Are High Tech Firms Now Anxious to Hire Management School Grads?

MIT Sloan MBAs May Find out on Annual "Tech Treks" to Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Boston-Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- As they spend the first part of January on their annual "Tech Treks" visiting with a who's who of companies in Silicon Valley, Seattle and Boston, about 200 MIT School of Management MBA students hope to learn that they're right that such cutting-edge firms are seeking the kinds of classroom skills they've been learning in Cambridge.

"I feel very positive about my job prospects as well as the MBA job market in general," said Sara Greenbaum, 30, who worked in sales and marketing for Adobe Systems for seven years before attending MIT Sloan. "In the past year or two, the number of companies and the number of positions for MBA graduates has increased," said Greenbaum, who is helping lead the 20-student Tech Trek to Seattle.

Firms on the Seattle Tech Trek visit list include Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, T-Mobile, Expedia and Starbucks. About 80 other Tech Trekkers are heading to Silicon Valley to visit companies such as Intuit, Nanosolar, IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Tivo. Another Trek team will stay closer to home, concentrating on biotech and other firms in the Boston-Cambridge area.

In addition to company tours and visits, the Tech Trekkers meet and socialize with members of MIT's vast network of alumni, many of whom hold top positions in sectors and companies targeted by the Tech Trekkers.

"I really want to get a feel for the companies that are in Silicon Valley, where they're heading, what makes them unique, and where I can possibly get involved," said Santa Barbara native and Silicon Valley Trek co-leader Glenn Wilson, 27. "I've worked as a software engineer and a product manager for five years, so I'm looking particularly forward to meeting some very driven, very ambitious people who, like myself, love technology."

This year's Boston-Cambridge Tech Trek will focus on alternative energy startups, with MIT Sloan students visiting a range of firms involved with solar, biofuels, battery power and other alternative energy technologies. But the local Trekkers will also tap into the hot local cluster of biopharmaceutical firms, including Genentech and Novartis.

"My background is in biology and genetics, and this will be my chance to see these companies from the business side, as opposed to the research and development side," said Kristina Habermann, who is joining the Boston-Cambridge Trek. "I would like to learn more about how these companies operate, what their missions are, and in what functions they employ MBAs."

About 40 Tech Trekkers who are part of the MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (E&I) will get classroom credit even as they prospect for jobs in Silicon Valley. "I am interested in the entrepreneurial community of the West Coast because they do it particularly well," said Eric Silverberg, who worked for Microsoft and is a member of the E&I Trek. "Visits such as these are important because they provide a new perspective on the startup world, one that you can not attain by remaining in one place, whether that be the east coast or the west coast."

Some Tech Trekkers have goals beyond just finding a job with an existing firm. "This study tour is a wonderful opportunity to figure out how companies are getting off the ground," said Chris Herrick, who is part of the E&I group. "These places are the models for how I will form my own company."

    Press invited to networking receptions with the trekkers:
            January 3, 2007, 6:30-9:30 pm, Silicon Valley
                January 8, 2007, 6:30-9:30 pm, Seattle
                   January 11, 2007, 6-9 pm, Boston
                   contact Paul Denning for details