Ask YC: Masters in CS? Or no?

#1

Post by maneesh » Sun, May 04, 2008, 1:06 PM UTC

Hey guys,

I'm currently an undergrad student at Stanford University, and I'm wondering if I should pursue a 1 years masters program to get a Masters in CS. Here's the lowdown: I've done a lot of programming before---in fact, I've written four books on programming (two were international bestsellers), sold a facebook application to Kaplan Inc, and have developed for some hot start ups in Silicon Valley. I'm studying abroad, and I was planning to stay abroad until next April, but if I want to pursue the masters program I will need to come home to start working on it.

My future goal is to start a freelancing company to develop enterprise software--my first project is this summer in Italy. So, my question is, based on the cost ($45,000 for a year--after TAing, it should be closer to $15,000) is it worth it to pursue a masters degree at Stanford? Will a master's open up any doors that wouldn't be open for a Stanford grad with a good resume?

Thanks!

-Maneesh Sethi

Re: Ask YC: Masters in CS? Or no?

#2

Post by fogus » Sun, May 04, 2008, 2:09 PM UTC

It sounds to me that you are already 1 (perhaps 3) steps ahead of the game. A graduate degree from Stanford will always "look good" on the resume, but I wonder what it will do toward further your freelancing goal. One thing to keep in mind, and all caveats apply, but in my experience I have found that many organizations/clients view higher level degrees as a "sign" (valid or not matters little IMO) that you are prime leadership material. This may be beneficial in winning contracts. At the same time it may make you appear over-qualified (less likely I would say). It's a delicate balance.

Re: Ask YC: Masters in CS? Or no?

#3

Post by diego » Sun, May 04, 2008, 2:26 PM UTC

Besides the monetary cost, you'd be investing a year of your life. When faced with a similar situation, I went for it not so much because of the future earnings potential but because I thought it would be a valuable life experience (which it was, and I'm happy I did it).

If you see it purely as an investment, you have to figure out what else you could be doing in the meantime that would give you the same return, both financially and emotionally.

Re: Ask YC: Masters in CS? Or no?

#4

Post by bluelu » Sun, May 04, 2008, 2:29 PM UTC

A masters degree is always good when you are selling yourself to other people. If it only takes you one more year, I would simply do it.

Re: Ask YC: Masters in CS? Or no?

#5

Post by osipov » Sun, May 04, 2008, 2:30 PM UTC

>My future goal is to start a freelancing company to develop enterprise software

Based on some interviewing I've done in a corporate setting, Masters is often looked at as a trade off for lack of work experience. In your case it doesn't seem like that would be an issue.

Whether or not you have a Ph.D. will matter more for your career long term, than whether you have a BS/MS.

Re: Ask YC: Masters in CS? Or no?

#6

Post by sjunkin » Sun, May 04, 2008, 2:30 PM UTC

If you are starting a company why not pursue an MBA, sounds like you wont get much more out of the mscs degree.

Re: Ask YC: Masters in CS? Or no?

#7

Post by goodkarma » Sun, May 04, 2008, 2:34 PM UTC

If your goal is to developer enterprise software, and you already have your first project (i.e. this summer in Italy), what do you need the Masters degree for?

Re: Ask YC: Masters in CS? Or no?

#8

Post by abless » Sun, May 04, 2008, 2:36 PM UTC

goodkarma wrote: post #7

If your goal is to developer enterprise software, and you already have your first project (i.e. this summer in Italy), what do you need the Masters degree for?

What does he need his BA for? Not for what he is doing ATM anyway.

Re: Ask YC: Masters in CS? Or no?

#9

Post by mechanical_fish » Sun, May 04, 2008, 2:58 PM UTC

Will a master's open up any doors that wouldn't be open for a Stanford grad with a good resume?

Wait and see.

In your case, I'm extremely doubtful that a master's will make any difference whatsoever. And getting one now is premature optimization. Wait until you find yourself trying to get a specific kind of job, but failing, because the jobs are being snapped up by people with advanced degrees. Then get a master's. It only takes a year.

I bet you'll wait a long time before that happens.

And why play the go-back-to-school-for-free card now? It's valuable. Keep it in your pocket for a while. You've been in school recently, at Stanford for god's sake -- you've already got a lot of recent contacts from your school days, and you're already in a startup hub. So, wait. After you spend a few years in industry, and find yourself stuck in a rut, you'll discover that it's wonderful to have a ready-made excuse to take a year off, go back to school, and make a whole new set of friends and professional contacts. You might even have a better idea of what you want to study, and where, and with whom.

Re: Ask YC: Masters in CS? Or no?

#10

Post by ampradhan » Sun, May 04, 2008, 3:20 PM UTC

IMHO the purpose of MS should not be to find a better job or to get a raise. You have already proven that you are an Entrepreneur therefore it would not be too difficult for you to start where you left off after a year. You can never go wrong with education and investing a year of your time will only make you a better decision maker.