Cornell University CS Undergraduate Field Advisor
Dan Jenkins '82
A recent Cornell graduate writes (July 2003):
How can I make contacts with companies looking to hire business development / marketing / strategic planning people with a technical bent?Well, it's a very tough market right now, as you know. Positions like the one you are referring to are like good dock space at the yacht club -- they tend to go to people who are deeply connected.If your intention is to storm the gates from the outside, you'll need two things: credentials and a proven track record.
Short of these, you'd need to start small. Begin by working for smaller companies and creating a successful portfolio. Then use that experience to leverage your entry into larger organizations. As you move along, keep making key connections.
If you don't go back to business school, you can gain experience by working for a consulting/market research company like Forrester (forrester.com). You can find the names of other top strategic planning firms in BusinessWeek. You'll find them embedded in various articles, as the BW writers depend on these firms heavily to define and support their arguments.
========================================= ssociate Director of Undergraduate Programs
DAN JENKINS (607) 255 0982 or 255 9220
A
Dept. of Computer Science, 303 Upson Hall
CORNELL UNIVERSITY, Ithaca, NY 14853
=========================================
NOTE: The views expressed on this page do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Computer Science or Cornell University. The purpose of providing feedback of this nature is to give students the opportunity to hear first-hand from professionals in the computing community.
Alumni and corporate technical staff are welcome to make submissions to this section of the web site: please email us if you would like us to include your job description.
[top]
Last updated May 18, 2004. For more information email us at ugrad@cs.cornell.edu.