Ask HN: Is doing a Master's worth the opportunity cost

#1

Post by hypergeometry » Sat, Dec 10, 2022, 4:43 PM UTC

Currently I'm a Team Lead for a Machine Learning team at a mid-sized company. I'm really enjoying the work environment so far and have been given a lot of opportunities for growth and advancement. However, it seems like a lot of companies require some sort of graduate studies for more ML/AI oriented roles.

I really enjoy doing research (and have published some papers in the recent past) and I think that doing a Master' degree would be a good career move long term, but I am not sure how to reconcile that with losing 2 years of salary and career advancement.

Wondering if anyone has made the jump or has worked long enough in the industry to give some insights.

Re: Ask HN: Is doing a Master's worth the opportunity cost

#2

Post by Rylex » Sat, Dec 10, 2022, 5:17 PM UTC

I did it 25 yrs ago, it was well worth it when I got my a Masters in Computer Science. It's opened so many doors it's hard to describe. Generally, you hit the sweet spot between having not enough and too much education with regards to an HR department and their search algorithms.

I've worked with people who have had no formal education in Computer Science and I would classify them as having a better grasp of the subject matter than myself. Getting a M.S. degree usually helps getting in the door or at least talking to someone, but generally its how driven are you and what you do with what you have that counts more in the end.

Re: Ask HN: Is doing a Master's worth the opportunity cost

#3

Post by argella » Sat, Dec 10, 2022, 5:32 PM UTC

Can you do one while working? Lots of options for that now. Eg gatech oms programs.

Re: Ask HN: Is doing a Master's worth the opportunity cost

#4

Post by scombridae » Sat, Dec 10, 2022, 5:41 PM UTC

The answer is yes. When you get to my age, two years is truly an inconsequential amount of time. And AI/ML is a deep enough subject that a proper grounding requires a full-time MS.

Re: Ask HN: Is doing a Master's worth the opportunity cost

#5

Post by anon50118810 » Sat, Dec 10, 2022, 5:42 PM UTC

You're in a good position to try to answer the question yourself since you're actually working in ML now. Would a master's help you at your current company? Why or why not?