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iQuestions Faculty, Pat Gelsinger 
 
 
Question: 
 
What is the best education/training for one who is interested in 
entering the field of technology as a career? 
 
Answer: 
 
So, you’re interested in entering the field of technology. What’s the 
right training to get?  
 
My advice to people is, one, for a bachelor’s degree, go to a place 
where you get good personal interaction with the professors, not with 
some technical assistants. Often, that’s a smaller school, a place 
where you really get to interact with the key individuals, the people 
who really know it, and you develop a personal relationship with them. 
 
I always recommend people to go at least for a master’s degree. In 
the engineering fields, that’s where you really get the in-depth 
understanding. A bachelor’s gives you the basics. A master’s really 
gives you the specialization in the areas that you’re interested in and 
motivated to pursue. For a master’s, go to the best possible school 
that you can. Usually, some of the bigger, better-known schools are 
the places to go. Because, at the master’s level, you really need the 
top-notch equipment, the top-notch research labs, and so on—and 
those are the things that the top-name schools are known for in 
having invested and created.  
 
Maybe you want to go for a Ph.D. That depends really on the particular 
area that you want to pursue. For me, I started on my Ph.D., and I 
never finished it. I stayed in the workplace.  
 
 
 
My mother still bugs me, “When are you going to finish your Ph.D.?” I 
haven’t quite made it in her mind, yet. But for me, a master’s is more 
than enough in some of the continuing education that I’ve pursued.  
 
Obviously, do it in an environment where you know what you’re going 
to do. I finished my degrees while I was working at Intel, and that 
provided a unique insight, because I’d go to class in the morning and I 
would apply it in the afternoon. Having some of that on-the-job 
experience really opens your eyes as you’re in those classes to 
knowing what’s really important. 
 
Of course, my final advice is, the engineering fields are fabulous. I 
hope every one of you pursues it and does a great job. Maybe you’ll 
replace me sometime soon.  
Gelsinger -2- 
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