Master’s degree vs coding bootcamp
A bit background of myself, I’ve been working as IT business analyst for quite a long time with 1.5 year experience as SAS data analyst and 1.5 year experience as QA analyst on the side. My past projects mainly focused on mobile/web application implementation, data and system migration, and business process improvements. Having said that, I don’t really have an area that I’m specialized in yet, so I’m trying to pursue masters degree in data analytics since I already know SQL, Python (learned the fundamentals myself, don’t have any real-world experience yet), and SAS. Alternatively, I’m doing some research on bootcamp s. So my questions are: 1) what are the advantages of getting a masters degree vs going to a bootcamp? 2) Is masters even worth it for my situation and if I wanna break into data analytics/science field?
I look at it this way. Boot camp is like taking a vitamin. It sort of helps but doesn't make you healthier or help you achieve your goal to become healthier. A Master's degree is like exercise. It requires time and commitment but in the end you do become healthier. The degree will give you a better foundation. If you have strong foundation, then maybe you can get away with a boot camp, but some groups will ignore you without the piece of paper
I see what you saying, I am thinking the same but my bro told me to seek for some professional advice here before committing my time to get a masters degree. Is there any guidance you can give me in terms of what technologies I should learn to break into data analytics field? In addition to getting a masters degree, will AWS certification help make me more stand out to employers?
You should focus on what you like doing. Python and SQL are the baseline now. There are so many roles in analytics and each have their own technologies. AWS certifications are good if a company you want to work for uses AWS.
It will be tough to even get interviews without a degree, especially as hiring slows and competition increases.
There is only competition in the FAANG / Blind top-1% TC circle jerk. There's still a huge engineering shortage out there.
Source: trust me bro Seriously though If I have 30 entry level applicants for a role on my team and only 10 have relevant degrees, they will be getting my limited interview time. One of them will get the job. Meanwhile the rest are left to settle for whatever role they can find, likely at a much lower TC and with a less impactful employer. Check back in 5 years later. Guess which candidate is more likely to have achieved a much better career arch and is now making enough to retire early? Guess which candidates are just now making about 150k/yr after slogging through corporate middle-america? The effort and expense of a degree up front is highly likely to pay for itself in this field. Source: actual empirical evidence you can find anywhere. Start by just asking how many engineers at a good company have degrees.
I’m in a similar spot wanting to break into DS, I considered the bootcamp route but spending 10-15k on a certificate I’ll remove from my resume after my first job didn’t feel worth it to me. I decided to prep and apply for the UIUC online CS masters and GaTech OMSCS. Got into UIUC for an August start and still waiting to hear back from OMSCS for January. Ended up accepting UIUC and start next month. At 22k it’s pricey but not unreasonable. It’s a degree from a solid school with a seemingly great mix of stats and ML related classes that fit my goals. Alumni mentioned that professors and TAs are engaged in the classes and interactions are easy in office hours. Also being able to start a semester earlier and graduate a semester sooner (only 8 classes) was a huge plus for me.
Is online masters any good? Cuz to me I think it limits you from networking with others and school’s career service. I only have bachelors degree in Computer Information Systems, and the highest math level class I took was only Pre-calculus. I need to some advanced math classes before I can get admitted to GaTech, but I don’t really wanna waste any time doing that. I found GSU’s MSIS program has Big Data and Analytics so I’m thinking to apply for that program.
Not sure! Feels like the best option for me. Well networking I’m not terribly concerned about because there is an active slack channel and I live in the Seattle area already and plan on finding meetups. We do have access to career services still and I can fly into UIUC for career fairs If I really want. You should really consider more taking more math. I’m coming from a civil engineering background so I never thought twice about math prerequisites, but reading some ML books definitely makes it clear that you had definitely have an understanding of multivariable calculus and linear algebra. I think precalc will really hold you back in getting a deep understanding.
I went the bootcamp route after getting my BA in math. It took 6 months to finish and was 8k. I don’t regret it, and it 100% helped me land my first/current DS role, but if I could do it again I would have gotten a Masters. Specifically from (1) Georgia Tech -Masters Analytics or (2) Eastern University - Masters Data Science. Both are 10k and can be completed in less than a year if you’re fully committed. A Master will carry more weight, even in the long term. A certificate will carry almost no weight after your first few years. That said… in any of these programs, you get what you out into it. I learned a ton from the bootcamp, more than 4 years in college. But many recruiters won’t care to even look at the certificate. If you need current boost and short on time, then go bootcamp. If you have more time to study and plan for a more “advance” career then go MS.
I looked at EU but the curriculum looked fairly light and not at the level of difficulty I’d hope for. The cost is killer though! I struggled hard deciding between OMSCS and UIUC. I had UT Austin in the mix but rejected from there, which was my top choice. Would it better to focus as much on stats/ML as possible or add in a class on compilers or software engineering as well? How about distributed systems?
Depends on the route you want to go. If purely DS then stick to stats/ML. If you study engineering skills, you can get a better paying career path (MLE), but it’ll be that much harder to get in. All depends on your effort and time
What's your bachelor's in? Do you have one? If you have _any_ degree at all, a master's won't help much. Your industry experience will be weighted far more heavily than anything you could get from a master's. The only thing the master's would help you with is: 1. Internship / recruiting through your school. This only works if your institution is not some throwaway school and has a good placement track record. Go to the job fairs / school events while you're there and network. 2. Knowledge with which to pass an interview. But honestly bootcamp would do this part much faster. So really just #1 is the benefit of a master's. Everything else is likely in favor of a bootcamp WHILE you stay employed and accrue that real world experience that is SO MUCH more valuable on a resume.
I have bachelor’s in Computer Information Systems and been working in IT for quite a long time now. I’m a bit tired working as IT BA so that’s why I’m considering to switch to data analyst/scientist. I’m currently working outside of the states (I’m US citizen though), and planning to move back home next year. So since I foresee that I won’t have a job immediately after I move back go the states, I wanna have this time to pick up something new and make the transition.
A master's isn't going to make you look any better on paper if you already have a relevant bachelor's and adjacent industry experience. It will only help you feel more comfortable. Do it if you want to learn more deeply and/or you can get into a really good school. PS: have a master's in sweng
Degree can give you a good kickstart
What about bootcamp?