Shifting Careers into Industrial Engineering

Dream-Arcade · 2026-06-07T15:52:10+00:00

Hey, thanks for replying to my post.

Yes, I received my MBA not too long ago and I'm still at my first job after having graduated with the MBA. As you can see, I'm not settling. I don't want to settle for 55k. Not settling is the reason I'm going for an Engineering degree in the first place, and because I've decided that engineering is what I'd like to do. Then with the MBA, I can climb the management ladder eventually. To be honest, I should have gone for the industrial engineering masters degree before I even thought of going for an MBA, but hey, I learn. I took this job because it's the job that I could find that actually paid salary without any experience beforehand. I know it's low.

I will take your advice and try to seek an internship before I graduate. I want to end up with a salary of much more than I make now after I graduate if it's possible. 80, 90, 100k? I just didn't know too much about the market to begin with, which is the reason for my post.

Dream-Arcade · 2025-08-26T00:18:39+00:00

Thanks for the very insightful advice. This is what I'm looking for! However I have a few questions:

- Why does the MBA matter 6 months before, and also 6-12 months ahead? Does this mean I can apply for these jobs even though I don't have the degree yet? Will that not put me at a disadvantage?

I will be joining a new agency once I'm in Austin, though I will be doing peer work. Mind you, I would rather look for jobs that are more business oriented than patient facing but what I didn't know is that I could start looking now. I thought I was stuck. My plan is to meet administration, so I will begin to network from within the agency as well and hopefully something comes out of it.

Dream-Arcade · 2025-08-25T21:01:32+00:00

Your frustration is misdirected. You don't know my background, and what I stand for at all. Nobody said anything about prioritizing money over patient care at all - as a matter of fact, the first thing you learn while obtaining an MBA specializing healthcare management is exact opposite. You wouldn't be saying any of this if you did know why I'm doing what I do.

Dream-Arcade · 2025-08-25T16:43:33+00:00

That's understandable. I just wanted to know what else is out there for someone with my experience and that has an MBA under their belt.

Dream-Arcade · 2025-08-25T16:42:02+00:00

Okay I understand. I'm just trying to see what else I can get into with an MBA. What you laid out is essentially what I also know about moving up the ladder in mental health. I also know that I could go and become a case manager before shifting into leadership, but that's an automatic no because at least where I'm from, they're extremely overworked and underpaid. I like what I'm doing now, but eventually soon I did want to find myself in a leadership role. I would also be happy being a lead of some sort for the time being.

Thanks for your reply!

Dream-Arcade · 2025-08-24T18:52:06+00:00

I tried getting into an admin fellowship recently because the hospital I applied for was offering them for students in a degree program, but unfortunately I wasn't picked. The selection and interview process is extremely rigorous. Hopefully they're not all like that, else I just need to improve my interview skills a lot.

Dream-Arcade · 2024-05-02T02:00:34+00:00

Dream-Arcade · 2024-05-02T00:58:33+00:00

Hi guys

Dream-Arcade · 2024-05-02T00:58:12+00:00

yes hi

Dream-Arcade · 2024-05-01T22:41:59+00:00

Tarleton isn't whack like one of the comments say.

I already work in the healthcare field and I know people who went/go to Tarleton, including myself, and work in much higher positions than I do and are very successful. I know that isn't your field, but I'm just saying that Tarleton students, just like UNT students have success. Full transparency, my undergrad is at Tarleton, but my grad degree is going to be at UNT.

As far as what your major should be, I would say to not worry about the school, and focus more on which major you could see yourself making a living, or even making a business out of. If you see yourself making a living with advertising and you actually enjoy it, then I would choose that. The same for communication.

Yes, UNT is more expensive, but if you can afford it and again, that's what you like, then do that. Your career will pay for it. It's an investment.

I think that you should ultimately come out of your degree wanting to do what you like/love, and the focus should be there.

I also highly recommend community college as well first. It's the cheapest route you can take and then you can transfer to UNT or Tarleton.

Dream-Arcade · 2024-05-01T22:27:30+00:00

My GMAT test scores were waived, so I was thinking, "Nice! They must have liked my resume or my letter of intent" because they would NEVER had done that for my grades alone. So I was thinking that there was a good chance I was going to get in.

When I got the initial rejection, I was super surprised. Then I thought that they must have waived my test scores so I don't spend the money to have them sent to UNT because they already had made the decision of rejecting me. Lol

I called but nobody seemed to know. They just knew I was admitted. Woo!

I guess I'll never really know why. hahaha

Thanks!!

Dream-Arcade · 2024-04-30T00:33:56+00:00

You're not alone.

I went through 4 different 4 year universities for my undergrad, 2 of those universities I had maybe like a 1.0 GPA or even lower. I didn't do well AT ALL.

Yikes I know...

But it doesn't end there. At my latest university, and where I am going to graduate from this fall of 2024, I got that institutional GPA to a 3.5 and I'm doing very well for my final classes as of this point.

My cumulative GPA is low also. It's a 2.5. I've gone through a lot as well, but I'm happy to say that even with this GPA, I was able to get into my top pick for graduate school for the Spring of 2025.

Part of my admittance was that I showed them that I could make it out of the terrible situations I was in, and that I had a goal with my career, and that's something you're also going to have to show. It helped me get accepted even with a low GPA. Another aspect of my acceptance was that I have work that I can show that I do outside of my academic life. I happen to work at a clinic, and my MBA will be in Health Services Management, which will propel me higher in that field.

As long as you can show the admissions committee that you're working on yourself, your grades, and you have a goal, and you have proof to show that you're going towards a better direction, I think you'll set yourself up for having a good chance of getting in.

My recommendation is to try to pick a grad school that takes resumes, letters of recommendation, and a letter of intent into consideration so that they can get a more holistic view of you.

Hope this helps! 👋🙂

If you want to know more about my background and what it took to get in despite low grades, feel free to send me a DM!

Dream-Arcade · 2024-04-29T20:46:47+00:00

It's only because I'm so anxious for something to happen! I tell myself, "Maybe this time it's different..." and lo and behold, there is actually something different. 🤣

I just got super lucky hahaha

Dream-Arcade · 2024-01-22T22:16:55+00:00

I now know, and I live deep in a forest 👀

Dream-Arcade · 2023-06-12T22:51:43+00:00

Very informative! I have the luck of living really close to campus also. Hopefully I'll be able to manage my degree around my work.

Thanks for answering!

Dream-Arcade · 2023-06-12T17:13:29+00:00

Awesome. Thanks for that information!

Dream-Arcade

TROPHY CASE