This as-told-to composition is according to a conversation alongside Mihirkant Upadhyaya, 42, who plant at Intel and lives in Oregon. The following has been edited for dimension and clarity. Business Insider has verified his occupation and education.
After studying device engineering for my bachelor's, I pivoted into physics.
Two master's degrees and a Ph.D. in nanoscale discipline and engineering later, I got my aspiration job in the semiconductor industry at Intel in 2015.
As my occupation evolved, I realized I additionally wanted to do an MBA to stage up my game.
My Ph.D. gave me applicable skills to obtain on the workforce
During my Ph.D., I focused on a semiconductor manufacturing innovation called EUV lithography. I was enthusiastic to activity at Intel since it does the two chip design and manufacturing, so I knew I'd get a fine overview of the chip-making process.
You don't need a Ph.D. to activity in semiconductors, as there are so many areas exterior the lab you can activity in, akin backing and legal.
On a individual level, though, having a Ph.D. helped me awareness prepared to stage into the workforce. It gave me site and the capability to be comfortable alongside ambiguity. My investigation mindset and specialized backdrop gave me the confidence to obtain ownership of outcomes and tasks.
There were certainly moments anywhere I had self-doubt doing a Ph.D. You observe your peers go on to acquire big bucks following their bachelor's and master's during you live on a humble stipend. However, the cognition shaped me into who I am. I'd say I'm additional patient, sharper, and additional resilient.
I reached a phase anywhere I felt I needed additional learning to thrive in my job
After concerning five years in investigation and betterment at Intel, I moved into provision sequence roles, which have engaged managing relationships and negotiating contracts. At this point, I realized I was missing certain skills.
My current function has a greater accent on administrator communication and financial analysis. When I presented to an administrator team, my director had to stage in on a figure of occasions to get the area to respond, making what I was saying additional high-level using business-driven terms. I additionally didn't fairly comprehend certain things whenever I worked alongside the backing teams on agreement negotiations.
To stage up my game, I started a two-year hybrid MBA way in September 2025, alongside my full-time job. It was energizing to get rear to the classroom at age 41.
I obtain one week off a fourth to do in-person sessions, and the remainder of the period I'm doing online learning three days a week. My business is partially backing this, which is helpful since MBAs can transport a $100,000 cost tag.
By the period I've completed my MBA, I'll have done nine years of graduate study, investing an estimated $100,000 into that education, apart from scholarships and tuition waivers. Without question, it's been value it. I haven't pursued the degrees to accumulate credentials, but to assist my occupation at assorted stages of my life. The MBA is addressing a tangible skills gap I identified following years in my industry.
I accept higher learning is assisting me rotate into additional irreplaceable in the age of AI
The AI surge made me obtain a difficult appearance at what I bring to the table. I saw that several of what I did could eventually be automated. That realization was humbling.
Instead of trying to vie alongside what AI is already fine at, I wanted to fortify the areas anywhere I knew it cut short. AI is awesome at handling and analyzing information. It has measure and speed, but it lacks the really insightful judgement that a individual can acquire from years of learning a skill.
In my former function at Intel, I established that AI couldn't inform me how to troubleshoot issues involving new or custom-made equipment since the environment was so distinctive to my situation.
Meanwhile, in my current role, during AI could likely assistance me create financial models, it can't peruse the room, build relationships, or have synergy alongside another person. My MBA way benefits me in this regard since we do many of collection activities, equal online through Zoom, anywhere we can engage alongside all other.
I think that in the age of AI, finding a site you really attention about, becoming an expert in it, and staying inquisitive to keep learning can assistance you rotate into irreplaceable.
Intel declined to comment in reply to a petition from Business Insider.
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Charissa Cheong is a elder first-person newsman on Business Insider's Business Contributors and Freelance team, based in London. She covers: Relocation and immigration, how employment visas impact careers, what it’s akin operating at the world’s biggest companies or alongside its most prominent leaders, how the AI revolution is affecting professionals, and more. Charissa’s activity spans a broad range of topics, but the unifying thread is first-person storytelling — sharing people’s distinctive occupation and existence experiences in their own voice, alongside their own words. She writes in Business Insider’s signature “As-told-to” format, which is designed to emphasize mighty perspectives in a conversational way. She additionally commissions and edits personal essays from freelance writers and contributors. Charissa joined Business Insider in 2022 on the digital civilization desk, covering family vlogging, online harassment, and influencer culture. She moved to the contributors and freelance squad in 2024.She graduated from the University of Cambridge alongside a BA in English and holds a aureate norm NCTJ Level 5 reporting diploma.
