Getting a Master's Degree in AI?

Should you go back to school or not? TL;DR — Getting a master’s degree part-time was worth it for me, but YMMV.  

I’m writing this for people who are on the fence about getting a master’s degree, especially for those interested in starting or advancing their careers in AI/ML/DS. However, I’m hopeful that some of my advice can apply to broader audiences regardless of discipline.  

There are people who will tell you that you don’t need a graduate education to advance in your career and other people who will tell you that a graduate education is necessary to climb the ladder or to even enter the field. I have certainly seen job postings where graduate degrees are preferred or expected at minimum. But, we live in a world with highly successful dropouts, so there will always be examples to justify either spectrum of the argument.  

My simple answer is that it really depends on what do you want to accomplish in your career and how realistic are you about your goals? Above all else, would you feel truly satisfied having gone through that educational experience, regardless of if you end up landing a great job or not? Unfortunately, no one can truly answer these questions but yourself, so if you let the opinions of others (I acknowledge the irony here) overly influence your decision, you might end up disappointed with yourself.  

In my experience, getting a master’s in AI degree from Penn State Great Valley was probably one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. I don’t write this to hype up the academic program I did because there are a lot of good ones out there, but I say this primarily because it gave me the unique opportunities to challenge myself intellectually outside of the workplace while learning fundamental topics in AI/ML/CS. It also helped me get an opportunity to work in AI at my company, which I’m truly thankful for.  

If you do end up pursuing a master’s degree, my advice to you is to go at it with as much vigor and purpose as you possibly can. If you do it with half interest, you’re only doing a disservice to yourself. It also really helps to have a solid support system — there will be days where you don’t want to work on anything, but deadlines are rapidly approaching. Just remember: YOU CAN DO IT!  

-Patrick