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There are two people at my company that have Masters, but they both went business route with one getting a MBA, and the other getting a Masters in Engineering Management. My problem is that I really have no desire for business/management. I love programming and software engineering.
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1) Would a Masters in the same field as my current experience add anything to my repertoire?
2) Would it be feasible to pursue a Doctorate at a later point if I so desired and just went with a Masters now?
3) Are online programs (at accredited Universities) truly a viable option? There are only two schools within driving distance of my current job that I could go to for a Masters in CS, considering online Masters programs would greatly diversify my options.
Become Better Programmer
I think that's the PERFECT reason to pursue a Master's degree in CS. You will learn more about software design, system design and development. It will make you a much better programmer. The classes will also be more interesting since you won't have all the "filler" classes you had to take as an undergraduate.
You will be focus on areas that interest you and are related to computer programming. You can even learn about some areas and types of programming that you may not get to explore for your regular job. The only downside is that there can be a lot of programming for class projects.
This is not hard per-se...but just all of the typing was difficult for me since I had projects at work at the same time. Hand cramps. Fight the urge to take more than 2 development classes at a time while you are working.
Online...Not so much
I would NOT recommend a completely online program. I like being able to ask questions face-to-face and interact with the other students in the class...but I'm older.
I have had two online classes, and they were both hard. For one, I had a tutor so he kind of made up for not having an instructor. Most of my classes had online components as backup, but regular face-to-face classes. Since it is important for you to LEARN the material, not just get a grade, I suggest regular classes. The classes are expensive, and you should get the most out of them. Not just a diploma.
PHD WHY? (just kidding)
YES you can definitely get a doctorate after you get the MS. LOL You might be burned out, but you can always go back to get a PHD. Since you have just started your career, I think an MS will definitely increase your career options since you haven't been "stuck" in one particular type of programming.
But a plus to being at the start of your career is that an MS will increase your earning potential probably really quickly. With good cause...the things you learn in school will really make you a more thoughtful, thorough, talented and safer software developer/designer/system designer than someone with a bachelor's degree. Sometimes at work, we try to solve problems and don't have time to do things the best way. So we don't really get to think as much about what we're doing.
Studying computer science in depth will help you to have time to learn and practise the best methods for software and system design, construction and maintenance. And actually, even if this does not impact your job or salary, you will know enough to make your own products and start your own business someday if you choose to.
I know that billionaire facebook a-hole did it while in school ...but facebook is just for fun. Software is needed in a variety of fields...medicine, the nuclear industry etc. This software should be well-designed and reliable and you'll be more qualified to create reliable software with more education.
Especially if your job is going to pay...GO FOR IT. You may be able to use an alternate work schedule etc. to make time for your classes.
Earning potential is always brought up, and with good reason, but I am also struggling with another aspect:
Is there value in education for the sake of education? This is largely personal and rhetorical, I am not expecting an answer as I'm sure it's different for everybody. The way I see it I have a few options that I am comparing:
1) Just continue as I am.
This does not require any additional investment and does not really add much career potential. I am happy in my job, however, and while I feel I am underpaid, it is a very relaxed environment and I love my coworkers. I have no real reason to run away from my job and I wouldn't be unhappy continuing there. With this route, I run the risk of regretting not getting a MS, but I am not actually out anything.
2) Get a masters in CS, but keep my career as is. (Education for education's sake)
Going off of the above, I am happy with my job, and even if I got a masters degree I'm not sure that I would want to seek other employment opportunities, at least not right away. This would be a large investment with limited fiscal return, but would serve as a personal accomplishment. It also paves the way for a future job hunt should I ever decide to leave my current company. This path would be, essentially, getting a masters for personal reasons rather than career reasons and not expecting or considering the economic return on the degree. With this line of thought, I am satisfied with graduating. Whether I change jobs or not, get a raise or not, I am successful the moment I get my degree.
3) Get a masters in CS and seek out a better paying/more challenging job
This would be the purely economic consideration. I would most likely need to narrow my focus heavily and get a specialized masters, rather than a vanilla CS degree. The problem with this would be I would be (potentially) sacrificing personal happiness for the sake of money. And if I go with this line of thought and fail to get a better job after going to school, would it be considered a failure?
4) Get an MBA or other business masters
This appears to be the most potentially lucrative option, but the one that appeals to me the least. It has all the downfalls of thought process 3), but without the benefit of being a discipline I am passionate about.
With these lines of thought, I don't like the idea of going for my masters exclusively for economic reasons. I think if that was the only reason for going back to school, it wouldn't really be a valid reason. I think this is what K-Luv was getting at above. Economics shouldn't be the sole reason for getting an advanced degree. The more I think on it, the more I realize that I want to get a masters more for the personal gratification. I love programming, I love code. I still have a personal goal of having written programs in 1000 different languages just for the hell of it, because it sounds like fun.
But economics can't be completely ignored. I doubt if my company would pay, maybe I could talk the CEO into reimbursing me for books, but it is a really small company. They paid for me to go to Dale Carnegie courses and a couple conventions, but I think that is a far cry from tuition costs. Realistically I'm looking at 13K for a state school up to 50K+ for better "branded" schools. That is not an insignificant investment. At 13K, my loan payments would be around 150-200 a month for 10 years.
Do I think I would enjoy getting my MS? Yes
Is education for education's sake worthwhile? I honestly have no clue.
It seems like there are two camps; those for whom graduate degrees are purely career focused and those for whom graduate degrees are purely personal achievements. To me, the first feels empty and the second feels naive.
Right now, I am leaning strongly towards going for it, and evaluating career prospects after I graduate, rather than using future career plans as a justification for getting my MS, but going this route I wouldn't specialize, as I'm not sure where exactly I want to see myself. Information Security sounds interesting, but do I want to limit myself to that one career field? I'm really not sure yet. Database optimization is another interesting field, but again, I would feel limited if I went too specific in my studies.
The more I think about it the more indecisive I get...
I graduated with a BS in Computer Science in May 2011 and got a job that I am happy with and really enjoy. Since then I have gone to a couple of conferences and taken some classes that have kind of given me the itch to go back to school part time and get a Masters in Computer Science. It would allow me to persue additional opportunities in the future, although for right now I am actually really happy with my job and wouldn't immediately seek out different employment if I did get a graduate degree.
There are two people at my company that have Masters, but they both went business route with one getting a MBA, and the other getting a Masters in Engineering Management. My problem is that I really have no desire for business/management. I love programming and software engineering.
I also noticed that a lot of Masters programs say they are good for people new to the field, i.e. your Bachelors was in a different field and you are switching over to CS. I am a little worried that since I already have a BS in CS that the program will be too repetitive.
I also think I would like to go into academia at some point, but only after I have spent a bit more time actually developing applications; I have taught two classes part time as an adjunct, but I know that most schools would require a Doctorate.
This leaves me with a few points of debate:
1) Would a Masters in the same field as my current experience add anything to my repertoire?
2) Would it be feasible to pursue a Doctorate at a later point if I so desired and just went with a Masters now?
3) Are online programs (at accredited Universities) truly a viable option? There are only two schools within driving distance of my current job that I could go to for a Masters in CS, considering online Masters programs would greatly diversify my options.
In this economy, keep your job; go online. Check out University of Idaho's Engineering Outreach program. Also, Kansas State and U Kansas and there is also University of South Africa, which has a lot of online programs (website www.unisa.ac.za is a bit buggy).
the mere fact you are asking the question indicates you likely fall into the "education can be its own reward and justification" camp. this is my camp, so i suggest you go for it. i went back to school primarily due to a love of learning and teaching, and secondly from a general boredom of software dev
the nice thing is that you can commit to your option 2 without ruling out option 3. certainly you don't sound like an MBA candidate. this will continue to nag at you unless you actually give it a shot, so i don't think option 1 is realistic
MS admissions are not terribly difficult at solid mid tier schools because they are largely cash cows. find one in driving distance, apply, and take a class at night or two. you'll have your answer by the end of the semester
I graduated with a BS in Computer Science in May 2011 and got a job that I am happy with and really enjoy. Since then I have gone to a couple of conferences and taken some classes that have kind of given me the itch to go back to school part time and get a Masters in Computer Science. It would allow me to persue additional opportunities in the future, although for right now I am actually really happy with my job and wouldn't immediately seek out different employment if I did get a graduate degree.
There are two people at my company that have Masters, but they both went business route with one getting a MBA, and the other getting a Masters in Engineering Management. My problem is that I really have no desire for business/management. I love programming and software engineering.
I also noticed that a lot of Masters programs say they are good for people new to the field, i.e. your Bachelors was in a different field and you are switching over to CS. I am a little worried that since I already have a BS in CS that the program will be too repetitive.
I also think I would like to go into academia at some point, but only after I have spent a bit more time actually developing applications; I have taught two classes part time as an adjunct, but I know that most schools would require a Doctorate.
This leaves me with a few points of debate:
1) Would a Masters in the same field as my current experience add anything to my repertoire?
2) Would it be feasible to pursue a Doctorate at a later point if I so desired and just went with a Masters now?
3) Are online programs (at accredited Universities) truly a viable option? There are only two schools within driving distance of my current job that I could go to for a Masters in CS, considering online Masters programs would greatly diversify my options.
#1 -- Absolutely
#2 -- Absolutely
#3 -- Questionable value... Will your employer send you to a brick-and-mortar school? My employers sent me three times for MS's, and one had a live class feed from Stanford.
Earning potential is always brought up, and with good reason, but I am also struggling with another aspect:
....
With these lines of thought, I don't like the idea of going for my masters exclusively for economic reasons. I think if that was the only reason for going back to school, it wouldn't really be a valid reason. I think this is what K-Luv was getting at above. Economics shouldn't be the sole reason for getting an advanced degree. The more I think on it, the more I realize that I want to get a masters more for the personal gratification. I love programming, I love code. I still have a personal goal of having written programs in 1000 different languages just for the hell of it, because it sounds like fun.
....
The more I think about it the more indecisive I get...
There is nothing wrong with personal gratification. If that is what you are seeking, then money spent on education is never wasted. At least that's my philosophy.
I am preparing to enter an online program myself. I used to be at a large aerospace contractor. They would totally reimburse online degrees from reputable universities if it related to your job. One particular online grad program at the local school here used to also be beamed to classrooms at IBM in Austin and Reliant Energy. So not all online programs are bad. Some are very well respected.
Since you are already in CS, you probably know the overlap/difference between CS and software engineering. There are lots of large state schools that have online software engineering programs if that is something that interests you. That could add to your list of places to consider. Then again you may enjoy the 'science' of it all rather than project management.
So, talking here and to friends and family I basically came to the following conclusion:
I had already decided I wanted to go back to school, I was just looking for somebody else to validate what I was thinking. I was going back and forth, debating the merits, but deep down I think I realize that I always wanted the answer to be yes.
There are a couple schools here in the Chicago area that seem to have respected programs, I am largely looking at IIT and DePaul. They offer both online and on campus options, and I can do both without any problems, so if there is a class that I can't attend in person for one reason or another I can just take it online.
DePaul offers more options as far as specialization and concentration, which opens a whole different can of worms, but a good one. I need to spend some time really soul searching and deciding what academic route I would be most interested in: heavy theory, cyber security, human-computer interaction, networking, computational finance, or one of the many other options. I also need to start seriously looking at the GRE. It isn't required for a lot of schools but could help. Took a practice test last night and got 160/157 so not nearly as bad as I was expecting being 3 years out of school.
I think my goal will be mid to late January for everything. That will allow me to get my W2 and fill out the FAFSA, give me two months to study for the GRE, and 2 months to really determine where I want my focus to be. Ideally I will have 4-6 programs/schools in mind and ready to apply to by then.
Given that you're in a field where a higher credential is of relatively less value (compared to say, business or academia), I probably would have recommended you skip any formal program and just looked around for 'continuing education' opportunities.
This is in part because computers/IT translate to on-line instruction much better than, say, Chemistry. Ostensibly you could also look at the on-line program Georgia Tech is launching in your field, which while not free is intended to be on a more affordable tuition model.
Given that you're in a field where a higher credential is of relatively less value (compared to say, business or academia), I probably would have recommended you skip any formal program and just looked around for 'continuing education' opportunities.
This is in part because computers/IT translate to on-line instruction much better than, say, Chemistry. Ostensibly you could also look at the on-line program Georgia Tech is launching in your field, which while not free is intended to be on a more affordable tuition model.
I've taken a variety of MOOCs from coursera, edx, and udacity but really don't like the MOOC model. Their offerings are severely limited in scope and breadth. Something like Intro to Ruby is fine on the MOOC model, but even then I'd prefer learning something like that through books or codeacademy. There are also a lot of opportunities that require an actual formal degree (teaching and some federal positions above the GS-9 level specifically come to mind) Not to mention the opportunity to do research or large scale projects that the MOOC model is incapable of handling.
As for the GA Tech program coming out:
It has all the downsides of a MOOC
It isn't free, which is the one upside to MOOCs
It is the first program of its kind, and as such is untested
I know you haven't asked for any additional advice, but here it is:
Look for another job.
Even if the new job pays slightly less, make sure they have tuition reimbursement. It would be a good idea to start a job search while you are currently employed. If the company will foot the bill for your MS, that could be worth upwards of 40K.
You seem like you like your employer, but my advice is: put yourself first. They'll get along without you even if they have to hire another programmer, if needed. And if push comes to shove and the bottom line is at stake...you are expendable.
Please. There is no need to pay for an expensive education yourself. Putting yourself in debt to to the tune of tens of thousands is a bad idea.
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...but facebook is just for fun. Software is needed in a variety of fields...medicine, the nuclear industry etc. This software should be well-designed and reliable and you'll be more qualified to create reliable software with more education.
