Hi,
I am currently pursuing my MS in Software Engineering. I am considering the option of doing a part time programme in Industrial Engineering as most of the courses (Operations Research, Accountancy, Business Process etc) are those that I do not have any knowledge in. Is there a requirement in the industry for people with such qualifications?
My long term career goal is to manage software projects that enable clients to increase productivity.
Perhaps if you are interested in Managing you can opt for studying Operations management Organisation Process Model...which should fulfill long term goal. But right now you should be aware of some programming stuff ( C CPP ) to get into a software company. As far as I know to become a project manager in India you should be PMP at some point
I am assuming that you are doing the MS full time?
Would you consider applying what you have\are learning in your MS in industry for 5 (maybe 5-10) years first? In my opinion it would take 5-10 years to be a novice SE. Then in your spare time you could read around the subject (Blogs, books, SO etc...) and expand on the modules you have taken in the MS.
In my opinion, in a MS they really only introduce the topic - you still have to do a lot of extra reading to realy understand the subject.
Also, there is the added bonus of getting exposure to some of the concepts you will study in the Industrial Engineering degree. The same that having done a degree in comp. sci.\SE (I'm assuming here!!!) helps when you do a MS, getting indirect exposure to Business process, project management will help when you eventually do start the Degree in Industrial Engineering.
Best of luck!
Sure it'll help. I worked in the Mortgage industry and while there, wrote Mortgage Loan Qualification software. Why? Because I learned that specialized knowledge that I could through working in the industry. And guess what, I was a data entry operator. I couldn't afford school, so... Any specialized knowledge will help. Using your future knowledge of Industrial Engineering, you may develop an application that is useful for your field. Some other applications, already there, are controls, process analysis, efficiency analysis, and more.
I'm a master's student in IE, with a bachelor's in computer science. What I can tell you from my educational experience so far, is that in many ways a background in IE (specifically with studies in quality, performance improvement, or project management) can significantly enhance your software engineering ability. A lot of software developers lack discipline, and these skills could set you apart, as long as you plan to apply them.
Software engineers create things, and industrial engineers make things better. Good match if you ask me!