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Ask HN: Is Georgia Tech's Online Master in CS Worth It?

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Re: Ask HN: Is Georgia Tech's Online Master in CS Worth It?

#81

Post by Buttons840 »

mathattack wrote: post #71

Only a few data points as an outside observer, but... 1 - The people I've seen doing it are learning A LOT - more than another online program I've seen. 2 - They're also working A LOT - it intrudes on all aspects of their personal life. It's as much or more work than doing an in person CS degree. 3 - The folks I know don't have CS undergrads, which also makes it more difficult. Net - it can be worth it if you missed…

They're getting a Master's degree without having "CS undergrads"? What does that mean?

Re: Ask HN: Is Georgia Tech's Online Master in CS Worth It?

#82

Post by lemonghost »

pierrebeaucamp wrote: post #17
lemonghost wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, they admit people without a BS in CS but I think they want to make sure you'll be able to succeed in the program. So it helps to have professional software engineering experience or some other coursework.

From: http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/program-info/admission-criteria > however, work experience will not take the place of an undergraduate degree.

Like others have noted, you need some Bachelor's degree minimally. But you don't need to take the GRE.

Re: Ask HN: Is Georgia Tech's Online Master in CS Worth It?

#83

Post by el_benhameen »

I'm self-taught and have a job as a SWE. My BA is in an unrelated field. I'm considering the OMSCS because it would be the cheapest way to add credentials to my resume and because I'd rather not go back for a second bachelor's. (I don't mean to sound cynical--I'm interested in the subject matter, of course, but you can get all of that without going through a degree program.) Exchanging $7k for more legitimacy in the eyes of prospective employers is the main appeal of a formalized program. Does anyone have any experience with or thoughts on the signaling potential of the degree?

Re: Ask HN: Is Georgia Tech's Online Master in CS Worth It?

#84

Post by zerkten »

throwawayaug15 wrote: post #47

Logging in as a throwaway. The program only costs $5k but it was one of the most expensive things I've done in my life. Got a job at Google directly because of this program (a few classes like CCA helped a lot with interviews). I'm aware of at least a couple dozen of us from OMS here. The program cost me dearly. It cost me my relationship with the SO and it cost me my health (staying up late nights, lots of coffee).…

> * $5k cheap, it's nothing, the real way you pay for it is via your time.

Is there a way to stretch this to 3-4 years so that things aren't as compressed?

Re: Ask HN: Is Georgia Tech's Online Master in CS Worth It?

#85

Post by rripken »

throwawayaug15 wrote: post #47

Logging in as a throwaway. The program only costs $5k but it was one of the most expensive things I've done in my life. Got a job at Google directly because of this program (a few classes like CCA helped a lot with interviews). I'm aware of at least a couple dozen of us from OMS here. The program cost me dearly. It cost me my relationship with the SO and it cost me my health (staying up late nights, lots of coffee).…

I'm in OMSCS and have to disagree with this statement: "hidden gem is Piazza". Piazza is my least favorite part of the program.

Re: Ask HN: Is Georgia Tech's Online Master in CS Worth It?

#86

Post by rrmm »

I have a regular old masters in CS from GT. It's probably worth it from a career standpoint (if nothing else it signals that you care about self-improvement and take active steps to doing it). I would expect you'd miss some of the 'grad school experience' (for better or worse) and networking opportunities. The actual content itself can probably be gotten for free from other courses on the web if you take a syllabus from a CS dept to get an overall program. That path wouldn't have the benefit of access to teachers and would require a lot of discipline.

I don't know how it would be looked at in Brazil or what the economic cost/benefit are in terms of your own income. I did know a few folks from the University of Sao Paulo that did grad and postdoc work while I was at GT though, so clearly some people are aware of GT in Brazil. That might be another avenue to get opinions from. I would be interested to hear how the costs compare to an institution that was local to you.

Re: Ask HN: Is Georgia Tech's Online Master in CS Worth It?

#87

Post by _wldu »

I've completed the majority of the OMCS program. My specialization is 'Computing Systems'. I have a 4.0 GPA so far. I did not do CS as an undergraduate, but I've been programming since I was very young.

Here are my thoughts on what people need to succeed as an OMCS student:

  * Be able to program in C, C++, Python and Java at an intermediate level. And, know one of these very well.
  * Be able to use a debugger (GDB) and valgrind.
  * Be able to administer and configure Linux systems.
  * Understand data structures and examples (std::set in C++ is RB Tree backed, std::unordered_set is hash table backed)
  * Understand basic networking concepts and key technologies (TCP, UDP, IP, switching, routing, etc.).
  * Understand the x86 computer in general.
Finally, I think some of the classes are meant to weed students out. People may think that 'Intro to Graduate Operating Systems' would be an easy first course for CS beginners. It's not (unless they've changed it). It was primarily about writing multi-threaded clients, servers, caches and proxies in C, using shared memory (IPC, POSIX Shared Memory) and various other C/thread projects until you become a half-way decent C programmer. They deduct points for working code that has any errors (memory leaks, etc.) too. So don't be surprised if a seemingly easy OMCS course turns into... I had no idea. I'm going to have to drop this course. I saw that happen to several students.

I've done well so far, but I have the programming/logic background to do the work. If you don't, brush up on the skills listed above before enrolling.

Edit: The class projects are a lot of work. Be prepared to give-up your weekends and evenings. Even if you know the material and the language, it's a job to get through some of the projects.

Re: Ask HN: Is Georgia Tech's Online Master in CS Worth It?

#88

Post by pc86 »

learc83 wrote: post #38

If you haven't been working as a software developer long and you don't have a background in CS, it's going to be difficult. I'm about halfway through and many of the classes assume that you have the equivalent of an undergrad CS degree. It's not intended to replace an undergrad degree. That doesn't mean you can't do it, but your going to spend a lot of time catching up. From what I've seen, the students without a CS…

Honestly this is what gives me the most pause. I have a BA in Political Science from a liberal arts school nobody's ever heard of. Even if I could get in (which is doubtful given my academic transcript and how competitive it is), I don't think my decade of programming experience has given me nearly the theoretical foundation I'd need to do well. And I'm not going to invest the time and effort required just to graduate by the skin of my teeth.

Plus, I have a very good job already and it's not like an MSCS would help me get to the next step at all. Most of why I want one is to prove to myself I could get one. Probably the wrong reasons.

Re: Ask HN: Is Georgia Tech's Online Master in CS Worth It?

#89

Post by rripken »

zerkten wrote: post #84
throwawayaug15 wrote: post #47

Logging in as a throwaway. The program only costs $5k but it was one of the most expensive things I've done in my life. Got a job at Google directly because of this program (a few classes like CCA helped a lot with interviews). I'm aware of at least a couple dozen of us from OMS here. The program cost me dearly. It cost me my relationship with the SO and it cost me my health (staying up late nights, lots of coffee).…

> * $5k cheap, it's nothing, the real way you pay for it is via your time. Is there a way to stretch this to 3-4 years so that things aren't as compressed?

You must complete the degree in 6 years. You'll have to take at least 10 courses to get the required units. If you take one course at a time and take summers off ~ 5 years. You can also skip a semester if necessary.
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