University Graduates

How can economics graduate compete with engineering graduates taking managerial fields?

When I checked Yohanes H's answer in previous question, I was stunned that OMG almost all good Indonesian companies are lead by ITB graduates. I ask my mom who works in BNI and she said that even in BNI many important positions are hold by ITB graduates and it is foreseen that in the future the position of Directors in BNI (and some other top banks) may be placed by ITB graduates because their numbers in GM/VP positions now are so many - almost 40% while IPB graduates 20% and the rest who came from economics only about 40% from various universities, and economicsUI only about 10%. Why managerial positions placed by ITB graduates not by economics (management/accounting) from UI, Unpad, Unpar, UGM? If ITB graduates place managerial positions then where management graduates seek job. I think it is not fair... It's like IPA students who can enter social majors while IPS students can't enter science majors. Why MBA courses permit engineering students who don't have degree to enter Here are some ITB graduates who are directors in banks: Bien Soebiantoro,Kemal Ranadireksa, Tjahjana Tjakrawinata directors of BNI, Dian Angreniwati Soerarso CFO of Niaga, and many others in Mandiri, BCA, and BRI

Public Comments

1. Not many ITB graduates could've been hired to make well balance speeches these days I'd assume, my...my...my where are those free days to go on parade, Economics vs Engineering would a HOT issue,no ? Waiting for Godot, or a paraphrase, atau mingkin lamporan untuk Um Liem, Whay don't you just stick to the daily newsparwer as we are, there has been sooooo many people wating on the line to make our own speeches,you read. Trains you ear, those era would be goneone day, thoseengineer would have calculates a more pres\cise instrument rather than trusting their ears on. The algorithm would be just simple, if the RRI or TVRI or any bussineessmen would easily calculating the USD price of the day, than somebody would really work really hard to get it then converting it to the Rupiah then divided them evenly among the 200.000.000 people aboard (?), for the sake of the fifth pasal/ayat of the sacred Pancasila,off course,most certaintly.
2. I considered entering an MBA program at one point, but I backed off and took a Master's in Electrical Engineering instead. I honestly think there is a flaw in the whole business/economics education system, not only in Indonesia but all over the world, including in the United States. Let’s think about it. Economics/business students are taught by economics/business professors. As part of their doctorate curriculums, these professors work at research-oriented institutions (these are the only schools with the means to fund doctoral programs). While there, they dive into finance or marketing or operations management, learning everything knowable about their chosen disciplines. When the professors teach the students, they simply pass along their knowledge. You can study economics or business without real integration or application. Did you see the irony? Most, if not all, business schools seek to produce graduates who can integrate, adapt, manage global diversity, lead and work in teams, and bring out the best in others, yet these are NOT the skills that most professors are asked to master as part of their training. In engineering curriculum, things are totally different. Knowledge is obtained by solving real-life problems. Lectures and readings are complementary of support. One example I can give you is designing a washing machine in my electronics class. I could have bored you with all the theories out there exactly how the machine works. But since I have practically put together a piece of machinery on my own, I could tell you just enough to make you understand how it works. I think it is important for the economics graduates to “get their hands dirty” in order to compete with the engineering/technical graduates. I do believe more pressure should be given to the institutions to revise their curriculum in an attempt to eliminate the false barriers between the academic world and the real-world practice. The change must come in the classroom to bring back the relevance of the materials being presented.