MBA vs MS CS
For someone in early 30s (in Canada) who doesn't have a CS or business undergrad, what would be a preferred grad credential to pursue - MBA or MS CS & what's the outcome? Currently work at a Canadian telco in a non-technical job that doesn't pay that well. Want to be in demand, increase my comp & perhaps enter the tech industry. Don't think I will like coding but exploring career options. Don't have conviction clarity on what I should do in my career going forward. So many roles. Product Manager role seems very popular but super competitive. Program Manager is another one I discovered but doesn't seem to pay as well and is more operational/execution oriented. I understand US pays much better than Canada too. MS CS seems to be for technical roles like Software Engineering (coding). Lots of maths & coding. Starting from bottom. MBA seems to be for more management/leadership roles, super expensive, debatable ROI/value (seems that its mostly the brand/alumni & the doors it opens rather than the course content) the MBA grads tend to work in 3 main buckets - consulting, financial services/IB & tech (mostly product management). Previously grads would gravitate towards consulting & financial services/IB but now towards tech due to better work life balance/good comp. There's experiential product management bootcamps too like Co Lab product management where they charge you $3-4k USD and pair you with a dev & designer to build a MVP over a few months. Would love to get your thoughts. Blind tax, TC: 85k CAD (peanuts), YOE: 10 #tech #mba #ms cs #ms #cs #masters #technology
Late 30s with a business background but thinking along the same lines. Starting at the bottom would suck, but looking at the longer time horizon it could still pay off over another 10-15 years, then FIRE. Current TC <100K based in Asia, but expecting <80K for similar roles in Canada, so doesn't make financial sense to move back.
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This question gets brought up over the years and I think it depends on what you're looking for. Do you want to manage people or manage systems and data? MS CS will improve your chances of having a better WLB and remote opportunities. MBA will improve chances of running up a corporate ladder to an extent. If you're just chasing money, MBA will get you to six figures, but it'll be a long grind to move up positions which means increased responsibility and less WLB. MS CS typically has better pay in shorter time with less sacrifices except the time you put in to learn systems and coding
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My advice is go to the best school you get into. Got into Columbia MBA and U Chicago MS CS and chose Columbia and ended up doing PM anyways. If I got into Penn state mba vs u chicago CS, would have picked U chicago. Good idea to get a masters if you feel stuck - I know I did.
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F
Get a BS in comp sci, masters is useless without it
I doubt that. An advanced degree is just a check in the box, but employers will always choose that with experience rather than someone without the graduate degree and similar experience regardless of if they may be better skilled as it's not measured on paper. Besides, people break into IT via boot camps and sometimes no relevant degree so I doubt having MS CS is useless
If all you have is a masters you’ve missed out on the fundamentals of computer science