<p>After finishing bachelors in CS, is it better to look for a job or pursue a Masters degree in CS?</p>
<p>It depends on what you want. Many CS grads enter the workforce with a BS.</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, it is better to work.
Also, your employer might pay for your MS.</p>
<p>H and I both have been in the computer software business for a long time. In the old days, most new hires don’t have master degrees. Now, it is more common that new hires have master degrees.</p>
<p>In terms of pay, master degrees are slightly higher, 5-10%. But if you are good, you can make up that difference quickly with raises and bonuses.</p>
<p>In terms of looking for work, in our experience, it doesn’t really matter. Relevant experience like summer jobs stand out more than a master degree.</p>
<p>Many companies especially the bigger ones have financial assistance for advance degrees. Some of our co-workers have done it. But most companies require that you are still working. So a full time job and getting a degree at the same time can be hard work.</p>
<p>A new CS grad will likely earn about $60K-80K. Expect to possibly be offered about a roughly $10K higher starting salary for a Masters as opposed to a BS in CS. This is rough and not something that would be offered at every firm. If it takes you an extra year to earn the MS that’s about a year’s lost salary (call it $65K) plus the cost of the additional year of schooling (call it $18K-50K or maybe $0 depending on education cost). It’ll take a lot of years to make up the initital 10K boost which would likely diminish over the years with increases and taking advantage of opportunities anyway. As stated above, some companies will also assist with a master program for employees.</p>
<p>Some CS grads are also fairly burnt out by the time they get their BS degree due to the heavy loads they take and are ready to be done with college for at least a while.</p>
<p>But some people want an MS degree regardless so for them it goes beyond a simple financial decision hence my statement that “it depends on what you want”.</p>
<p>Many thanks for your replies. With the economy as it is, not sure if there are going to be a lot of people going for masters degrees because of difficulty finding work after graduating with a bachelors.</p>
<p>My son decided to put off a CS MS degree because, in addition to the salary/cost inequity, he wanted to get more experience in the field before specializing in one area.</p>
<p>If you are “eligible” for a higher pay due to advanced degree, but have no work experience, you will have harder time finding a job.
Work experience counts much more when job-hunting.
My son is finishing his MS at Stanford in December (paid by the employer). He took one class per quarter, and was able to watch most of the lectures on line, so it wasn’t bad at all.</p>
<p>I would vote for the work experience if he has a choice. A lot of companies paid for MS in Engineer/CS/CE. You can also get much more prestigious degree from Stanford and such, if you live near it. But if you don’t have a choice then go for the Master Degree. It’s better than to stay idle.</p>
<p>Many CS grads have some work experience in the form of internships by the time they graduate with a BS. </p>
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I haven’t heard of new CS grads who have the ability to work in the US (US citizenship or green card), at least from the higher ranked schools, having much difficulty in getting offers even now.</p>
<p>I am engineering manager, and am more likely to hire someone with a new MS than someone with a new BS. I don’t care so much about the degree itself, but the MS student is more likely to have some more involved project experience or an internship. For more experienced hires, the recent work experience is much more important than the degree.</p>
<p>I can’t emphasize enough how important internship experience is for CS and engineering majors.</p>
<p>For international students, it is easier to get a visa to work in the US if you have an MS degree or higher than if you only have a BS. It’s not so much an issue this year, but has been in the past, and may be again in the future.</p>