Top grad school

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iuoT24

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iuoT24
Aug 10, 2018 23 Comments

Assuming I can get into a top 10 school for a masters in CS, would it be worth it to leave my current job as a SWE to go to grad school?

Reasons for grad school:
- top school for better chance at quant roles (2S, JS, etc)
- more networking
- an extra life experience
- also interested in analyst roles at banks (most only take new grads/interns)

Reasons against grad school:
- could be expensive
- losing 2 years of salary
- ??

I keep hearing people saying it’s not worth it to go to grad school for SWE, and I understand that but I wanna switch to a quant role and possibly do more of finance.

Would love to hear your thoughts

Undergrad from big state school

Current TC: ~115k
YoE: <1 year

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 TOP 23 Comments
  • Spotify
    WizzAir

    Go to company page Spotify

    WizzAir
    You can get in 2s and js without grad school no problem. I think main attraction of grad school is that it's more intellectually stimulating.
    Aug 10, 2018 5
    • Spotify
      WizzAir

      Go to company page Spotify

      WizzAir
      These days quants don't make that much more in wall st compared to 10yrs ago. I have many colleagues working as quants and their TC is no better than netflix/google lvl 5. If you just like math rather than money, then yeah go back to school for the fun for it makes sense. But for money, not really.
      Aug 10, 2018
    • New
      iuoT24

      New

      iuoT24
      OP
      Hm ok I can see your point. I do find both stat and cs to be interesting, so yeah that is one reason I wanted to be a quant. Of course the money is also another factor. One other large factor, though, is that quant roles seem to be more meritocratic and competitive and that part appeals to me. Are your friends at top funds/banks?
      Aug 10, 2018
  • Tesla
    XDbw83

    Go to company page Tesla

    XDbw83
    Could help you out in the long run
    Aug 10, 2018 1
    • New
      iuoT24

      New

      iuoT24
      OP
      Do you mean going to grad school?
      Aug 10, 2018
  • Amazon
    pfjw7ra

    Go to company page Amazon

    pfjw7ra
    As someone with a Masters in computer science degree I would say that Masters is not worth it if your sole purpose is to be back into the job industry as a software engineer after Masters. Companies like Amazon do not have any positions that mandate Masters besides a very few roles (like core ML, NLU etc. but they are often taken by Phds/Post Docs).
    Aug 10, 2018 3
    • Amazon
      pfjw7ra

      Go to company page Amazon

      pfjw7ra
      Masters as a whole would be an intellectually stimulating experience. However, do note that quant roles may be cool today but it is not guaranteed to continue to be after you graduate. (Remember how being a DBA was cool?). Also, are you near the east coast?
      Aug 11, 2018
    • New
      iuoT24

      New

      iuoT24
      OP
      That’s true that quants might not be as “cool”, but I think the role will just evolve more. And yeah I am near the east coast, why?
      Aug 11, 2018
  • HelloSign
    JQzK75

    HelloSign

    JQzK75
    If you’re looking for more of a quant / finance role why aren’t you looking at MBA programs instead of masters in CS?
    Aug 10, 2018 1
    • New
      iuoT24

      New

      iuoT24
      OP
      Mostly bc id like to remain as technical as possible. Masters in CS I feel like gives me the fallback option of going back into tech if all fails
      Aug 10, 2018
  • Jane Street almost exclusively hires new grads for trader + quant roles
    Aug 10, 2018 1
    • New
      iuoT24

      New

      iuoT24
      OP
      So that supports going back to grad school right?
      Aug 10, 2018