Prepare for Big Tech or Online CS Masters [While FT @ Lockheed Martin]
I am seeking advice on what I should pursue for the year of 2024. My goal is to transition out of defense and into Big Tech. I currently have 1 Y.O.E. @ Lockheed Martin as a Software Engineer. Georgia Tech Online Master's in Computer Science: I have the opportunity to start the Georgia Tech Online Master's in Computer Science with a specialization in Machine Learning this coming January 2024. Pro: A master's degree will always be on my resume, help transition to a ML role, and be a guaranteed route Con: It has a large opportunity cost and I am not interested in pursing research, my motivation would be to explore Machine Learning through formal education and hope it translates to a career advancement. Pursing Big Tech directly: Alternatively I could spend the next year continuing to build out personal projects, LeetCode, network, mock interviews, and anything else that would get me a job in Big Tech. Pro: Could be a shorter path to my goal and provides ultimate flexibility in schedule. Con: Highly ambiguous, no hard deadlines, and no guaranteed outcome. #tech #lockheedmartin #mastersdegree #careeradvice #faang #bigtech
Do both
Do both as in doing the GT OMCS, prepare for Big Tech, all while working at Lockheed?
There’s easy courses in GT curriculum which’d let you focus more on other areas of
The answer is both. That program is designed for you to do both
Let me clarify by saying that I am going to be working fulltime at Lockheed regardless but I don't know if the time I am not working is best spent on interview prep related tasks or doing the masters.
Late response but I’m in the program, and you can’t really do both if you take two classes at a time. Take one class and prep (however it’ll take years to finish)
I’d say do both if your personal life can handle it. 2024 might be a tough year for tech so doing the masters could buy you some time. I’m about to graduate from OMSCS btw, great program.
I am very grateful to have gotten a job as a software engineer @ Lockheed right after I graduated in December 2022. I have not been in the loop in terms of the job market as a result but I have heard that it is tough to get hired these days. This is why I am unsure if just pursing interviews with Big Tech at a time like this would be worth while.
Guaranteed route? Since when did a masters guarantee anything in this industry?
I mean to say that no matter what I will have the Master's on my resume and it's not like having a Master's degree is a negative for career growth.
To those that say both never graduated from omscs lol
I’m in the same predicament but with a bit more YOE (5 years). I also do wonder if there will be much more ML jobs compared to what i do now (web dev/ product swe) in the near future
I do web + mobile app development outside of work but for my job @ Lockheed it is all C++ programming for bringing up a Linux system. ML interests me but I am lacking on project experience to see if it is something I would REALLY be interested in doing for a career. I've only done the Machine Learning specialization offered by Standford Online to get a better understanding of the field.
Can you do an internal transfer to a ML team in Lockheed? Actual exp beats any of these options but I did a masters myself I guess it’s sort of fun but I’m not too sure if it will be particularly helpful for finding a job if you’re approaching it as a career booster rather than purely learning opportunity.
I have started applying to some internal ML roles in Lockheed but I have only been rejected so far, probably due to my lack of ML experience. I am trying to find some GOOD HARD reasons to pursue the master's vs. just continuing to work on my own. To be frank I feel like it is necessary to be learning more about ML in the industry and I think it MIGHT be putting me in a good place in the future but I don't think that is a GOOD HARD reason to pursue the master's degree.
I dunno I did a ML concentration as well the stats and linear algebra classes were useful because I ain’t learning that shit by myself. Graduate algorithms was also like the ultimate leetcode prep. So was sort of useful. The issue is if let’s say you focused on your current c++ job at Lockheed and focused on making a huge impact being team lead/dev lead on some Projects and putting that on your resume plus 3 yoe will blow away recruiters more than a masters with low impact. Just my 2 cents to think about. I think defense companies offer good tuition assistance so you aren’t paying a lot out of pocket 1-2 classes a semester on the side isn’t a big deal but you will essentially not have a life
In a similar situation. Deferred admission for now.
I already accepted my admission but I am wondering if I can back out now just in case. What are some of your concerns for pursing Big Tech directly or going through the master's?
There are deferral deadlines, so be sure to be familiar with those. I don't think masters help a ton with getting interviews, unless it's required for visa purposes. I heard omscs is a huge time sink. I think if I were to spend the same time on LC and system design, then it will have a better ROI.
I also got offer from OMSCS but feel like it is too much commitment
You could easily do both
I am planning on working at lockheed full time but I don't know if the time outside of work should be spent on the master's degree or just preparing for tech interviews. Do you mean both as in spending my time outside of work doing the master's and preparing for interviews?