SDM grads are in high demand - SDM Pulse Fall 2010

By Helen Trimble, SDM director of career development

Helen M. Trimble

As companies across all industries become increasingly aware of the criticality of systems thinking to compete effectively in global markets, graduates of MIT’s System Design and Management Program (SDM) continue to be in high demand. Their interdisciplinary studies in engineering and management, coupled with SDM’s emphasis on leadership, innovation, and systems thinking, give them the unique ability to work and lead effectively across increasingly evolving organizational and geographic boundaries. Moreover, because SDMs have an average of seven years experience (and many more than two to three times that), they are able to hit the ground running.

Industries that hired recent SDM grads include retail and e-commerce (Sears Holdings Corporation), construction (Thoughtforms Corporation), telecom (Verizon), consulting (Booz Allen Hamilton), software (Redhat and Tibco), IT (EMC), patent commercialization (IP ValueManagment), and others. Their titles include chief operating officer; vice president of engineering; IT strategist; senior manager; intellectual property licensing; strategic business development manager; senior systems engineering; product marketing manager; and director of technology.

Moreover at least one SDM student has already been hired—months before he is scheduled to graduate! SDM ’10 student Irfan Mohammed secured a position as vice president of engineering at India’s largest producer of cell phone apps, Sourcebits, last summer.

Recruitment activities are now under way for prospective employers of upcoming SDM graduates. Please contact me at htrimble@mit.edu if you would like to learn more.