CS degree or not? Data Analytics? For my work situation

[mcjon77]

I have a masters in information technology and a masters in data science.  The reality is that a single masters in computer science would have given me access to ALL of the jobs that either of my two masters give, PLUS several more.  This is not to say that I didn't like my other degrees.  I LOVED THEM. It was a wonderful experience.  My Masters in Data Science will allow me to transition to a Data Scientist position this year.  However, I have to be realistic about what the job market wants.

In fact, I actually plan on going back for a masters in CS in 2023, but that is  more for my personal enjoyment/development.

There are so many more options for an MS in CS these days  compared to when I started my masters in IT. If you can, do the masters in CS.

Interesting. Thank you for sharing!

I'm wondering if the situation is different for a career changer (someone with little/no tech work/internship experience)? It seems like if a job is "Data Analyst" or "Data Scientist", they couldn't just hire someone with a MSCS who doesn't have the stats background and experience with all of those tools. So maybe the career changer should get the DA/DS instead? Seems different if someone already has been a DA for a few years and just needs a Masters to move up.

The difference is that if you have an MS in CS, you can learn the stats on your own and your self-training and your MS in CS will be enough to get the data scientist position.  If you have an Masters in IT, self training in statistics/machine learning will not be enough to be eligible for the jobs. 

The MS in CS is just far more flexible.

If you want to get a data analyst position, you really don't have to go as far as to get a masters.  If you have a bachelors degree, you basically need 3 skills (in this order):

1. Strong SQL Skills (if you can get to the level of understanding and using window functions and CTE's you are more than ready).
   
2. Skill with a Visualization or Reporting tool (Tableau or Power BI)
   
3. Basic Statistics (think Stats 101 course)
   

You can use the Oracle SQL Associate cert to prove your SQL knowledge.  Both Tableau and Power BI have their own certs that you can get.  If you go the tableau route, you can also build portfolio projects on Tableau Public to show perspective Employers.  The certs are nice if your Bachelors degree is non-technical and non-business related.

[Pats20]

I have a masters in information technology and a masters in data science.  The reality is that a single masters in computer science would have given me access to ALL of the jobs that either of my two masters give, PLUS several more.  This is not to say that I didn't like my other degrees.  I LOVED THEM. It was a wonderful experience.  My Masters in Data Science will allow me to transition to a Data Scientist position this year.  However, I have to be realistic about what the job market wants.

In fact, I actually plan on going back for a masters in CS in 2023, but that is  more for my personal enjoyment/development.

There are so many more options for an MS in CS these days  compared to when I started my masters in IT. If you can, do the masters in CS.

Interesting. Thank you for sharing!

I'm wondering if the situation is different for a career changer (someone with little/no tech work/internship experience)? It seems like if a job is "Data Analyst" or "Data Scientist", they couldn't just hire someone with a MSCS who doesn't have the stats background and experience with all of those tools. So maybe the career changer should get the DA/DS instead? Seems different if someone already has been a DA for a few years and just needs a Masters to move up.

The difference is that if you have an MS in CS, you can learn the stats on your own and your self-training and your MS in CS will be enough to get the data scientist position.  If you have an Masters in IT, self training in statistics/machine learning will not be enough to be eligible for the jobs. 

The MS in CS is just far more flexible.

If you want to get a data analyst position, you really don't have to go as far as to get a masters.  If you have a bachelors degree, you basically need 3 skills (in this order):

1. Strong SQL Skills (if you can get to the level of understanding and using window functions and CTE's you are more than ready).
   
2. Skill with a Visualization or Reporting tool (Tableau or Power BI)
   
3. Basic Statistics (think Stats 101 course)
   

You can use the Oracle SQL Associate cert to prove your SQL knowledge.  Both Tableau and Power BI have their own certs that you can get.  If you go the tableau route, you can also build portfolio projects on Tableau Public to show perspective Employers.  The certs are nice if your Bachelors degree is non-technical and non-business related.

Agreed. I just don’t see any negatives with a bachelors and masters in cs and If there are any I don’t think they will out weigh the positives.

[Ideas]

Agreed. I just don’t see any negatives with a bachelors and masters in cs and If there are any I don’t think they will out weigh the positives.

The MS in CS is just far more flexible.

Thanks. I am thinking of doing MSCS and not BACS/BSCS. Do you have any thoughts on having the unrelated Bachelor's? I think it may seem less committed/serious.

Then I would consider a Data Science certificate after the MS.

[Flelm]

Disclaimer: I am not involved in any kind of tech hiring role. Everything below is my own opinion, and isn't worth the electrons it's being presented to you with.

It doesn't matter what masters you get. Get one. Build a portfolio. That's what's going to tell employers what you can do. Give them something tangible.

That being said, I think a BACS and MSDS/MSDA are the best combo out of the ones you've thought of. But that's just me and my uneducated opinion. Generalist > Specialist.

[Pats20]

Agreed. I just don’t see any negatives with a bachelors and masters in cs and If there are any I don’t think they will out weigh the positives.

The MS in CS is just far more flexible.

Thanks. I am thinking of doing MSCS and not BACS/BSCS. Do you have any thoughts on having the unrelated Bachelor's? I think it may seem less committed/serious.

Then I would consider a Data Science certificate after the MS.

I really don’t know what else to say. Several have given their opinion but you keep going back and asking the same question. 
Do what you want to do. It don’t matter to us. You don’t have to try and convince us, just yourself.

[mcjon77]

Agreed. I just don’t see any negatives with a bachelors and masters in cs and If there are any I don’t think they will out weigh the positives.

The MS in CS is just far more flexible.

Thanks. I am thinking of doing MSCS and not BACS/BSCS. Do you have any thoughts on having the unrelated Bachelor's? I think it may seem less committed/serious.

Then I would consider a Data Science certificate after the MS.

Don't worry about it.  Just complete the prereqs at a Junior College and you are good to go.  I know that Georgia Tech has accepted people like that before.  There are so many great MSCS programs out there that are also fairly affordable, you won't have a problem finding one.

I am doing some of the prereqs for the MSCS now in preparation for applying early next year.  I decided to make a list of MSCS and MCS programs under $16 (so it would be covered completely by my company's tuition reimbursement).  I think I stopped at 10 programs.  That was enough for me.  If you are willing to pay up to $25K your pool of schools doubles.

[Ideas]

I really don’t know what else to say. Several have given their opinion but you keep going back and asking the same question. 
Do what you want to do. It don’t matter to us. You don’t have to try and convince us, just yourself.

Well there are many comparisons I'm making here.

I was originally thinking that I would only do BACS if I didn't do BSCS or MSCS, but now I'm thinking that you could be right about the combination being more powerful.

I just don't like the BACS compared to BSCS unless I add extra courses to the BACS... in which case, I could just get a BSCS. So I think I may go back and do a BSCS after doing the MSCS. (Or I suppose it could come first, but I don't see why it has to.)

Just wondering if some people saw it as unnecessary to have the undergrad degree when I have the undergrad credits on my transcript. Or that could be wishful thinking on my part.

---

Don't worry about it.  Just complete the prereqs at a Junior College and you are good to go.  I know that Georgia Tech has accepted people like that before.  There are so many great MSCS programs out there that are also fairly affordable, you won't have a problem finding one.

I am doing some of the prereqs for the MSCS now in preparation for applying early next year.  I decided to make a list of MSCS and MCS programs under $16 (so it would be covered completely by my company's tuition reimbursement).  I think I stopped at 10 programs.  That was enough for me.  If you are willing to pay up to $25K your pool of schools doubles.

Thanks. Yeah, I would pay more. Many of them take a while to start (one wanted applications 8 months prior to start!) so I feel that my options are still limited, but I will find one. I think that I want quicker (12 months) even though it's a worse school, but I am not sure if I will regret that later.

[Flelm]

What is your goal? Is your goal to appeal to employers? If so, what job titles are you targetting, both now and in the future? Is your goal to complete a curriculum that's interesting to you? Is your goal to just have degrees that look cool?

I can't tell what you want. You seem to want a bit of everything. You want a Data Science degree but also want to be able to do non-Data Science IT roles in the future? You want a CS degree, but not BA CS because you don't like the curriculum, but BS CS is a good curriculum? You want speed, but you don't want to

And, personally, (again, as a non-technical hiring manager), I view BA CS and BS CS as equivalent, and "courses X, Y, Z completed towards CS degree" as lesser. And I honestly don't even know as a layperson what a MS CS vs. a BS CS "qualifies" someone to do.

[Ideas]

I can't tell what you want. You seem to want a bit of everything. You want a Data Science degree but also want to be able to do non-Data Science IT roles in the future? You want a CS degree, but not BA CS because you don't like the curriculum, but BS CS is a good curriculum?  You want speed, but you don't want to

Well, yes, it is not very straightforward and I know that. I think I've figured out what I'm going to do since my first post, with the help of the posts here. I don't think I will do a DS or DA degree. And I think I will be doing BSCS not BACS, but probably delay this.