Hi, I graduated for a few years now with an economics major and I want to change my career focus to cs/tech. I dont have any background or exposure in this field. Are there any masters program I can go for that don’t require any prerequisite or do I have to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in computer science?
There’s a middle ground between those two things. Start by getting some background & exposure to “cs/tech”. First thing you need to do is figure out what part of “cs/tech” you are interested in. Your local Community College may be a good place to start: they will help you narrow down “cs/tech” to a direction or subset that is likely to suit you. You can then take a couple of relevant classes at the CC. As you refine your understanding what part of “cs/tech” you are interested in you can talk to careers people about what sort of experience and/or qualifications are most useful for that path.
Almost certainly a second UG degree will be a waste of money: taking pre-req classes and getting some work experience in the field can get you into a Masters program- if that is the best way to get where you want to go.
100% you should not start a Masters w/o knowing exactly why you want a Masters and why that particular Masters is best suited for achieving that goal.
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Our tech college has many IT related certificates that take a year or less and are often hybrid meaning part online. This would be lower cost and you may be able to combine with your past knowledge to be more marketable.
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In addition to the good recs above, you might check out the certificate offerings at companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. Some examples:
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I’m sure this isn’t the only entry-level masters in CS, but it’s one that I know of, just for proof of concept. Northeastern is respected for its CS pedagogy; even for undergrads, they front-load the programming skills so that students are qualified for a meaningful co-op by sophomore spring. https://www.khoury.northeastern.edu/programs/align-masters-of-science-in-computer-science/
As others have said, an entry-level masters isn’t the only way to get where you want to go, but it does exist and is certainly a better plan than a a second bachelor’s!
You could also look at data analytics type programs that would dovetail more with econ, but would open up opportunities beyond that sphere as well.
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Well, first and most importantly, you don’t have to go to graduate school to move to tech - especially not with a degree in economics. If you want to be a software developer that’s one thing - but if you just want to work in tech in general, there are lots of jobs you can do without going back and studying computer science. I work at Microsoft and there are a ton of economics majors here doing all kinds of things (finance, business management, program management, production, etc.)
What do you want to do in tech?
Master’s programs are designed to build upon an undergraduate foundation of knowledge; that’s why they tend to require prerequisites. A master’s degree for someone with no background in CS whatsoever is kind of an oxymoron; the whole point of the degree is to demonstrate that you can work at a higher level than someone with just a bachelor’s. Even the above Align MS has some undergraduate “bridge” courses you have to take before getting to the graduate courses.
Thank you all for your sharing. Will dig deeper!