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Ask HN: Master vs. Udacity nanodegree

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Re: Ask HN: Master vs. Udacity nanodegree

#11

Post by anuj_nm »

BlackjackCF wrote: post #9
anuj_nm wrote: post #7

Have you considered an online Master's degree in machine learning from Georgia Tech? Its offered through Udacity so its cheaper and more flexible, but you also get a full degree from Georgia Tech. Full disclosure- I'm currently in that program and loving it.

Is it possible to do a Master's from GA Tech without a BS/BA from a STEM major? I have a BA, but it's in the humanities, although I'm currently employed as a software engineer.

Yes, I think it should be fine considering you have some work experience.

Once you're accepted though, you'll have to complete two foundational courses within a year (with a grade of at least B) in order to continue to be eligible. This applies to all new students.

From my own experience, some of the courses are pretty easy, so getting a B or higher isn't difficult.

Re: Ask HN: Master vs. Udacity nanodegree

#12

Post by stickperson »

anuj_nm wrote: post #7

Have you considered an online Master's degree in machine learning from Georgia Tech? Its offered through Udacity so its cheaper and more flexible, but you also get a full degree from Georgia Tech. Full disclosure- I'm currently in that program and loving it.

What was your math background before beginning?

Re: Ask HN: Master vs. Udacity nanodegree

#13

Post by napratin »

The goal of a Masters degree in Machine Learning is ideally to prepare you for core research and engineering roles where you work on improving, adapting and inventing new algorithms and techniques.

However, such roles are very limited in the industry. Most jobs you will find expect you to be able to apply, combine and optimize existing algorithms to given real-world problems. This requires a different set of skills that are seldom taught at University (you're typically expected to pick up these practical abilities on your own).

Udacity's Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree, like its other programs, is heavily project-based, and has been developed with feedback from industry partners in order to emphasize the skills and concepts that are most relevant for the vast majority of jobs that are out there. This focused curriculum allows people with limited time or a related background to efficiently get started in machine learning.

Keeping this mind, ask yourself what your ultimate goal is, what time constraints you have, and choose accordingly. There is no shortcut to success, esp. in a competitive and highly technical field like machine learning - whether you opt for a Masters degree or a Nanodegree, you will have to spend considerable effort building a strong public profile (e.g. by participating in Kaggle competitions, and working on additional projects) in order to make yourself stand out from the crowd.

Good luck!

Disclaimer: I work at Udacity, in case you didn't realize by now :)

Re: Ask HN: Master vs. Udacity nanodegree

#14

Post by sfaf »

anuj_nm wrote: post #7

Have you considered an online Master's degree in machine learning from Georgia Tech? Its offered through Udacity so its cheaper and more flexible, but you also get a full degree from Georgia Tech. Full disclosure- I'm currently in that program and loving it.

How many hours per week is the program and how long does it take? how far are you into it?

Re: Ask HN: Master vs. Udacity nanodegree

#15

Post by anuj_nm »

stickperson wrote: post #12
anuj_nm wrote: post #7

Have you considered an online Master's degree in machine learning from Georgia Tech? Its offered through Udacity so its cheaper and more flexible, but you also get a full degree from Georgia Tech. Full disclosure- I'm currently in that program and loving it.

What was your math background before beginning?

I have an undergrad degree in Computer Engineering, and have been working in the field for 3 years. So I took 1st year and 2nd year Math courses during my undergrad, but I haven't really used them since.

Re: Ask HN: Master vs. Udacity nanodegree

#16

Post by anuj_nm »

sfaf wrote: post #14
anuj_nm wrote: post #7

Have you considered an online Master's degree in machine learning from Georgia Tech? Its offered through Udacity so its cheaper and more flexible, but you also get a full degree from Georgia Tech. Full disclosure- I'm currently in that program and loving it.

How many hours per week is the program and how long does it take? how far are you into it?

I only take 1-2 courses each semester. Which means it'll take me a total of 3 years to graduate. Right now I'm about a year in, with 3 courses under my belt. One of the courses I took was time-consuming and difficult- maybe 15-20 hours a week. The other two however have been relatively easy, where I've spent less than 10 hours a week on each.

Re: Ask HN: Master vs. Udacity nanodegree

#17

Post by anuj_nm »

anuj_nm wrote: post #16
sfaf wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many hours per week is the program and how long does it take? how far are you into it?

I only take 1-2 courses each semester. Which means it'll take me a total of 3 years to graduate. Right now I'm about a year in, with 3 courses under my belt. One of the courses I took was time-consuming and difficult- maybe 15-20 hours a week. The other two however have been relatively easy, where I've spent less than 10 hours a week on each.

Adding to this, there's an informal course review site that gives you pretty good reviews from other students. It should give you some more context: https://omscentral.com/reviews

Re: Ask HN: Master vs. Udacity nanodegree

#18

Post by nkozyra »

anuj_nm wrote: post #7

Have you considered an online Master's degree in machine learning from Georgia Tech? Its offered through Udacity so its cheaper and more flexible, but you also get a full degree from Georgia Tech. Full disclosure- I'm currently in that program and loving it.

I've done both the nanodegree and am nearly done with OMSCS. the nanodegree is pretty value less in general.

It's not that rigid or difficult and carries no real weight.

Re: Ask HN: Master vs. Udacity nanodegree

#19

Post by anuj_nm »

nkozyra wrote: post #18
anuj_nm wrote: post #7

Have you considered an online Master's degree in machine learning from Georgia Tech? Its offered through Udacity so its cheaper and more flexible, but you also get a full degree from Georgia Tech. Full disclosure- I'm currently in that program and loving it.

I've done both the nanodegree and am nearly done with OMSCS. the nanodegree is pretty value less in general. It's not that rigid or difficult and carries no real weight.

I keep getting marketing emails from Udacity about their nanodegrees. Some of them sound pretty attractive (like the ones related to self-driving cars) and I've been tempted to take them. Glad to hear an actual review from someone :)
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