I work at a university and am working towards an M-Eng part time. I somewhat stumbled into a rapid prototyping class this semester after discovering that I needed to spend this semester and summer studying the advanced maths I never learned as an undergrad in order to take the ML/AI classes that my degree will mostly consist of.
I would recommend getting an M-Eng part time if your employer allows it. Yes, this suggestion punctures the idealistic narrative of the self-taught hacker that we are all supposed to romanticize on HN, but nobody can argue that I am receiving anything less than a world class education.
In addition - and this is the part that is supposed to make HN snarl and gnash it’s teeth - when a hiring decision comes down to the self-taught hobbyist and the graduate of a prestigious university, CYA protocol dictates that you hire the graduate. If the hire fails, it’s better to shrug your shoulders and say “They have a masters degree from a major university, how was I supposed to know it wouldn’t work out?” Rather than “I know I took a risk hiring the self-taught developer. The company has suffered because of my risky decision.”
Office politics make the world go round.
(Keep in mind, I am not trying to discourage self-education. In the tech industry we all have to continually teach ourselves. But sometimes it is best to be taught by professionals. It is their job after all.)
I would recommend getting an M-Eng part time if your employer allows it. Yes, this suggestion punctures the idealistic narrative of the self-taught hacker that we are all supposed to romanticize on HN, but nobody can argue that I am receiving anything less than a world class education.
In addition - and this is the part that is supposed to make HN snarl and gnash it’s teeth - when a hiring decision comes down to the self-taught hobbyist and the graduate of a prestigious university, CYA protocol dictates that you hire the graduate. If the hire fails, it’s better to shrug your shoulders and say “They have a masters degree from a major university, how was I supposed to know it wouldn’t work out?” Rather than “I know I took a risk hiring the self-taught developer. The company has suffered because of my risky decision.”
Office politics make the world go round.
(Keep in mind, I am not trying to discourage self-education. In the tech industry we all have to continually teach ourselves. But sometimes it is best to be taught by professionals. It is their job after all.)