. Lack of administration but still ok. Good flexibility and liberty offered to the students. Finally, the amount of internship is also a good way to improve qualifications.

Student

Verified

25/05/2020

Good Reputation and International Business School

The course was not well adapted but it was up to the mark. The professors are very well experienced and their experience comes in handy while working on assignments. The facilities on the campus are top class. Truly professional. I really like spending time in the learning hub and using all the available resources. Lyon is an amazing city. You will never get bored.

Edel

Verified

11/07/2024

On Campus

MSc International Hospitality Management

The best educational experience of my life so far! It’s been full of exposure and great connections. From Lyon to London, Paris, Los Angeles and Las Vegas! Truly an exceptional way to discover the world of hospitality.

Student

Verified

11/07/2024

On Campus

Real networking opportunities

- meeting new people, specially professionals during seminars or evening meeting at school. - going abroad to study luxury - being involved as an ambassador to promote the school and the program I was into (MSc LMM) - having such a great professional core

Daphné

Verified

14/07/2024

On Campus

white baccalaureate in the world of work

I really appreciated the MS SDAI as a whole. The teaching staff, the different subjects, the university exchange, TEM... I started my internship in a consulting firm having acquired a solid foundation. Downside for CentraleSupélec, which I found far too academic for a program such as this.

Student

Verified

11/09/2024

On Campus

Great

Pretty great ! Emlyon business school is a top educational institution known for its outstanding academic programs, nurturing environment, and state-of-the-art facilities. It fosters creativity, critical thinking, and leadership in students.

RECAPTHA :

c3

b8

5d

d9