Hello, TeamBlind community! I'm hoping for some guidance regarding my academic and career trajectory. Here's a bit about my background and plans: Undergraduate Major: Graduated summa cum laude from top public school in the US (not Berkeley, the second best UC) with a GPA of 3.95, majoring in non-CS applied Math degree Work Experience: I've accumulated experience in the tech industry post-graduation. Initially, I worked for a mid-sized company as a software engineer, developing a fingerprint and demographic data collection desktop application used by government agencies worldwide. Currently, I'm a Software Engineer at one of Amazon AWS/ Microsoft Azure, focusing on cloud infrastructure projects. Career Goals: My aspiration is to grow in the tech industry and eventually transition to a hedge fund firm as a software engineer. I plan to work at Asian country like Hong Kong (I was born and raised in Hong Kong) or Japan in the future. I'm considering applying for Stanford's Master of Computer Science (HCP) program, Systems specialization, for Autumn 2024. However, I'm aware of the program's competitiveness and my lack of formal CS research experience. If I don't get into Stanford, I'm thinking about taking courses in Georgia Tech's OMSCS and reapplying to Stanford for 2025. The goal here is to gain more CS-related knowledge and hopefully improve my application. I will also seek opportunities to work on research with CS professors so I can have some publications. While I understand the potential benefits of holding a degree from a renowned institution like Stanford, I'm grappling with the significant cost of tuition, around $60,000. The brand name and the prestige could help in my transition to the hedge fund industry, especially when moving abroad. Yet, I'm also wondering if this significant investment is the best approach for my goals. So, I'd like to pose a few questions to you: 1. Given my career goals (to gain CS foundation knowledge and get into hedge fund company in Asia), do you think applying to and investing in Stanford's program is a smart move? 2. Financially, does the potential return from having a master's from Stanford outweigh the tuition cost, especially in the context of transitioning to the hedge fund industry? If you've been in a similar situation or know someone who has, I'd love to hear about your/their experience and any advice you might have. Any insights, advice, or perspectives would be immensely helpful. Thanks in advance for your time! #engineering #swe #software #stanford #omscs #hedgefund #citadel #citadelsecurities #twosigma
You also don’t need either to work for a hedge fund
Good to know! So the only important thing is to be good at interviews?
Stanford’s CS program is far better than Georgia Tech’s OMSCS in almost every aspect - Selection of courses, the rigor, brand value and the opportunity to network with other students.