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Ask HN: Is it worth doing an MS in a university from US?

3 points by shruzberi ↗ HN
I am having total 4yrs of experience in the software industry currently working as a software engineer in India. I have also been the co-founder of a startup. Now i want to pursue MS in computer science from a US university just because I want to improve my skills in this field and moreover, I have a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engg. Do you think doing an MS is worth it at this time?

9 comments

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jere
The predominant answer around here seems to be that it's not worth it if you are doing it for external rewards because the experience you could gain in that time would be better. More work experience might be a better way to improve your skills. However, if you're doing it for personal reasons it might be more justifiable.

I did undergrad in EE/CPE in the US and I always felt like, personally, I need a "real" CS degree, which may be a bad reason. I guess you need to decide if the Mech degree is actually hurting you somehow?

But also I went for a masters degree because I wanted exposure to CS fundamentals, which I think is a good reason: compilers, operating systems, artificial intelligence, data mining, etc. Depending on the job, you aren't likely to pick those things up on your own.

jasonkester
No.

Masters degrees are never a good idea, regardless of your circumstances. It's an opportunity to exchange two years of your life for a 10% salary boost on your first job. After that, nobody will ever ask about your schooling so it will never again be relevant.

In those same 2 years after school, your value could increase 50 - 100% by working for a software company and demonstrating that you're good at what you do. That's where the better payoff will be, so that's where you should focus your attention.

robodale
As a person with a Master of Science in Information Systems degree...jasonkester's answer is correct. I put my career on hold for 2 years (luckily during the dot-com bust of 2001-2002) to get my Master's degree. Yes, it sparkles on a resume...but it's all about what real value you can provide.

I also have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, which took 5 years to get. I often wonder how far ahead I would be if I just went into software dev without bothering with college/university. I look back at it as a 7 year distraction.

So think hard on why you want that degree before you pull the trigger.

achompas
I disagree with "never." A Masters is excellent if your employer pays for it or if you'd like to transition roles, and you can also complete one while working full-time.

Still, they're not great in many cases. The "Bachelor's + 1 year" model is especially bad, IMO, since I believe you gain more from a Masters with some amount of experience.

lingua_franca
a master's degree is only useful when: 1. u want to switch career; 2. ur resume needs help from a presitigious name-brand school; 3. u need to figure out whether u would want to pursue a Ph.D.;
mildbow
It's not worth it for your stated reason. But, I know of lots of people who did it so they could leverage that to a job in the US.
shruzberi
One of the main reasons I want to pursue an MS is that I want to work in the Silicon Valley, build some network and build a startup out of there. Do you think it might be the correct approach?
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purans
If you need H1B visa to work after masters degree, it's getting more tricky nowadays! With limited number of visas lot of people are finding it harder to get H1B even after US masters degree