What it's like to have a Master's in Computer Science at this Time

For anyone here who is wondering, "is it worth going through the trouble of getting a Master's, let alone one in computer science, now?"

From a cynical point of view, getting a Master's in any field at this time isn't worth it because of the sheer amount of money, time, and energy involved. It's a sunk-cost fallacy that can only be justified if you're lucky enough to be immediately employed during your studies or right after graduation. Considering that we're facing an economic crisis worsened by natural disasters, are you a wasteful idiot?

From an optimist's point of view, anything can be considered to be a sunk-cost if you don't don't anything with what you receive. When I started my Master's, it had been four years since I last graduated with a Bachelor's in a field completely different from Computer Science. In fact, I spent more time in my Master's degree playing catch-up!

What I ended up gaining were these:

1. The ability to actually study and learn computational skills relevant to the field I wanted to study i.e. data science
2. A coding portfolio that demonstrated my understanding of advanced algorithms, software engineering, database administration, and machine-learning projects.
3. Friends whom I could network with in order to build a circle of professionals

However, I also ended up losing not just a lot of money to pay for tuition but realized too late that I didn't learn all the skills that would be required for jobs in data science.

What I wish I could have learned were:

1. Data engineering pipelines consisting of technologies like AWS, Azure, Databricks and even visualization software like Tableau and PowerBI. These I had to learn on my own outside of courses simply because none of these were available in my course catalogues.
2. I regret not taking on more internships because I had been juggling jobs, a family, and my own mental health. Gaining professional experience is incredibly important to any aspiring technical professional and, regardless of whether it's paid or not, please do not squander those opportunities.
3. Even if I got the Master's degree, there is no guarantee I would immediately get a job in my field. While I did eventually get hired and started my own freelance business, it was difficult especially learning how to actually apply for jobs in a meaningful way and, when I couldn't find a full-time job, I had to learn how to work as a freelancer. This is something that, regardless of which level of education you have, can only be gained through the experience of living through hard times and just being desperate enough to force yourself to become your own boss and be responsible for how you want your career to develop, even if it's through unconventional means.

So is it worth it?

For me, it was. But for you, who knows? It's all up to you on what you want from it and how you make of it.