MBA(priv uni)+Engineering(NUS) can do what niche job?Who will employ?

Originally Posted by wahkao

ok what, corporate strategy in engineering firms quite easy mah
I dont need take MBA I also know how to do. Seen those corporate strategy managers do before.
become powerpoint warrior and do all this:
- general comments about product line, which product doing well. Which doing badly
- plan 3-5year P&L
- score card, dig out the information from sales bookings, order bookings, calculate CAGR
- comments on P&L vs year-1
- forecast YTD using regression
- look at other measurable like AR, customer satisfaction, employee survey
- share business success stories and the insights gained from those success
- failure stories and the insights gained from those failure
- monitoring of existing initiatives
- cut and paste and compare P&L from other business units

Feels like a piece of cake. pretty administrative kind of work if you ask me

I am a management accountant with 3 years exp making 3.6k and this is almost exacly to the dot what I am doing. This is confirm not niche at all since anyone who got a bit of basic data analysis skill can do. Either you are wrong understanding of their work or your company have grossly inflated titles.

[wahkao]

looks like another good job to go for.
the job scope seems easy enough

pay is 5-7k.

[wahkao]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am a management accountant with 3 years exp making 3.6k and this is almost exacly to the dot what I am doing. This is confirm not niche at all since anyone who got a bit of basic data analysis skill can do. Either you are wrong understanding of their work or your company have grossly inflated titles.

Financial/accounting wise I think no problem for you.
How do you discuss strategic insights without engineering knowledge?
eg. Company just launched an engineering product X. They are relying on you to discuss on its performance. Naturally, you have to know at least product X's market position and this requires basic engineering.

[wahkao]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Then I think those strategy managers in your company ain't the real deal. Those are more like work which they delegate down to junior officers to do..

I dont mind starting out as "ain't the real deal" kind of work. Pay no need to be so high.

My first step is to step into these "ain't the real deal" junior officer kind of work. I ok one.

[wahkao]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

you're looking at someone who can engage stakeholders, plan 5 - 10 years masterplan, find the next area of focus, bring out innovative solutions, extensive research using past records and benchmarks to forecast P&L, able to use financial model for that, engage the entire organisation, use of TQM or Performance Management Tool that doesn't just look at P&L, and extensive networks within the industry etc.

All these require extensive experience of probably 10 years doing strategic management and performance, while taking up graduate diplomas and degrees (e.g. MBA) to strengthen your foundation and concept. Experience is all about executing, and it is only through experience that you know what works and what not.

I like your post. Do share more.

Let me pen my thoughts on how confident I am in the following:
- can engage stakeholders - Can do
- find the next area of focus - Can do
- plan 5 - 10 years masterplan - 5 years can do. beyond that I will have pluck out justifiable numbers from thin air.
- bring out innovative solutions - Can do. On both commercial and engineering levels
- extensive research using past records and benchmarks to forecast P&L - can do
- able to use financial model - Can do
- engage the entire organisation - Maybe can, maybe cannot. Not very confident on this.
- TQM or Performance Management Tool - Not sure on this. Can give some example of this?
- extensive networks within the industry - Can do

well, maybe right now I have the confidence. But when I actually do it, I will find the job riddled with nails. But is ok, I am prepared for all these nails.

[wahkao]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

widen your horizons more if the above is what you meant by doing "corporate strategy" work.

pls share more on what I missed

[wahkao]

Originally Posted by lordlad

TS, you are throwing terms that you 'learnt' in your MBA all over the place. I know you are a MBA and you feel great...but an MBA in a wrong industry is like assigning a Wintel Expert to work in Google....Google is 100% linux company!

MBA in engineering industry quite ok mah? Combine both commercial and technical skills together. They have great synergy

[wahkao]

Originally Posted by lordlad

you keep mentioning hitching on the 'niche' market.....do you even know what you want to do and what areas you specialised in the first place.

yep I know, the niche is business aspect of engineering.

Originally Posted by lordlad

I'll say it's not really in whether is the job or market niche. It's the area of specialisation and expertise you have in your field.

Specialization + Expertise in a field = ability to go into a market niche.

They are all along the same line of though. You are just rephrasing my words. If You are trying to find some way to disagree with me using logic, try harder pls

@TS

Honestly, if you're someone capable of earning ~ that salary range, you wouldn't be asking questions like that here. I'm not saying 5k is a lot. It's just that my assessment of you so far is that you're worth <4k. Hope it works out for you.

[wahkao]

Originally Posted by lordlad

Instead of hoping' that you can find that job that pays well, why not build your specialisation with enough value such that the job that pays well will find you instead?You need really get your working mentality right.

What's wrong with hoping I can find a job that pay well. Its this hope that drives my motivation in the first place.

Everyone out there also hopes to find a job that pays well, and they get motivated by its prospects. Our capitalistic society is build on this fundamental in the very first place. Even the private sector companies you work for, have this profit$ driven mentality.

I stay true and firm to this mentality because I find absolutely nothing wrong with it. Rather than trying to hide this, I will embrace it, and let it motivate me to success.