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Would masters in Industrial engineering be good?

Is it better to get a Masters in Software Engineering or a Masters in Computer Science, if your end goal is to get a good, satisfying job in software industry?

  • For someone who is already working as a Software Engineer at a not so great company, has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science and would like to advance his career at a better pace in software industry, should she opt for a Software Engineering masters or a Computer Science Masters.

  • Answer:

    Perhaps someone else with more experience in the industry will come in here and say otherwise (or provide better examples), but my general impression is that you're better off getting neither and just teaching yourself (by reading textbooks or following online courses on Coursera, Udacity, OCW, etc.) while getting industry experience at a job for the time you would spend getting your masters. A masters degree is pretty expensive and you pay a lot of opportunity cost in the salary you could be making for those two years, especially in CS. If you don't like your current job, find a better one! If you aren't qualified for a better one, self-study for the skills you need. Maybe do a side project to learn those skills. I'm sorry that I can't offer much advice in distinguishing between the masters in CS vs masters in SoftEng, as I've never taken either.

Ilya Nepomnyashchiy at Quora Visit the source

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A2A.  I generally agree with the other answers so far, but there are exceptions.  First, what does a degree provide? Credentials/signaling that you can pass a particular program. Education in the field, particularly the ability to address problems too high above the abilities of lesser degree holders. Network. #1 often isn't that valuable in the software industry, assuming you're of high ability.  In general, getting a master's won't do much for you, particularly professional (non-thesis) master's from a non-prestigious program.  (Larger companies will give an uplift to the salary after completion of a program, but that's more in line with #2.) However, #2, and #3 as a side effect, can be substantial at top schools.  A short stint in a world-class research group, working with top students, can't be replicated in most industry jobs.  That experience can get you into low-supply specialties and positions that you would otherwise not be able to access, and it's that opportunity that you should attend graduate school to pursue.

Shane Ryoo

TL;DR: If you are interested only in better job and not much in the academic experience then go for ME. But remember, you can achieve the same goal without higher education as well. If the goal is ONLY a better job then ME course is good ROI (I am referring to Cornell ME course which you have mentioned, which is only of 9 months duration) It gets finished very quick and you get to rejoin the industry immediately. In fact the courses like these expect you to have some kind of professional experience and thus a clear cut understanding of your area of interest. The courses are normally in fast-track mode, which help you refresh your knowledge about your area of interest Few weeks within joining the course, you start with interview process. But if you ask me, if your intention is only a better job, higher education is really not that of prerequisite. Good companies really don't care about your education as long as you have the knowledge. Of course the degree will help you, but at the cost of time and money investment. On the other hand, if you are interested in academic experience and broader knowledge of many subjects then go for masters. Hope it helped. All the best :)

Anushka Ved

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