schooled

[bsdcat]

The last few days, to escape thinking about house buying (we found four houses we really like in the neighborhoods and price range we want, and are probably going to send some initial offers out later today), I've been thinking about another sink of time and effort... a graduate degree

Comments

[ehowton]

I have done very well with not having a degree. But my assumption is that some day, it will all come to an end.

Without a degree I can't make Director at some corporation - but having been a manager, it not something I aspire towards anyway, and now actively seek to avoid.

I'll probably *someday* attempt a degree, for the reasons you've stated. If you can do it sooner, rather than later, it'll probably be easier, and more worthwhile.

[bsdcat]

Yeah, degrees aren't really required that much when a) you've got experience and b) you can do the work. On the other hand, if it's (close) to free, it's fun (c.f. my "lol what a freak" tag), and it helps me at least maintain a reputatino as a "self-improving go-getter," then... that's good enough. It helps me do anything past that, it's awesome, right?

[bsdcat]

I'm pretty confident I can manage my time. I've done difficult upper-level undergraduate math classes in combination with a full-time job already, and I've done programming-intensive semester projects under that weight too. I'm pretty confident that graduate CS courses would lean in those directions.

My biggest problem with undergrad CS was the same one I had with undergraduate philosophy: I felt like the stuff that challenged me came too late in the program, whereas the math program hit me with hard problems (the kind of problems that wormed their way into my dreams) immediately.

So it seems like the next thing to do is talk to my boss, try to take some classes that are work-relevant even if I can't get accepted as a grad student (since that's an option), and then if I get accepted, push to finish. One class a semester is all I can budget time-wise - so it's a longer-term commitment - but one I can probably pursue regardless of whether I maintain the same employer for the next three years.

[ineverycolor]

Hey, i saw your comment in a grad school community and I like your journal a lot so I hope you don't mind if I added you. I'm working my way back into grad school too so we are in the same boat! :)

[snozzcumberpie]

I also want to get my Master's but I've had a hard time deciding if I want to go for Library/Information Science, Human Computer Interaction, or good ol' fashioned comp sci. You should look for a program that offers a variety of classes so that you can get exposure to things you are interested in but haven't worked with. I think a Master's is especially important if you want to crossover to a major computer company as a developer. As a developer you have a few possible paths including: 1) management, 2) sr. dev role, 3) startup, 4) freelance/consultant

I would not do it if you think that's the only way you can get a general software job because that's totally not the case. I *would* do it if you have gaps in your knowledge or areas of interest that you can't address through your current employment options.