I have worked as swe for 15 years i.want to get some qualification for a data science career but I am old almost 40with mostly startup experience. What course should I take ? Cousera etc seems to be light weight is it possible to start masters or phD
Firstly, 40 is not old, so stop saying that. Secondly, is it possible? Yes. Is it worth it? Probably no. If you don't feel strongly about going for higher education, I wouldn't suggest doing it. It's difficult, a lot of hard work especially with family (I presume you are married), and you have to enter the job market again. I would suggest take on some more online courses on datacamp, and go through some good books like Sebastian raschka to learn data science.
I’m in my 50s, I’ve picked up so many skills since I turned 40. Never stop learning.
Phd here. In industry for a long while. Transitioned from academia. Getting a PhD was the single best academic decision i took. I have also done a crapload of MOOC courses over the years. So yeah, go for the MOOCs :)
40 is not old, try udemy - there's a professor named Kirill - he's good for DS
What do you want to do and what do you like to work on? Data science and SWE both have some core tenancy in problem solving, but I’d recommend getting more specific / targeted in what specifically (domains and problem types) you want to work. Note 40 is not old and that’s the same advice I give people with 5 yoe
Fuck PhDs. Read "The PhD Grind" to get an idea of how it is. Don't do one unless you reeeeaaaly want to work in academia.