MBA Career Goals Essay: Transportation Engineer (Civil Service, Government)

I am trying to start my Career Goals Essay for Insead. I am a Transportation Engineer (Civil Service, Government) with an advanced degree in Civil Engineering and 8 years of professional experience. Post MBA, I am planning to enter the Transportation Sector, but in a different capacity. I want to get into the strategy development, policy making part of the sector.

Trying to put my goals into words seems to be pretty difficult. Can anyone suggest a way please?

Thank You.

Hi Niladri,

I'm not the expert on your industry, but, I think there are some great potential ways to frame your goals. Some immediate questions:

-Are you looking to go into public administration--or do you want to work more on the private sector side? You mentioned policy, so I am guessing the former. Where do you work, geographically? Where do you want to work? How can these worlds connect?

-Will the programs you're applying to cultivate this kind of expertise? This is critical. It will be difficult to show fit for a program that doesn't build many skills in this space or in terms of policy making/thinking.

-How has your 8 yr career shed light on some of the biggest strategic and policy challenges facing community development? This is your angle. You have deep engineering experience, and you want to use it to show how your long-term goals and curiosities crystallized. Your insider's view can absolutely bring dimension to your long-term goals...so use it wisely!

Hope this helps---best of luck!

Cheers,
Janson
Ivy Eyes Editing

I wonder if you are aware of how beautifully constructed these sentences are! You write so well, even as you tell us that it is difficult for you!

These sentences above make a great start to an essay, though I think you should add an insightful sentence prior to these. For example:

Having taken the first few steps into the career of my choice, I am now finding new interests and being sent in a slightly different direction. I am a Transportation Engineer (Civil Service, Government) with an advanced degree in Civil Engineering and eight years...

I just read these ideas from Jansen, and they are great. I'll add that I think the most important thing to do is give a detailed explanation of your CLEAR plan for the future. That is what separates the high achievers from the crowd -- a clear action plan.

Thanks a lot Janson and Kevin. Here is what I have come up with as a starting point. Please have a look and let me know if it seems all right.

Short Term:

Join a regional development organization such as Asian Development Bank (ADB) in managerial/advisory capacity, participating in the development of policy and strategies for the transportation sector in the developing countries in the region, specifically south-east Asia. With an overall objective of improving transportation infrastructure, put special emphasis on safety of motorists and pedestrians. Prioritize infrastructural needs of member countries and ensure appropriate disbursement of available funds. Manage financial operations, earnings and circulation of capital.

Long Term:
Start an organization of my own, providing advisory service to the governments of developing countries in the Asia Pacific region (such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines etc.)in matters of transportation infrastructure, with special attention to traffic safety. Specifically, my organization will play a vital role in influencing the policy makers to give considerable importance to sustainable, safe and efficient transportation for the average public.

What Skills I have:
Advance technical knowledge of transportation engineering, with emphasis on traffic operations and traffic safety. Professional experience in India and USA, working in the Government Sector, dealing with major highway improvement projects for rural and urban roadways. Special exposure to critical safety issues, involving driver behavior, pedestrian safety and school zone safety. First hand knowledge of the contrasting scenarios of traffic operations and safety in a developed nation and a developing nation. Demonstrated expertise in handling a diverse clientele, including elected representatives and law enforcement officials. Positive experience in working with diverse groups, in education and in profession, representing various ethnicities, culture, educational and professional backgrounds. Several accomplishments related to leadership and initiatives...

The Gaps:
- Management skills, as related to financial operations and international markets
- Fundamental concepts of organizational strategy, as applied to a multinational development organization
- Basics of Entrepreneurship skills- how to build and operate a business venture, which will serve the governments of developing nations
- Marketing - how to successfully influence policy makers to buy in your proposals

What I will gain from INSEAD:
- Located in Singapore, this school has a strong presence in the Asia Pacific region. The academic curriculum and contemporary research has considerable emphasis on business in this area, including big players like India and China. My career interest in this region will be directly addressed in courses like "Strategies for Asia Pacific".

- This is the most diverse school in the world. Working within the unique study group with markedly diverse student body, I will considerably improve my team-building and interpersonal skills. The intense exchange of ideas and experience in the group will enrich my intellect.

- INSEAD is the pioneer of international business education, which will enable me to graduate as a truly global leader, managing global complexities and cultural diversities. Courses such as "Global Strategy & Management" and "International Political Analysis" will provide me with the exposure to the business trends in the region as well as around the world. My international experience in education and profession will be a perfect fit with the diverse, global philosophy of Insead education.

- The accelerated pace of the academic program will bolster my skills of time management and prioritization of assignments. I will accept the unique one-year, full time program as a challenge to boost my career. The rigorous curriculum and the vibrant and intense life at Insead will also give me the adrenaline rush which will further motivate me to strive for excellence.

- A strategic mix of teaching styles is, including case-studies and role-plays, will maximize my learning experience and will prepare me for tackling real-life situations with the best skills.

How will I contribute to INSEAD:
- My rich international experience of studying and working in three different countries while surviving under extremely challenging circumstances will contribute to the intellectual diversity of the student body at Insead.

- With my profound interest and demonstrated success in organizing events, I can actively contribute to the Global Leader Series program.
- I will share my insights and my career vision in professional clubs such as the Insead Consulting Club and the Insead Entrepreneurship Club.

This is not specific enough. It suggests a very general approach to your near future, and it makes your application less impressive than the applications of people who have very specific ideas. I am not saying you need to arbitrarily choose a specific goal, but rather... show the detailed vision of someone who is fascinated with certain aspects of the field. What theme emerges when you add yourself to this field. Yourself + The Transportation Sector = Some Unique Theme that will stick in the reader's mind.

Start an organization of my own, providing advisory service to the governments of developing countries in the Asia Pacific region (such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines etc.)in matters of transportation infrastructure, with special attention to traffic safety. ---- This is excellent, but add more detail to this, too. What might be the way you go about starting this company you envision? How might you market it?

Here is a little error:
A strategic diverse mix of teaching styles is , including case-studies and role-plays, will maximize my learning experience and will prepare me for tackling...

Ha ha, I just looked again at this thread and thought I sounded like a jerk. When I said it's not specific enough, I was talking about the short term goal. The impression it made on me, in that brief paragraph, was that it was too general. So my idea is to make that short term goal paragraph more specific.

:-)

Thanks a ton Kevin. I truly appreciate your well thought responses.

Hello Kevin and everybody,

I will appreciate if you could have a look at this essay for Insead and give me your valuable comments.

Question: Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)

My dreams have always helped me aim higher, and I am proud of my determined mother who gave me the strength to achieve some of these dreams. Some dreams were as simple as buying a car, and some were more complex, such as building a house for my parents and grandparents. Born to a poor city clerk and an illiterate mother, the idea of a decent education was far-fetched for me. But the same illiterate mother made me study in a renowned missionary school, entirely sacrificing her own well being. For my part, I was a subject of constant ridicule due to my humble origins. But my mother instilled in me a strong desire to excel. With a solid determination to succeed and make my struggling parents proud, I emerged as the top scorer in the school-leaving examination. This will and determination resulted in other successes: a US graduate degree in engineering with a top rank and a job at the largest state agency in the US, making the dream come true for my parents and me.

The continuous support and inspiration of my family motivated me to take on leadership roles, even when taunted by older, wealthier peers. I became comfortable assuming a lead role in many situations, social and professional. As an elected member of the student council at college, I led students against government political-party influence on campus activities. Risking my career and reputation, I organized fellow classmates to rescue an abused child from her uncle, a professor at our university. In my very first job, I volunteered to lead a team of engineers on a three-month project in treacherous regions of Afghanistan. Filling in for my manager, I planned and conducted, with the help of the US Air Force, an aerial survey over the rugged and perilous Salang Mountains.

While comfortable in leading or joining a team, I believe I can actually improve in exchanges of ideas. In certain situations, I wish I could be a little less outspoken. My flowing conversations sometimes stir up things in some professional and personal groups. In retrospect, I can see that being more receptive and controlling some of my delivery could bring better outcomes. To this effect, I have requested my family and close friends to give me constructive feedback on my communication style. With self-awareness and help from my near ones, I hope to bring more flexibility in my style.

I want to take the comma out of this sentence and make a small change:
This will and determination resulted in other successes: a US graduate degree in engineering with a top rank and a job at the largest state agency in the US. These represent a dream that came true for both my parents and me.

The way you wrote this is very sophisticated. You use excellent variety of sentence structure. I think this'll impress them!

Hi Niladri,

I moved your other essay to it's own thread. Just click "my threads" to find it.

:-)