MBA Statement of Intent

I intend to complete an MBA within three years and graduate in 2012. I will combine the MBA work with that of the mechanical engineering department in following the product development path and finally receive an MBA and a MS in Mechanical Engineering.
Completing an MBA was a task I never considered as I worked through my engineering undergraduate studies. Fortunately I have had experiences that have prepared me for this career path. My preparation has come from two sources: my education and my employment. Both sections have prepared me in different ways to be successful in the MBA program.
My undergraduate studies at BYU have been an influential experience in my life. The Mechanical Engineering program has taught me to work hard even when my classes are difficult, learning to prioritize what was necessary in order to handle the rigorous schedule. My time management, organizational, and study skills have greatly improved through my efforts in this major.
The preparation that came from my engineering jobs has proven to be invaluable. Working at AeroAstro and then later at RMC/Spectrum Aeronautical I found that the things I learn at school actually apply to my expected career. I gained a greater desire to further learn the things I was being taught. I appreciated my undergraduate degree, but I learned that I needed to extend that knowledge if I was to be happy in my career. At RMC/Spectrum I began to look around at the people working with me. I realized that the position of Designer/Drafter was a respectable one, no doubt, but that I was not stretching myself. I was in a position of comfort, not challenge. I began to realize I wanted to contribute more with my life.
This realization led me to consider what I did want out of my career. This is when I discovered the Product Development program here at BYU. It seemed to lend itself directly to me. I have always liked finding myself in management roles in my social life and in group projects at school. In my capstone group, for example, I find myself taking command any time the team lets me whether it is in a conference call, a meeting with the sponsor, or a presentation. I feel responsible in group situations to find a way we can work more efficiently as a team while still enjoying the labor. These experiences have prepared me for this degree in management.
My plans for my career path include working as a project manager, using skills that would be used to direct and instruct employees in accomplishing engineering projects. I will be able to understand my projects thoroughly enough so I can direct my designers to meet specific design objectives. I have a unique skill set in that I am an engineer and can be a manager of engineers without losing credibility to them. I plan to be able to work with them through design problems and direct the project in the most profitable way. The unique combination of technical and managerial education will provide me with the skills I will need to be successful in the positions I plan to be in throughout my career.
As a masters graduate I will have the skills necessary to guide a team of engineers in completing these tasks. BYU is the only school that has teachers focusing on what I want to study along with a phenomenal business program. This makes BYU my first choice for post-graduate studies.
Through the MBA program I will be able to learn the skills I need to be successful in the business world. I will learn to see entrepreneurial opportunities and recognize their potential. I hope to be able to market and sell products that I have designed and produced. Most importantly, my goal is to be able to manage and lead a team of engineers effectively through an engineering project, in every aspect necessary.
I want to learn the skills I will need to successfully start a profitable business. In order to get to that position I will need to have the skills to be effective within a larger company where I hope to be in a position of management working with an engineering department to control the production of a mechanical system.