Career Paths
Most alumni working in non-startup companies enjoyed working in
their present jobs because of stability, easy working hours and
good pay. Many stated that their present jobs give them valuable
exposure to a wide variety of work, as well as different
industries. In general, they found startups attractive because of
the possible future growth, pre-IPO stock options, and the
challenge of building a company from scratch. Nonetheless, many
alumni found their present job to be interesting and challenging
enough and feel that they could stay in a job which correlates
well with their interests.
Among the alumni who are involved in startups, some felt
empowered by the fact that they are given a lot of
responsibility right away and have more control over projects.
They also cited good pay, opportunities to become wealthy, and
flexible working hours as added incentives of working at a
startup. One alumnus mentioned that one has to be willing to
take risks, as unemployment in the near future is always a
possibility.
Choices
The main criterion that most alumni used for choosing classes is
that they must have an interest in the class. A few chose
classes relevant to their future career. Other reasons
considered before taking a class include how well the professor
and the TAs teach based on reviews, degree requirements, and
prerequisites for other classes. One alumnus mentioned that he
tried to take classes with his friends, so that they have
their own support group.
Non-academics
About 80% of those who replied were involved in some
extra-curricular activities (ECAs), be it sports, dorm and FSILG
activities, or cultural clubs. Among those involved in ECAs, the
majority participated in one or more IM sports, representing
either their living group or a social club. A few were very
active in ECAs, taking part in more than five different
activities during their time at MIT. A large number of alumni who
participated in cultural, social clubs, and IM sports wished
that they had joined some varsity sports team. Those who
participated in varsity sports, on the other hand, mostly did not
have any regrets.
Research
About two-thirds of the alumni felt that the research work they
did at MIT was useful in their present career. A significant
number mentioned that their MEng research was relevant to their
job. Among those who did not find any relevance in their
research at MIT, most wished that they had done some that was
directly related to their job. The various research labs were
well represented among the UROPs done by the alumni, including
groups at LCS, Media Lab, RLE and MTL. A couple of them
mentioned work done at their 6A company as being of direct
relevance.
Ties with MIT/MIT graduates
Alumni who have more than half their friends being from MIT
constitute more than half the replies. A few of them had as
many as 90% of their friends being affiliated with MIT. Out of
the 32 alumni, only 8 of them worked in jobs without a single MIT
graduate, suggesting that companies that employ any MIT graduates
tend to employ a significant number of them.
Almost all the alumni felt that alumni contacts were helpful in
landing them their present job, or in helping them look for a
job. Most felt that the fact that they have an MIT degree gave
them the respect of superiors and coworkers. Many had an easy
time finding job interviews and offers, which they attributed to
MIT's reputation. Nevertheless, some alumni mentioned that they
are judged on their performance in the company, and eventually,
which school one graduated from does not matter.
Classes
The most helpful classes suggested were 6.046, 6.033, 6.035 and
6.170 for the CS people, while 6.341, 6.011 were frequently suggested
by people in the EE area, especially in signal processing. Other
helpful classes mentioned were 6.111, 6.823, 6.312, 6.302, and all
the double 0 classes. Some alumni thought MIT classes were too
theoretical, and MIT should teach classes with the latest
technology used by the market, such as classes about the most up
to date programming languages. The most popular books kept by
the alumni were the 6.046 book (Intro to Algorithms), and the
Oppenheim books about DSP, Signals and Systems.
Careers
Among the respondents, 21% were in startups, 18% worked in the field
of hardware, and 12% worked in software. Banking and consulting
took up 12%. Those who marked their career as "others" (25%) were
mostly doing technical related work as well, such as being design
engineers, and studying technology related law. In general, most
alumni tended to choose careers with technical aspects, even if the
careers were not directly related to what they studied at
MIT.
Degree/Career Relation
Almost all the alumni replied that they were satisfied with their
majors. The few people who felt unsatisfied mainly thought that
MIT classes were either out-dated or not practical enough. The
reasons why most alumni felt their major satisfied their careers
were because MIT provided them with a broad overall background and
with the flexibility to choose classes that interested them.
Most alumni thought that their majors helped with determining their
careers, confirmed the career orientations they already had
before coming to MIT, or taught them what they didn't want to do
for life. The 6A program was mentioned a couple of times for its
usefulness in helping to determine a career or just giving people
more experience with the real world industry.
Mentoring
There are 15 alumni among the 32 respondents who have agreed to
be a mentor. A program that matches students with mentors is
under construction. |