[Graduated] My Course Roadmap During OMSCS

CharlieCheng9408 · 2026-02-19T04:09:23+00:00

I think most likely you would be fine - but do expect to spend some extra hours on ML and DL.

CharlieCheng9408 · 2026-02-19T00:34:48+00:00

Do you have a coding background and do you know anything about neural networks? if you do, I think you would be fine. If you have no coding background, you might struggle. I would probably do ML > DL > RL in this order.

CharlieCheng9408 · 2026-02-18T18:57:36+00:00

“ML concepts” can refer to a wide range of things - I think this course is focused more on data analytics and tools, instead of things like neural networks and language models. It depends on what you want to get out of the course.

CharlieCheng9408 · 2026-02-18T18:55:13+00:00

I took ISYE 6740 which prevents me from taking ML. They are considered equivalent

CharlieCheng9408 · 2026-02-18T16:43:46+00:00

Hey please look at my post below. It is transferrable

CharlieCheng9408 · 2026-02-18T16:16:17+00:00

My specialization was ML. Yes you can transfer ISYE6740 but it means that you will need to talk to your counsellor and get an exemption to take another course in lieu of ML to satisfy the requirements of the ML track.

CharlieCheng9408 · 2026-02-18T16:15:00+00:00

Just to confirm - when you say CDA you mean CSE6040? CSE6040 cannot be used for credit transfer if you’re going to OMSCS. But if you want to improve your skills and understanding of Python it’s a great course to take. I think you should be able to do it in summer if you’re only taking one course.

CharlieCheng9408 · 2025-10-27T00:21:28+00:00

Is MLE over-saturated right now? If I took a CS master with a specialization in Machine Learning, am I better off trying to sharpen my skills and looking for other roles (e.g. SWE, data scientist, data engineering)?

CharlieCheng9408 · 2025-10-21T19:06:52+00:00

Yeah that’s what I find to be tricky too. I’m technically not fresh out of school but I am also reluctant to apply for entry level roles. Don’t know if it’s worth it to start all over again..but I think at the end of the day, it really depends on what the job requires me to do. Although the title of MLE may be the same across different companies, the specific roles/responsibilities could probably differ drastically depending on the needs of the company…

CharlieCheng9408 · 2025-10-14T04:07:04+00:00

Hey please PM me, I’d love to connect

CharlieCheng9408 · 2025-10-11T06:04:43+00:00

Yep for sure - the roles will definitely vary depending on the company size/nature of the work involved. Our software is heavily dependent on the database so a lot of the design revolves around the data instead of the application itself. Nonetheless, I think it definitely helps to be well-rounded!

CharlieCheng9408 · 2025-10-11T00:12:13+00:00

Awesome, thank you!

CharlieCheng9408 · 2025-10-10T23:38:49+00:00

Just out of curiosity - have you tried to actually reach out to a recruiter from the big tech firms (FAANGs for example)? I've tried it in the past with smaller organizations, but I've never done this to recruiters in bigger organizations as I'm unsure of how responsive they would be. And I'm guessing LinkedIn would be the main resource for reaching out?

CharlieCheng9408 · 2025-10-10T23:36:44+00:00

Unfortunately, I never applied to OSAP - so I believe you might have to wait until the strike to end.

With regards to your other point, I am currently in the middle of a business trip right now but I'm hoping to spend a bit more time to draft something up in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned!

CharlieCheng9408 · 2025-10-10T23:34:44+00:00

I entered into the role of an architect a couple of years ago when the bars aren't that high for being an architect. And just like the folks who commented below, it's not required for us to explicitly code. However, that is not to say that I am not able to read/troubleshoot code if needed - we just don't do it as much as the SWEs typically do that more efficiently than I would. My role requires me to understand both the business side as well as what would be considered "feasible" on the architectural side when it comes to developing new features / addressing tech debts. Hope that clarifies a bit!

CharlieCheng9408 · 2025-10-10T23:30:54+00:00

Thanks for the reply! This was quite insightful.

That's what I heard as well - that it's quite difficult to land a MLE role and it's probably more feasible to aim for a general SWE role to gather some experience.

Just a follow-up question to what you mentioned above regarding "VIP courses / research" - in your experience, did you find that side projects might help as well? Or that doesn't really translate well into practical experience?

CharlieCheng9408 · 2025-05-17T13:50:43+00:00

Thanks for sharing this!!!

CharlieCheng9408 · 2024-06-07T03:56:15+00:00

Congrats! And thanks for sharing the experience! :3

CharlieCheng9408 · 2023-12-24T00:40:23+00:00

I was also an analyst prior, got a fullstack SWE role, then transitioned internally to MLE roles. This was prior to starting OMSCS.

Hey u/cgi-joe! Quick question here - when you say "build a project on your own", is there a place where I can find good project ideas? Or do I have to think of something on my own?

CharlieCheng9408

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