Should I Do a Masters?

Bonavox

Hi All,

Recently graduated a BSc in Computer Science and have joined a grad programme with one of the larger IT companies. Happy enough with my job and enjoying the work.

I've been debating doing a part time masters - considering I'm happy and content in my job, is it worthwhile? I was looking at an MSc in Management for down the road in my job but would I look silly as a grad with no management prospects in the short term?

I won't be commencing until September next year so just over a years' experience when I begin and it'll be a two year course.

Any feedback from the more experienced folk on here?

Much appreciated!

Neon_Lights

Bonavox wrote: »

Hi All,

Recently graduated a BSc in Computer Science and have joined a grad programme with one of the larger IT companies. Happy enough with my job and enjoying the work.

I've been debating doing a part time masters - considering I'm happy and content in my job, is it worthwhile? I was looking at an MSc in Management for down the road in my job but would I look silly as a grad with no management prospects in the short term?

I won't be commencing until September next year so just over a years' experience when I begin and it'll be a two year course.

Any feedback from the more experienced folk on here?

Much appreciated!

Studies would show that you have better prospects with a masters yes, however consider this, what context would management bring to your career. Will you be likely managing teams soon? Surely it's easier to do it when you're younger but then again you may not get to use it until 5-10 years down the line.

Not bragging but I got my masters at 21, but I'm still trying to break through oafy middle management who can't even conceptualise what you can bring to the table.

I think the best way is to get into middle management then go for an MBA or big dick swinging organisational degrees, they'd be far more effective

awec

Personally I would be really reluctant.

1. It will have little to no effect on your salary.
2. Just having a masters will have no effect on your career, you aren't going to trump anyone just because you have a masters.
3. You've been working a year, are you sure management is what you want? People assume this is the default career path for everyone but it isn't. Management is a very vague term too.
4. Part time courses become really annoying really quickly. The novelty of going to class after being at work will wear off fast.

Unless you can see a very clear and measurable benefit at the end where you know you'll be able to do your job better I personally wouldn't bother.

14ned

Bonavox wrote: »

Recently graduated a BSc in Computer Science and have joined a grad programme with one of the larger IT companies. Happy enough with my job and enjoying the work.

I've been debating doing a part time masters - considering I'm happy and content in my job, is it worthwhile? I was looking at an MSc in Management for down the road in my job but would I look silly as a grad with no management prospects in the short term?

I won't be commencing until September next year so just over a years' experience when I begin and it'll be a two year course.

Any feedback from the more experienced folk on here?

I actually took a full degree in Management, and you'll find that MSc is basically the same material condensed into a shorter time period and without the final year elective modules.

I definitely found it worthwhile. Firstly, it helps a lot to make sense of the bull you see all around you as a programmer, like why does middle management do what it does and why do the A-level execs appear to not have a clue of what is going on, living in a bubble very far detached from reality. So on that alone, it's worth it.

But secondly programmers with proper Management degrees are like gold dust, and you'll find lots more interest in hiring you if you have one. You'll also get promoted quicker, though before long you won't be programming much anymore, you'll pretty much spend your day attending meetings or doing email five days a week every week.

Much of being good at middle management is directing flows of sh*t purposively. So, generally, away from your group and towards a group where it's strategically beneficial for you. Lots of politics, mind games, placing of banana skins. You'll learn all about that in the MSc if it's a good course.

I wouldn't do a MBA yet. It would be a waste of money at this point in your career. The MBA is basically the MSc in terms of content but it costs five times more. Not why you attend. You attend for the networking, that's all. It's why the top ten MBAs in the world are easily worth their fees, and anything outside the top fifty isn't worth a thing unless it's to gain access to some geographically local network. But MBAs are best taken when you've been a middle manager for seven or eight years, and are looking to jump into the Executive suite. Almost always you'll need to network and change company to get in, spend a few years there not screwing it up, then you'll land as an Executive in a big multinational. That pays well, especially in pension and stock options.

All the above is of course predicated on whether that's the career you want. Some do, but most feel they have no choice but to pursue that. It's not exactly like Irish companies value technical talent, they certainly don't pay a fraction of what the Americans pay for top talent. But even though I haven't followed that career path, I definitely would recommend for anyone in compsci to take a degree in Management. I think it's a great complement to a compsci way of thinking to think in terms of engineering humans instead, which is basically Management.

Niall

awec

As you can see we'll all tell you something different.

14ned

awec wrote: »

As you can see we'll all tell you something different.

Heh. And without doubt, everything depends on the individual, what they value, their situation etc.

My answer is definitely my experience. Another person might do Management and find it adds zero value to their life, but I'll be honest in saying I've only ever heard that from MBA graduates where if you attend to learn something other than to make contacts, then you made the wrong choice or timing of course.

Certainly out of my class of graduates from Management I would say the satisfaction rate with the course is much higher than from my class of graduates from Compsci, most of whom found that their degree didn't really teach them what they needed to know at the beginning at least (it becomes much more useful ten years in or so). Management courses, especially if they make you follow around a CEO every day for a month to study them (my degree did this), have you much more prepared for employment on graduation.

Niall

Bonavox

Thanks for the input guys. I definitely do want to move into management at some point even though right now I've only started as a new graduate.

But with a September 2018 start to a two year course, I'll have three years experience at the end of it - is that too optimistic a timeframe to be moving into a management role?

14ned

Bonavox wrote: »

But with a September 2018 start to a two year course, I'll have three years experience at the end of it - is that too optimistic a timeframe to be moving into a management role?

Team lead by five years experience is achievable with a bit of work and luck.

Director by seven years experience is possible, but rare. Chances are higher in a smaller company.

Unlike a MBA or Compsci degree whose value very rapidly depreciates, Management degrees depreciate far slower. I still receive approaches from multinationals based on my Management degree which I obtained in 2008.

Niall

Bonavox

Thanks for all the input, it's very much appreciated. I've been looking at potential courses and this is the one I've been looking at most:

http://www.smurfitschool.ie/ourcourses/part-timemasters/mscinmanagementpart-time/

Any feedback on this course from a Compsci perspective would be welcome!

14ned

Bonavox wrote: »

Thanks for all the input, it's very much appreciated. I've been looking at potential courses and this is the one I've been looking at most:

http://www.smurfitschool.ie/ourcourses/part-timemasters/mscinmanagementpart-time/

Any feedback on this course from a Compsci perspective would be welcome!

The Smurfit MBA is the best in the country for networking, and has been for as long as I can remember.

Their Management degree is the second best after Trinity's.

Some would say that as you'll be eventually taking your MBA at Smurfit anyway (and I wouldn't bother with anywhere else unless you have good reason), a best complement would be a Masters in Management from Trinity so you sow your networking at both places. Others would say best stay at Smurfit for both to better build your relationships with the academic staff who often act as gatekeepers to networks of contacts and influence if you play your cards right.

Both approaches are valid. It depends on how much and what kind of networking you wish to do. BTW, if you can, try to serve in the leadership of a relevant student society during your time there. It creates opportunities for lots more networking with both staff and other students. It can mean a lot of late nights though during weekdays, but you don't get something for free.

Niall

Bonavox

14ned wrote: »

The Smurfit MBA is the best in the country for networking, and has been for as long as I can remember.

Their Management degree is the second best after Trinity's.

Some would say that as you'll be eventually taking your MBA at Smurfit anyway (and I wouldn't bother with anywhere else unless you have good reason), a best complement would be a Masters in Management from Trinity so you sow your networking at both places. Others would say best stay at Smurfit for both to better build your relationships with the academic staff who often act as gatekeepers to networks of contacts and influence if you play your cards right.

Both approaches are valid. It depends on how much and what kind of networking you wish to do. BTW, if you can, try to serve in the leadership of a relevant student society during your time there. It creates opportunities for lots more networking with both staff and other students. It can mean a lot of late nights though during weekdays, but you don't get something for free.

Niall

I was looking at the Trinith MSc Management but it's only full time so I had to rule it out unfortunately.

If I were to do an MBA down the road I think UCD would be the preferred option for me so that's why Smurfit was the MSc I was looking at most.

Thanks for the feedback!

Neon_Lights

DCU = new money
UCD & Trinity = old money

I'd choose new any day, choose wisely my friend

14ned

Neon_Lights wrote: »

DCU = new money
UCD & Trinity = old money

I'd choose new any day, choose wisely my friend

DCU's Management courses tend to be in something, so say Hotel Management, Aviation Management, IT Management and so on.

That's great if you're wanting to break into middle management in a specific niche, and if for example you're in Aviation and will be in Aviation forever, then that's the right course for you. Though to be honest, your employer will almost always pay for you to attend in full, so you should never be paying a penny yourself.

But if you want to keep your options open, Smurfit will never be a bad default choice. "Old money" networks can open doors in lots of little ways over thirty plus years after graduation. It's why all the rich folk now send their children to St. Andrews in Scotland instead of Oxbridge despite that St. Andrews has by far the worst graduate employment stats of any uni in Britain or Ireland and possibly Europe. But then you don't attend St. Andrews for the course content!

Niall

PrzemoF

OP, in the short term you might not need it, but in the long run you might have a situation where MSc will make your life easier & salary higher. MSc is not a programming language course, it won't be obsolete no matter what happens.