Hey Blind, thanks for taking the time. I’ve been unable to sleep (currenlty 4am) for the past few days because I’m uneasy about my future. I don’t know where my skillset slots in to industry and what to do next, and I feel I’m completely behind my peers. I’m 24, and am just graduating with my Master’s in CS. I attended a top 5 school for my fields (Machine Learning) and managed to do some research and get some publications, including a few first author ones. I enjoy doing research, and have briefly worked as a research fellow in Industry as well as academia. I also have another master’s in computational neuroscience. I don’t know what the next step for me is. I enjoy doing research and also building things people will use (i tried starting a startup for a while) I applied to PhD programs to do more ML/DL research, but my chances of acceptance are extremely slim just due to the competition. I’ve also applied to research scientist roles in industry, and am getting interviews. However these positions require a PhD and several years of experience usually, and I feel severely underqualified. I’m not sure if I should be shooting for these positions. I feel ashamed that despite taking these 2 years to do my master’s and to do research, I feel like such an imposter when applying to these roles. On top of this, my peers have been working for a few years and are vastly ahead of me financially. I have a little over 20k saved, but many people my age on here seem to have 5-10x that saved. I don’t know what positions to apply for, what my value is, and how to have a meaningful impact. I also just feel lost when I compare myself to others in a similar age or phase as me. thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.
Don't worry about others, focus on yourself. It's one thing to look at others, but it's another thing to constantly compare yourself to others. You are unique in your own way. What u bring to the table may not be what others bring. DW, things get better. Find your calling and pursue it. Good luck.
Get a job in a reputable company as soon as you can. You need to experience first hand how all this theory is applied first
You have 2 Master’s degrees from a top 5 school and several first author publications, and yet you think your chances of getting into a PhD program are slim? Who do you think gets into those PhD programs? Only Einstein and Newton? I don’t know wether you need a PhD or not, but if you want to get one, you should be able to get in very easily. Unless you only applied to one or two schools like Stanford and MIT. But even then, you’re still competitive. Honestly, I think you’re fine. You just worry too much.
Either that or op's top 5 is not really top 5 as op believes. Coz if it's top 5 I find it hard to believe that he or she can't get into a decent PhD program
You are burned out. That what in my head now. Slow down a little bit.
Take a deep breath. Apply to industry in addition to PhD programs.
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Get an SDE role in a science team. Transition slowly into PhD roles. You don’t need a PhD once your in your in. Aim for amazon/google. Don’t worry boy