Graduate / MBA Career Goals Essay: Transportation Engineer (Civil Service, Government) [10]

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.

Graduate / Perseverance, survival and cross-cultural sharing + Girl rescure - MBA Admissions [8]

Hello,

This is the second essay on my list.

Question: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)

A. During a three-month surveying assignment in Afghanistan, I learned perseverance, survival and cross-cultural sharing. As leader of a team of three engineers, I had to keep the team motivated and safe, despite the constant threat of land mines, kidnapping and winter snowstorms. My physical strength and emotional sanity were severely challenged by the constant struggle for existence. Caught in a blizzard in the 14,000 foot high Hindu Kush mountains, we spent one freezing night in a car with only raisins and water. But I put aside my inner feelings and kept a cool head, leading the team as we marched through abandoned battlefields. To communicate with our local workers, I learned the local dialects of Dari and Pashto; I was honored by their friendship and was even invited into their homes to share their culture. On urgent request from the Indian Embassy, I filled in for my manager and successfully planned and conducted, with the help of the US Air Force, an aerial survey over the Taliban-held Salang Mountains. My intense experience during this assignment made me appreciate the value of human life. In spite of the devastation and lawlessness, I experienced a new culture and tradition that I will cherish forever.

B. Back in university, I organized a group of classmates to rescue a 10-year old girl from her abusive uncle, a tenured professor and superintendent of my dorm. The battered child had been turned over to me, the dorm's "mess manager," by the kitchen staff, who had helped her with food in the past. Being from a poor village, the child was sent by her parents to stay with her uncle, with hope for better education and upbringing. We learned she had escaped from the professor's home after a year of constant abuse by her uncle and aunt. I convinced four close friends to join me in contacting the local police. We filed a complaint against the couple, and found her a government-run shelter. We then had to track down her unsuspecting parents. We pressed charges against the professor, who tried to retaliate against us; he also threatened me upon hearing I was to testify against him in court. Eventually, the professor and his wife were heavily fined and warned of dire consequences for repeat actions. Thankfully, the girl was reunited with her parents, and went back to a local school near her village. In many ways I wish this "accomplishment" never had to happen. In this case, defying the status-quo was my only choice.

Undergraduate / Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life. [4]

Thanks Kevin, I appreciate your response very much. Please have a look at this one and let me know your comments.

Question: Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)

Answer: Three years ago I was assigned to train and supervise a student assistant in my division at Caltrans. Excited at this opportunity, I shared my knowledge and expertise with this undergraduate student and explained him my expectations. Unfortunately, he showed little interest and avoided independent assignments. To motivate him, I brought him out to collect field data where he showed some enthusiasm for the work. However, in his individual tasks, he was careless and did not invest sufficient time to do a diligent job. Even though I tried to present his assignments as a team effort between the two of us, I ended up doing most of the work myself. This resulted in lost productivity and frustrated me. Eventually, after six months, with deep regret, I reported his lack of commitment to my supervisor and he was reassigned due to poor performance.

Looking back on this incident, I have to admit that I failed in my objective of making this student a better performer. Stressed to meet deadlines and exasperated by his insincere and careless attitude, I rushed to get him out of my hair . Probably he needed more time than I could afford. Later, through self-reflection and feedback from my peers, I realized that a more diplomatic and patient approach could have been more appropriate. Following this incident, I have observed other leaders tackling similar situations. These observations helped me succeed in my current role as a lead worker. If I could go back with the experience I now have as a leader, I would handle the situation differently.

Undergraduate / What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD [3]

Hi Kevin,

Regarding the Career Goals Essay, following your suggestions, I have now come up with my first draft. Will you please review it and let me know. It has almost 150 words over the 500 word limit, so I will really appreciate if you can point me some words which may be taken out.

Thanks in advance for your great help.

Question: Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career. (500 words approx.)

Answer: Secretary of Planning Commission, Government of India, calls me to discuss ADB funding for high speed rail connecting the four Indian metropolises. The Indonesian Minister of Transportation seeks my help in strategic planning for multiple underwater tunnels connecting Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. This is not a fantasy, this is my career vision. An immense growth of infrastructure and transportation, through international funding, is going to be the buzzword in the near future for developing nations around the globe. I want to start an organization, providing advisory service to the governments of developing countries in the Asia Pacific region to procure international loans and generate internal revenues for transportation and infrastructure development. My organization will play a vital role in influencing the policy makers of these nations to ensure sustainable, safe and efficient transportation for the public.

Added to my seven years of progressive technical experience in the government and public sector, I will need international business insights to fulfill this future vision. Following my MBA, I want to join an international development organization such as ADB or World Bank as an infrastructure and investment specialist. I will focus on strategic planning, including financing, governance and management of major transportation projects in developing countries, specifically in south-east Asia. Alternatively, I may join private consulting firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers or Bain & Company as a strategy consultant, helping public sector clients with raising funds for infrastructure projects or procuring private sector partners. With special attention to highway safety and mass transit, I will help the governing agencies devise long-term plans to manage rapid growth in a sustainable, environment-friendly way. Additionally, I will assist governments, NGO's and public sector entities in the planning and implementation of economically viable and socially sustainable development projects through effective public-private partnerships.

An MBA from Insead, the pioneer of international business education, will give me the business skills as related to strategic planning and financial operations in rapidly developing global markets. With my advanced technical expertise , core classes in finance and strategy will set the foundation for my business leadership. Courses such as "Global Strategy & Management" and "International Political Analysis" will introduce me to business trends around the world and "Strategies for Asia Pacific" will directly address my immediate career goal. Considering my future business venture, I expect to learn entrepreneurship skills and fundamental concepts of organizational strategy and how to use limited resources to publicize my services to a targeted niche market.

Unique to Insead, the choice of two fully integrated campuses and the Wharton alliance will not only give me exposure to job markets in Europe and Asia, but also prepare me as a truly international, transcultural business leader. As everyone is a minority at Insead, I will be able to strengthen my team-building and interpersonal skills by working with the most variant educational community in the world. My rich international experience in teamwork and leadership, while studying and working in three different countries, will be a perfect fit with the diverse, global philosophy of Insead education. The intense exchange of a multitude of ideas and experiences in the collaborative study groups will enrich my intellect and give me a worldly perspective of modern business. The accelerated pace of the academic program will bolster my skills of time management. The rigorous curriculum and vibrant lifestyle at Insead will further motivate me to strive for excellence. As I graduate, I will join the multicolor, close-knit and vast family of almost 40,000 Insead alumni, with whom I will share a professional and personal bond for life.

Continuing my passion for active participation and event management, I look forward to organize the Global Leader Series program. Also, my vision and insights for a business venture will help me elevate the dialogue in my classes and become an active member of the Entrepreneurship and Consulting Clubs. As I embark on my journey to become a global business leader, I am eager to experience the most productive one-year of my life at Insead.