HN Explorer

Ask HN: Continue in Industry or Go Back to Academia

2 points by KingKunta ↗ HN
I have a Software Engineering Bachelor's degree, I was lucky enough to get an internship position at a not-so-big-but-well-paying tech company (AI) and over time I have come to love what I do.

4 months later, they seem to like me and are giving me a fulltime offer.

I initially wanted to go to grad school (MSc) but I am not sure if I should anymore, given the pandemic and what's happening in the world right now.

Should I continue to build my skills at this company or go to grad school.

Would not having a Masters/PhD hinder my career growth somewhere? Should I stay for the money?

9 comments

[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 40.6 ms ] thread
giantg2
Many companies will pay your tuition for night school. I got my masters that way.

It seems that experience is valued more than degrees, from what I've seen. I would say pursue the job and then worry about a masters.

superbcarrot
Do you want to work in research? If yes, get a PhD. If no, stay at the current job. A master's degree doesn't seem worth it regardless of the direction you want to go.
speedgoose
In Europe it's better to have a master degree.
superbcarrot
Yes and I think that's true everywhere, not just in Europe. My point is that if you already have a relevant bachelor's degree and are employed, the marginal benefit from the MSc isn't worth it.
jokethrowaway
It's quite irrelevant, even in Europe.

I still have to meet someone that cares (from small companies to fang / fortune 500) a part from the one doing the master.

Just because your degree is paid with your future taxes and won't be a life debt like in the US/UK, it doesn't mean that N years of your life don't have value.

Once you have a bachelor's you pass the screening "has a degree" and then it's up to your skills during the interview. I've met several accomplished CTO / VP (in large companies) without a degree (albeit the wouldn't have qualified for joining a fang).

I decided to play it safe, to keep doors open and got a bachelor's degree in EU (for "free" aka less than 10k) while working - and I still felt it was mostly wasted time / money / stress.

elonmollusc
I worked for a few years and then went back to a Ph.D. program.

It's now possible to do an M.S. while you're working. There are now a number of good online programs, with Georgia Tech's OMSCS at the top of the pile. You might want to take a year or so in your current position and then evaluate whether an M.S. would be a career enhancer. The culture of Master's programs nationally is shifting towards working professionals doing their degrees online, so the case for quitting your job to go back to a full-time residential program is going to get weaker and weaker in the coming years.

Ph.D. is a totally different game and a bigger conversation. Short answer: unless you really, really want to work in academia it's not going to be worth the opportunity cost.

brsg
Speaking anecdotally, going back to school for an MSc allowed me to pivot from an engineering career in the transportation industry to the data/software field. It would've been more difficult to get interviews for entry level roles without the shiny new degree from a school that was - quite frankly - more prestigious than my undergrad, however I can't say for sure that it's benefited me materially beyond that initial "start". Experience is much more important once you're in the field you want.

I also continued working full-time while pursuing the degree half-time, which alleviated the risk of leaving a stable job. MSc degrees are much less likely to be fully funded than PhDs, and some companies will even reimburse your tuition as well.

jokethrowaway
If you're doing to get better job prospects in the future, have a better CV, just go to work.

If you want to pursue further education because you enjoy it, do it, likely it won't be too harmful for your career / savings.

lnwlebjel
How about a software career in Academia? Figure out what you're interested in while doing software engineering and applying AI to ocean problems:

https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF01941

A job like this would provide many connections within academia and would allow you to know something about the Profs and their groups before you sign up.