Chuck Branscomb wrote:
Richard Casto wrote:
The first thing that jumped into my mind was your mention of getting a masters degree. I am not knocking higher education at all, and I hate to paint topics like this with a wide brush but... I suspect getting your masters is not going to be a good investment. In some esoteric parts of IT a masters or second degree might help (A statistics degree for Data Science comes to mind), but overall as someone who has interviewed more people than I can even begin to remember, it just doesn't do much for you IMHO. I am sure someone who just spent a few years getting their masters in Computer Science is going to disagree with me.
It really helped my son land a great job in Silicon Valley. He has a dual major undergrad in physics and computer science from UNC and then went to NCSU for a masters in comp sci where he specialized in smartphone security, android based, etc. Did his thesis on behaviorally identifying smartphone users, etc. That was ~3 years ago, but I think it really opened the doors for him out there. He and his finance love SF; he's already moving on to a 2nd job. The salaries out there are insane compared to around here (especially bonuses). There seem to be many openings for experienced android programmers in SF area that it's a wide open market for employees, but you do need experience plus having the MS specialty degree likely helps a good deal. Places like Google, Fitbit, Github, etc, etc, are hiring like crazy (or course the turnover is high too as people move jobs there all the time).
Yeah, so that is why I was hesitant to paint with a big brush as I know sometimes it does. I would just say that, IMHO, on average it doesn't. I hear stories of people (not necessarily in IT) who complete a bachelors degree, have a hard time finding work for whatever reason (market is bad, maybe they suck at interviewing), and then just immediately roll over into a master program. Assuming that person is not independently wealth, it seems like an easy way to continue to load yourself up with debt with IMHO a questionable return on that investment.
I have interviewed people for positions in which I have had candidates with bachelor + a "little" experience up against those who are masters or doctoral + zero experience. I frankly can't remember any time we picked those with more education over those who at least showed some experience outside of academia. Or if we did pick them it was rare. IMHO, so many other factors can help as much or more. Granted, most of these are entry level positions. And for the more senior positions, we pretty much don't consider anyone straight out of school given more extensive experience requirements (i.e. experience trumps everything).
But sometimes in specific fields and even specializations within fields it can help. For example an MBA for those on the business side is likely always good if you plan to climb the ladder. With respect to those who make the trip to Silicon Valley (aka Silly Valley), I can imagine that it there is a large number of candidates it "might" help you stand out. And congratulations to your son as it worked for him. In hindsight, I wish I have made the trip west at the start of my career. He can enjoy those larger salaries (and larger cost of living) to potentially build a level of financial equity that can allow him to some day move back east. So he can sell that million dollar home (not big out west) and live in a mansion here later in life.
(we are the Costa Rica version of the bay area)
My day job is for a company that creates recruiting/hiring software. So while I have not experience the job hunt from the other side in quite awhile, the entire hiring process is something I experience in many ways on the other end. Be it writing the software that manages that process (visibility into what companies do) to actually doing a number of interviews over the years.
Chuck Branscomb wrote:
IMO, "college degrees" and the whole "credentialism" stuff is vastly over-rated especially now that tuition has gone vertical. Someday there will be a way to test your way to an "accredited degree" without having to pay $xxx,xxx to some "university". Kahn Academy will potentially be at the forefront of that movement. Speaking of which, they're hiring in SF right now too.
So, that is something I have been thinking about somewhat recently. Looking into my crystal ball (which may be defective!) I expect over the next handful of decades, the education system is likely to have a really large upheaval or disruption. There is an entire generation of kids today who look to something like YouTube as a significant learning tool. While this is not what YouTube targets itself as, others such as Kahn, Coursera, edX, etc. (MOOCs) are trying to break that mold and even some traditional colleges such as MIT, Stanford, etc. are playing in that field. Codecademy that Francis mentions above is another example.
I expect that at some point the idea of single institution awarding you with a degree of their creation (a collection of accredited classes) may be replaced by something a bit more dynamic. Such as an amalgam of smaller (some accredited and some maybe not) "certifications" (for a lack of a better phrase) that are combined to create your own custom educational footprint. Just like job history and experience may not follow a prescribed path (or have an end), so might your education. The value of this new thing will be determined by both employees (Am I learning what I need to be successful?) and employers (Can we trust the advertised value of this education?).
For me personally I am experimenting with this (such as some classes I am currently taking via Coursera on their brand new "specialization" tracks.) I believe that the disruption is happening now, but I just don't know how far up the curve we currently live.
Richard
PS: I hope Scott finds this helpful somehow!
_________________
Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.comMoney can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.
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