full image - Repost: Interested in a graduate degree in Computer Networking - Industry Value? (from Reddit.com, Interested in a graduate degree in Computer Networking - Industry Value?)
Mining:
Exchanges:
Donations:
I attended UCSC and took a couple of graduate courses and got close with one of the professors, but I finished up my BS in CS and decided to find a job. Following the recent difficulty with extremely competitive job markets in the bay area, many companies are slowing down or instituting hiring freeze. Unfortunately, I got stuck in one of those "stepping stone" type jobs where I feel like I'm learning a lot, but the pay is very poor. Following recent changes in the organization, I was quite literally told "Don't program anymore. Leave that to the SWE team," (I'm in the HWE team). That was... demoralizing.I've been seeking new opportunities for over a year now, and I've found myself in a few interviews, but most of the time the interviewers disclose to me that other candidates have significantly more experience and I'm just not able to compete with a laid off Google Software Engineer.I don't want a graduate degree just because I want a job though— I have several topics that interest me in networking, and my professor told me that the ideas I'm interested in are difficult to research, but surely interesting and worth investigating.But if I do withdraw from the industry and lose 6 years of experience to get a PhD, are my chances really that much better off for finding a more engaging and competitive career, or am I just shooting myself in the foot?Look, I know "It's your decision" and all, but I just want to understand whether there is value in it. Right now, I'm spinning my wheels in the mud, and the only aide project I have going is writing a more modern version of iperf in python. I just hate feeling "stuck", and I'm not sure if I should tough it out and keep shooting resumes into the abyss, or if I should look at grad school more seriously. For what it's worth, I do only apply to positions where I think I have an actual chance, and I make sure my resume and skills fit, but the majority of positions I apply to are just inundated with dozens of candidates who have more experience or some other leg up. It feels draining.
Social Media Icons