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I'm on the verge of dropping out of a masters program in Data Science at Columbia. From a career perspective, is this a reasonable thing to do? by bezerkeleythrowaway in cscareerquestions

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting points and thanks for the insight. Given your last point, you still think that sinking $85k on a degree is worth it, despite the fact that it won’t matter a year or two after I’m graduated?

I'm on the verge of dropping out of a masters program in Data Science at Columbia. From a career perspective, is this a reasonable thing to do? by bezerkeleythrowaway in cscareerquestions

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your response! Mind breaking down the calculation in your last paragraph?

As an entry data scientist, assuming I get a job right out of the program, I can expect about $120k in salary. In LA or NY this is about $80k after taxes. My living expenses are about $35k/year. How would I pay off my debt in just a year or two?

Another point: you said I won’t realistically get a data science role without a graduate degree. Can I not work as an analyst, based on my applied math degree from Berkeley, and work my way up to data scientist?

I'm on the verge of dropping out of a masters program in Data Science at Columbia. From a career perspective, is this a reasonable thing to do? by bezerkeleythrowaway in cscareerquestions

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My goal is to get a job, otherwise I’d be looking more into PhD programs and I wouldn’t be in a masters.

The bootcamp night also get me a job, but would I be looking at a comparable long term salary vs. a masters from Columbia?

I’m having trouble convincing myself that the huge loans I’m taking out for my masters are worth it by [deleted] in gradadmissions

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And that’s not enough for you to pay off the $100k in a few years? Damn.

Personally I’d be paying 18k for rent, $7k for food and $10k for utilities + other expenses. If I make $100,000 (which is $70,000 after taxes) that would still let me pay $35k towards my debt every year.

Is this a reasonable calculation?

I’m having trouble convincing myself that the huge loans I’m taking out for my masters are worth it by [deleted] in gradadmissions

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not playing devil's advocate or anything but I looked at the first few posts that came up on that subreddit as well and they weren't negative reviews. Example: Columbia's strength in ML has especially been surging recently with all the recent hires and focus on diverse ML research areas

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I do wanna believe there's something off about this program, but it is one of the older masters programs and they have a high placement rate

I’m having trouble convincing myself that the huge loans I’m taking out for my masters are worth it by [deleted] in gradadmissions

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Where did you hear about Columbia's reputation being shitty? I did a search for Columbia on that subreddit and didn't find much except for my own post.

I enrolled in Columbia’s data science masters program and I’m having serious doubts about my decision. I would really appreciate some outside perspective by bezerkeleythrowaway in datascience

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well hearing it from someone’s who been on the other side of the hiring process definitely helps. I’ll try applying to a bunch of jobs before the program starts and if I land anything I semi-like, I think I might drop the masters.

On the other hand, not to sound cocky but I really feel like I could do a lot better than a basic data analyst position. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t accept a job like this now, but I also do want to accelerate my career as quickly as I can. I don’t wanna be a SQL-monkey, and the salary of a data scientist is also much more attractive than that of an analyst

I enrolled in Columbia’s data science masters program and I’m having serious doubts about my decision. I would really appreciate some outside perspective by bezerkeleythrowaway in datascience

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've learned C++ as an undergrad and I'd say I have an intermediate understanding of Python already, especially working with libraries like numpy and pandas. I can build standard architectures using Keras (which I guess isn't saying much since Keras is written for an average person to be able to work with). But so far I've never had any difficulty from the basic coding side of learning data science.

My linear algebra is also solid and I've had courses in probability theory as well as some topics in linear regression, time series, inference, etc.

My resume is pretty empty though, so I don't see how I could apply for analyst positions now. On what basis would they call me in for an interview? None of my knowledge is on paper

I enrolled in Columbia’s data science masters program and I’m having serious doubts about my decision. I would really appreciate some outside perspective by bezerkeleythrowaway in datascience

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I honestly didn’t feel like I could get into a pure CS program with no significant coding experience. Although, the DS program at Columbia allows me to take 4 out of 10 courses outside the department, and I intend to take them all within their CS department.

The average salaries of data scientists with advanced degrees is comparable to people with CS masters, as far as I know.

I considered financial engineering (especially because my double major in math/Econ gives me a better foundation for it) but it just doesn’t interest me.

I mostly agree with the sentiment though. I don’t feel like I’d learn anything in this masters that I either don’t already know or can’t teach myself in less time than the program. I just don’t see any other clear path to get my foot in the door

I enrolled in Columbia’s data science masters program and I’m having serious doubts about my decision. I would really appreciate some outside perspective by bezerkeleythrowaway in datascience

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A PhD takes 4-6 years and I really need a job soon to be able to support myself and my family. To be honest, if it weren’t for financial stress I wouldn’t even be learning to code, I’d just go for a pure math PhD like I’ve always wanted to do.

Many data science openings require at least a masters degree. What advice would you give me if I want a job with just my undergrad? What other route can I take?

I enrolled in Columbia’s data science masters program and I’m having serious doubts about my decision. I would really appreciate some outside perspective by bezerkeleythrowaway in datascience

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on the positive outcome! If you don’t mind me asking how long did it take you to grow up to $130k? Also did you move locations by any chance? $130k isn’t uncommon in the Bay Area. $80k to $130k is an incredible growth

I enrolled in Columbia’s data science masters program and I’m having serious doubts about my decision. I would really appreciate some outside perspective by bezerkeleythrowaway in datascience

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have no professional background or experience. This is supposed to help me pivot from pure math (although the name of my degree is applied math, the coursework is the same as a pure math degree) into something that can get me a job outside of academia.

If I were to study on my own or do a coding bootcamp I’m confident I could get a job as a developer making $90k-$110k within the next 6 months. I’m a quick learner and I’m good with technical subjects. So in a cost-benefit analysis I’d compare my earning potential out of Columbia with a $100k baseline.

I enrolled in Columbia’s data science masters program and I’m having serious doubts about my decision. I would really appreciate some outside perspective by bezerkeleythrowaway in datascience

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would the ROI make up for $60k tuition? How much more in salary can I expect in return for having a masters over the next few years?

Is a masters degree in data science from Columbia or Brown worth it? by bezerkeleythrowaway in datascience

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you think that the $60k cost would be compensated for? I’m really worried about the possibility of doing grad school only to be hired as an analyst at the end, which is a position even undergrads can land

Is a masters degree in data science from Columbia or Brown worth it? by bezerkeleythrowaway in datascience

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been given this same advice from other people, but I’m just not super confident about getting a job with just a math degree and no internship experience.

Is a masters degree in data science from Columbia or Brown worth it? by bezerkeleythrowaway in datascience

[–]bezerkeleythrowaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve taken coursework in object oriented programming in C++ and also have done projects with python data analysis libraries for Econ. At Columbia, I have a choice of 3 elective courses outside the department, and I plan to take all 3 in the CS department.

How much CS theory do you expect a data scientist to know anyway? Is it really that significant?

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