Is getting an online masters a good idea in my situation? /u/zucchini_bank CSCQ protests reddit

About Me: 24 years old. Graduated from a top 20 CS school with my bachelors in 2022. Internship + a little over a year full time at a well known, recognizable former unicorn SaaS company. Following several rounds of layoffs where I was not impacted, the lack of job security frustrated me and I decided to take a leap and go for a dream job in a specialized industry (racing). I left on great terms and keep in touch with my former manager and some coworkers who are also mentors to me. I absolutely love my current job and do not want to leave, I’ve been here a little over a year now and want to stay at least 2 more years. Despite being in a specialized industry it is a pretty standard SWE job, full stack, building .NET applications from the ground up.

Doing a Masters Program Online: I want to pursue a masters degree in CS, ideally with a concentration in AI/ML online while I continue to work full time. My reasons are the industry is changing, if I ever decided to leave the racing industry and return to big tech it may help me stand out, I miss learning and want to do some work with AI, I also value challenging myself and think it would be fulfilling. I also do think there are some really cool opportunities to bring AI knowledge into my current role, as I get a lot of control over what projects I work on.

Pros: I can afford to do an online program, and my company would even cover $5k a year (depending on my course load, this could easily cover 100% of the cost). The part time & online format would be manageable. Some programs offer access to alumni networks which could benefit my career if I decided to leave racing or start my own business. Some of the programs I’m looking at are identical to on-campus curriculum, just online, and the degree would not say “Online” on it, so it’s virtually the same as the on-campus masters.

Cons: (This is the main reason I’m asking here) I’m not sure if having a masters actually helps out in this market? It seems like the industry is changing fast, getting more competitive, and this might help me stand out but I’m not sure. I don’t plan on leaving racing any time soon but this may be a way to give my resume that extra boost in case I ever do (along with my other reasons for wanting to do it). Other cons include the time commitment. My job does require long hours and working weekends during the racing season so it may get to be a lot to deal with, especially if I do a program which requires a summer semester.

Programs I’m looking at: I’m still researching, but from what I’ve seen so far my top choices are Carnegie Mellon, UT Austin, or Georgia Tech.

My Questions

1. Does having a masters in CS (potentially with an AI concentration) help applicants stand out at all? I know none of us can predict the future, but do you foresee having a masters becoming more beneficial in an increasingly competitive market?

2. Along with the prior question, would a concentration in AI be valuable, or is that pretty much pointless unless the entire masters was in AI? Is a masters in AI pointless without then getting a PhD in AI (something I am not interested in)?

3. For those with experience getting a masters online, how was it? Was the course load manageable? Was it comparable to the on-campus experience academically?

4. What should I look for in a good online masters program?

5. Is this a stupid idea? (Halfway joking, lol, but seriously). Even if it’s not any benefit to my resume, if the cost is fully covered by my job, is personal fulfillment / challenging myself a good enough reason to go for my masters?

I am already planning to do some more research and meet with my mentors to discuss if it’s a good idea before diving into this, but wanted to get some opinions here as well.

Thanks in advance 🙂

About Me: 24 years old. Graduated from a top 20 CS school with my bachelors in 2022. Internship + a little over a year full time at a well known, recognizable former unicorn SaaS company. Following several rounds of layoffs where I was not impacted, the lack of job security frustrated me and I decided to take a leap and go for a dream job in a specialized industry (racing). I left on great terms and keep in touch with my former manager and some coworkers who are also mentors to me. I absolutely love my current job and do not want to leave, I’ve been here a little over a year now and want to stay at least 2 more years. Despite being in a specialized industry it is a pretty standard SWE job, full stack, building .NET applications from the ground up.

Doing a Masters Program Online: I want to pursue a masters degree in CS, ideally with a concentration in AI/ML online while I continue to work full time. My reasons are the industry is changing, if I ever decided to leave the racing industry and return to big tech it may help me stand out, I miss learning and want to do some work with AI, I also value challenging myself and think it would be fulfilling. I also do think there are some really cool opportunities to bring AI knowledge into my current role, as I get a lot of control over what projects I work on.

Pros: I can afford to do an online program, and my company would even cover $5k a year (depending on my course load, this could easily cover 100% of the cost). The part time & online format would be manageable. Some programs offer access to alumni networks which could benefit my career if I decided to leave racing or start my own business. Some of the programs I’m looking at are identical to on-campus curriculum, just online, and the degree would not say “Online” on it, so it’s virtually the same as the on-campus masters.

Cons: (This is the main reason I’m asking here) I’m not sure if having a masters actually helps out in this market? It seems like the industry is changing fast, getting more competitive, and this might help me stand out but I’m not sure. I don’t plan on leaving racing any time soon but this may be a way to give my resume that extra boost in case I ever do (along with my other reasons for wanting to do it). Other cons include the time commitment. My job does require long hours and working weekends during the racing season so it may get to be a lot to deal with, especially if I do a program which requires a summer semester.

Programs I’m looking at: I’m still researching, but from what I’ve seen so far my top choices are Carnegie Mellon, UT Austin, or Georgia Tech.

My Questions

1. Does having a masters in CS (potentially with an AI concentration) help applicants stand out at all? I know none of us can predict the future, but do you foresee having a masters becoming more beneficial in an increasingly competitive market?

2. Along with the prior question, would a concentration in AI be valuable, or is that pretty much pointless unless the entire masters was in AI? Is a masters in AI pointless without then getting a PhD in AI (something I am not interested in)?

3. For those with experience getting a masters online, how was it? Was the course load manageable? Was it comparable to the on-campus experience academically?

4. What should I look for in a good online masters program?

5. Is this a stupid idea? (Halfway joking, lol, but seriously). Even if it’s not any benefit to my resume, if the cost is fully covered by my job, is personal fulfillment / challenging myself a good enough reason to go for my masters?

I am already planning to do some more research and meet with my mentors to discuss if it’s a good idea before diving into this, but wanted to get some opinions here as well.

Thanks in advance 🙂