Thank you . Even though no immediate change, this will add value to your 5 year, 10 year or 15 year goals. Having a master’s degree from a reputed college will be an added advantage with architect roles or management roles where you need more breadth - but that also means you will have to work on other soft skills as well. Other things I agree with your view points.
I’m a cs undergrad halfway through my degree and you guys in the comments are awesome. Thanks to everyone sharing their ideas about what a masters offers and means to you. I am nowhere near making these particular decisions myself, but I believe it’ll be invaluable in the future having taken in your thought patterns and whatnot. Also, special thanks to you Mr. Truong for your insight and especially your casey neistat-esk vlogs where you’re exploring a city with some cool vibes and stuff. You are actually one (small, tbh) reason I went ahead and hopped into computer science! Thank you very much.
I am so grateful to have found this video. Thank you so much for making this video sharing your honest experience. I am also a software engineer with around 3 years of experience and I have been going through the same dilemma and now thanks to your video I have my answers
Thanks for all of our insights and opinions on the program. I'm in the same position as you. BS in CS, experienced SWE but I want to do the program to continue my learning.
I agree! I do think that people should leverage being in the program to start to move to jobs that are more interesting to them. In my case, because I got a new job with 21 of the 30 credits completed, when I actually graduated, not much changed, as I had already pointed to being in the Master's Degree program. during the interview/application process
Feels the same as I am about to graduate. Part of me is testing the market to see if I am offered more cash, but with the current economy, it's hard to get interviews line up compared to 2 years ago.
I am in the program, hoping to switch into ML engineer role after graduation. I am currently in Finance. I have seen people taking about the program itself is not sufficient enough for you to get a ML engineer job afterwards. Any insights or comment on that? I saw a lot of SWE try to avoid ML courses but rather taking more system courses. What would be your thoughts on that? Which course specifically and directly either help you in your current role or help you get your current job? Could you post more videos on your current job? Were you working on cloud computing infrastructure?
Hi, thanks for the comment and great idea. I definitely can make a video talking about my current role. You are correct- my team aims to ensure that the infrastructure offered for Azure high performance computing workloads meet quality standards. My specific subteam works on collecting and interpreting the telemetry from these clusters' nodes. In my experience, I was able to use the master's degree to say, "I am a software engineer, but I can do ML work as well, so I want to be on a team that has primarily SWE work now but is beginning to look at leveraging the data that we are collecting.".
Hey, thanks for your response! I did not get a notification of that, but your new uploaded video reminded me to come here and check it. From your response, it sounds like systems courses are more relevant to what you are doing right now. But you are ready for the future ML work that the team may tap into. That's awesome! @@bryan_truong
I am a Tech Lead Software Engineer with almost 20 years experience and I want to do my Georgia Tech OMSCS but stay in my same field of specialization. I have many colleagues that I work with everyday who are doing ML/DS and I don't think I want to switch to that filed fulltime..
Great perspective. Yeah I think it’s totally okay (and should be encouraged) to get a masters and study ML without feeling the need to move into that as a primary job role
Thanks for your information. How about this program for Hardware Engineer? For details, the hardware engineer working with Linux, Network(Cisco), Server, Storage, etc. Im already working as a junior hardware engineer, eager to learn about some more field in computers😂. I am curious OMSCS's coursework can be helpful for this case.
Hm. I'm honestly not too sure. Maybe the computing systems specialization may be useful? But I do fear that the coursework will be overkill on the programming side of things and is more of a software engineering focus. I think they do cover high performance computing architecture well in the coursework, but I don't think it would be as comprehensive for hardware engineering as it is for software engineering.
@@bryan_truong thanks bro, so then could you please recommend any online master program in US related to Information Tech or Hardware if you just know about it.
How many classes were you taking while working full time? I have an unrelated degree and I’m considering OMSCS to fill some gaps of knowledge / become competitive with a tech degree. I’ve been working as a software engineer (primarily backend and database) for the past 3 years.
I did two classes a semester when work was a little bit slower, but when doing so, I did one difficult class and one "fluff" class. When work was more demanding I only did one class at a time.
Hi Bryan, quick question - are there people at OMSCS with non CS background (like Finance) who are there to upskill, i.e. not looking to pivot into SWE roles?
Hm, in my experience, most people with non-CS background were trying to get into SWE or at least SWE-adjacent roles (Technical PMs, data analysts, etc.) This is not to say that it can't be done, but it is a lot of work to do the program just to upskill (if you aren't already a SWE), when there are other free go-at-your-own-pace online materials.
What did you do to prepare for each course in advance? Did you read recommended textbook for each course? Asking this because I wanted to know the best strategy
Hey @bryan_truong, can you tell me if i had to turn down the admission offer/ not join the programme after applying due some personal problems, would my future applications for the same programmes be considered or will I be blacklisted?
Hey IBM did not pay for it. There is a rule that you have to stay at IBM for x amount of time (I think it’s a few years) after completing the master’s degree if they pay for it. For that reason, I didn’t try to get IBM to pay for any of it. Microsoft (my current employer) did pay for the last 9 credit hours, though, once I switched companies
Could you talk about how you were able to get into Data Science? Could you show us the resume and portfolio that got you the offers? I am currently in the in the program and I'm trying to get into DS, but I'm really not sure what companies look for when they are hiring for such a role. Thanks!!
Yeah, I am going to make a video about my current role soon. But to be clear, it is a software engineering role on Azure's AI + High Performance Computing Team. So I'm not a full time data scientist, I just do some data science related work.
I think any related field is good, but you will need to demonstrate that you have experience with computer science in some sort of academic setting. From their website: "The best advice is to take (and pass) courses in computer science from an accredited institution. If you don’t have a computing background, passing these courses will present its own challenges and give you a preview of what the OMS CS curriculum will be like."
It’s been good for the most part! I actually filmed a new day in the life video here in Washington DC and am editing it now so be on the lookout for that soon
It varies by course; for most of the ML specialization courses, they are in Python, but there are some classes in R, Java, C, C++, so it just depends what you take.
@@bryan_truong Ahh, so do i really need a background in those languages? Like do you think I can pickup those languages while in the course or should I learn the basics of both before applying
That is a good point; I think any master's in CS is useful if you are trying to move into software engineering and didn't have an undergrad degree in CS or are already a software engineer. I did point to the classes I was taking in the master's program when I interviewed/moved from a standard full stack engineer into a more specialized software engineering role in the AI/High Performance Computing space (in my current role). But you can certainly leverage being in the program before actually finishing the program when interviewing
Finishing my application today, you gave me the extra motivation I already have my bachelors and masters in mechanical engineering from a very heavy CS school I’m in the semiconductor space and would love to move back into a robotics role (my original plan) or towards SWE. May I connect with you on LinkedIn? Great video btw
Hey guys, please consider subscribing if you found this video helpful! I've since graduated and work for Microsoft as a SWE II. Thanks :)
I would say the ROI increases immensely for someone that did a non-CS bachelor's. An MSCS from GT for under $7k is insane value.
Great perspective!
But do they allow non cs students. Please guide me
@@piedepewyes, but you will not get in without taking pre-requisite courses (which you can do at a community college) or having work experience in CS.
They do, I have Econ background and got accepted but I did some python/operations research coursework before
Thank you . Even though no immediate change, this will add value to your 5 year, 10 year or 15 year goals. Having a master’s degree from a reputed college will be an added advantage with architect roles or management roles where you need more breadth - but that also means you will have to work on other soft skills as well.
Other things I agree with your view points.
Well said
Same for me. I've been a software engineer for 15 years. I decided to do OMSCS to further my education and explore, plus it was super cheap.
Yep, can't beat the price!
I’m a cs undergrad halfway through my degree and you guys in the comments are awesome. Thanks to everyone sharing their ideas about what a masters offers and means to you. I am nowhere near making these particular decisions myself, but I believe it’ll be invaluable in the future having taken in your thought patterns and whatnot.
Also, special thanks to you Mr. Truong for your insight and especially your casey neistat-esk vlogs where you’re exploring a city with some cool vibes and stuff. You are actually one (small, tbh) reason I went ahead and hopped into computer science! Thank you very much.
I am so grateful to have found this video. Thank you so much for making this video sharing your honest experience. I am also a software engineer with around 3 years of experience and I have been going through the same dilemma and now thanks to your video I have my answers
thanks, glad you found it helpful! Please consider giving me a like/subscribing as well for me :)
Thanks for all of our insights and opinions on the program. I'm in the same position as you. BS in CS, experienced SWE but I want to do the program to continue my learning.
Same here, I feel it’s the best way to stay sharp. Also, really want to get into machine learning, so it will help me accelerate that shift.
Agreed! I think it was great to demonstrate knowledge/interest in moving from standard SWE roles to a more data-driven, ML-adjacent SWE role
I think you were more attractive as a job candidate because you were in the OMSCS program versus not being in it. So I think it was a benefit.
I agree! I do think that people should leverage being in the program to start to move to jobs that are more interesting to them. In my case, because I got a new job with 21 of the 30 credits completed, when I actually graduated, not much changed, as I had already pointed to being in the Master's Degree program. during the interview/application process
Feels the same as I am about to graduate. Part of me is testing the market to see if I am offered more cash, but with the current economy, it's hard to get interviews line up compared to 2 years ago.
Absolutely. Tougher market for sure. Thankfully (knock on wood) layoffs seem to have slowed down for the year though
I am in the program, hoping to switch into ML engineer role after graduation. I am currently in Finance. I have seen people taking about the program itself is not sufficient enough for you to get a ML engineer job afterwards. Any insights or comment on that? I saw a lot of SWE try to avoid ML courses but rather taking more system courses. What would be your thoughts on that? Which course specifically and directly either help you in your current role or help you get your current job? Could you post more videos on your current job? Were you working on cloud computing infrastructure?
Hi, thanks for the comment and great idea. I definitely can make a video talking about my current role. You are correct- my team aims to ensure that the infrastructure offered for Azure high performance computing workloads meet quality standards. My specific subteam works on collecting and interpreting the telemetry from these clusters' nodes. In my experience, I was able to use the master's degree to say, "I am a software engineer, but I can do ML work as well, so I want to be on a team that has primarily SWE work now but is beginning to look at leveraging the data that we are collecting.".
Hey, thanks for your response! I did not get a notification of that, but your new uploaded video reminded me to come here and check it. From your response, it sounds like systems courses are more relevant to what you are doing right now. But you are ready for the future ML work that the team may tap into. That's awesome! @@bryan_truong
Man, that first point's really hitting me now that im almost halfway done with my masters at Kennesaw state for software engineering
best of luck to you! Yeah for us that were already in the industry, i don't think we need a master's, but can't hurt (*shrugs)
I am a Tech Lead Software Engineer with almost 20 years experience and I want to do my Georgia Tech OMSCS but stay in my same field of specialization. I have many colleagues that I work with everyday who are doing ML/DS and I don't think I want to switch to that filed fulltime..
Great perspective. Yeah I think it’s totally okay (and should be encouraged) to get a masters and study ML without feeling the need to move into that as a primary job role
Tq Bryan! Thx a lot for the video! Big like from me! I’m gonna start my OMS cybersecurity info sec with GT in fall 2024! Wish me luck ok!
You got this!
@@bryan_truong tq Bryan! You are the best! 🙌
I just applied for OMS cybersecurity to Georgia Tech today! I’m a CCIE specialized in sp routing and I wanna learn more in depth about cybersecurity!
best of luck to you! Be sure to subscribe if you're interested in tech content ;)
@@bryan_truong yes I did. Thx for sharing
Thanks for your information. How about this program for Hardware Engineer? For details, the hardware engineer working with Linux, Network(Cisco), Server, Storage, etc. Im already working as a junior hardware engineer, eager to learn about some more field in computers😂. I am curious OMSCS's coursework can be helpful for this case.
Hm. I'm honestly not too sure. Maybe the computing systems specialization may be useful? But I do fear that the coursework will be overkill on the programming side of things and is more of a software engineering focus. I think they do cover high performance computing architecture well in the coursework, but I don't think it would be as comprehensive for hardware engineering as it is for software engineering.
@@bryan_truong thanks bro, so then could you please recommend any online master program in US related to Information Tech or Hardware if you just know about it.
How many classes were you taking while working full time? I have an unrelated degree and I’m considering OMSCS to fill some gaps of knowledge / become competitive with a tech degree. I’ve been working as a software engineer (primarily backend and database) for the past 3 years.
I did two classes a semester when work was a little bit slower, but when doing so, I did one difficult class and one "fluff" class. When work was more demanding I only did one class at a time.
It’s a great program. Finished May of 2022.
hell yeah, congrats! Hope you are enjoying post-omscs life
It is a long-term investment. let's say 10 years from now...
@@UnixBro definitely true!
Hi Bryan, quick question - are there people at OMSCS with non CS background (like Finance) who are there to upskill, i.e. not looking to pivot into SWE roles?
Hm, in my experience, most people with non-CS background were trying to get into SWE or at least SWE-adjacent roles (Technical PMs, data analysts, etc.) This is not to say that it can't be done, but it is a lot of work to do the program just to upskill (if you aren't already a SWE), when there are other free go-at-your-own-pace online materials.
@@bryan_truong thank you, that was helpful.
What did you do to prepare for each course in advance? Did you read recommended textbook for each course? Asking this because I wanted to know the best strategy
I definitely did not. I didn’t prepare much for each course at all
@@bryan_truong oh really? And what would you do if u were stuck on projects? What outside resources did you use?
I would just google search as needed. Generally the internal class forums were the most helpful, though (Ed/Piazza)
@@bryan_truong would you please give me an example of how you googled when you were stuck on assignments? Thanks. Sorry for asking too much
Hey @bryan_truong, can you tell me if i had to turn down the admission offer/ not join the programme after applying due some personal problems, would my future applications for the same programmes be considered or will I be blacklisted?
I don’t think there is a blacklist/cooldown period
@@bryan_truong thanks man,
Hey Bryan, how did you approach IBM to pay for OMSCS? Is there any app on their portal or do you have to approach your IBM people manager?
Hey IBM did not pay for it. There is a rule that you have to stay at IBM for x amount of time (I think it’s a few years) after completing the master’s degree if they pay for it. For that reason, I didn’t try to get IBM to pay for any of it. Microsoft (my current employer) did pay for the last 9 credit hours, though, once I switched companies
Can you please list the pre-requisite courses required for a non-CS background and no coding experience? Thanks
I would just refer to this document as closely as possible: omscs.gatech.edu/preparing-yourself-omscs
Thanks Bryan, appreciate it!!
Could you talk about how you were able to get into Data Science? Could you show us the resume and portfolio that got you the offers? I am currently in the in the program and I'm trying to get into DS, but I'm really not sure what companies look for when they are hiring for such a role. Thanks!!
Yeah, I am going to make a video about my current role soon. But to be clear, it is a software engineering role on Azure's AI + High Performance Computing Team. So I'm not a full time data scientist, I just do some data science related work.
@@bryan_truong I see! I would still love to know about how you landed your job!
Is Bachelors in cs necessary or bachelors in any field is good. I have a degree in electronics .
I think any related field is good, but you will need to demonstrate that you have experience with computer science in some sort of academic setting. From their website: "The best advice is to take (and pass) courses in computer science from an accredited institution. If you don’t have a computing background, passing these courses will present its own challenges and give you a preview of what the OMS CS curriculum will be like."
How are you enjoying your work life?
It’s been good for the most part! I actually filmed a new day in the life video here in Washington DC and am editing it now so be on the lookout for that soon
What languages are the courses in? I recently finished a post bacc cs program and only know python
It varies by course; for most of the ML specialization courses, they are in Python, but there are some classes in R, Java, C, C++, so it just depends what you take.
@@bryan_truong Ahh, so do i really need a background in those languages? Like do you think I can pickup those languages while in the course or should I learn the basics of both before applying
Can just pick it up on the go
may I ask where did you complete you post bacc cs?
What about career changers?
That is a good point; I think any master's in CS is useful if you are trying to move into software engineering and didn't have an undergrad degree in CS or are already a software engineer. I did point to the classes I was taking in the master's program when I interviewed/moved from a standard full stack engineer into a more specialized software engineering role in the AI/High Performance Computing space (in my current role). But you can certainly leverage being in the program before actually finishing the program when interviewing
Is the degree certificate valid for only 6 years?
No it’s just a normal degree… so indefinitely I guess lol
7420 Abshire Pass
Finishing my application today, you gave me the extra motivation I already have my bachelors and masters in mechanical engineering from a very heavy CS school I’m in the semiconductor space and would love to move back into a robotics role (my original plan) or towards SWE. May I connect with you on LinkedIn? Great video btw
Absolutely! Thanks for watching and be sure to sub ;)
677 Streich Well
8195 Muller Ferry
837 Lakin Inlet
Uh not sure what this means lol
49868 Justen Run