In a dilemma about my future plans
Hi folks, I’m an ML Engineer with 3 years of work experience at a mid sized American MNC. WLB is great, no office politics, good managers, decent pay.
In this domain, if you need to switch or climb higher - a masters degree plays a vital role, often times I see the requirements of MS or PhD.
I do get a lot of job offers locally from startups but I do not want to work for them, they usually have terrible WLB but other MNCs and even my own ask for the education credentials as a filter. I got in this domain purely via luck during campus placements and converted my internship to FTE in the same team.
The downsides: My bachelors degree GPA is horrible (6.5/10, 2.88/4) and most top unis would probably filter me out via this itself. I’d have to take a hefty loan if I go to US for it. Europe is also a good choice but the salaries post MS there would most likely be less than what I am making in India as they have upto 45% in tax and other living cost expenses.
I just can’t see myself living in Bangalore all my life while paying hefty taxes and getting absolutely sht infrastructure. I also don’t want my next generation to go through the JEE/competitive exam grind. I had interests in other stuff growing up but after checking my family finances and pay of that domain, I had to abandon it. I’m not sure if I’d want the next generation to go through the same. I don’t dislike software engineering however.
I did ask my American manager for an internal transfer via L1, but he mentioned there’s no plans in the near future for it. But they would be happy to re-hire me if I ever went for MS in the US (pay would be ~110k in Atlanta)
What would you folks suggest? I’m 25 and single so I can take risks at this age.
One path I would recommend-
Go for MS in Canada -> Get a job -> Apply for PR and eventually, citizenship -> Switch to a US job through TN visa for Canadians
Boom, big bucks in US and also a first world citizenship
I'm kind off in the same boat as you rn but I'm planning on masters finally cause spending 5 to 10 yrs abroad will be extremely beneficial for me
Have you decided which country you would be doing it from? H1B lottery in US after 3 years of working scares me a bit.
Tbh it's extremely scary worldwide, it's an election year everywhere. Plus there are alot of other factors that come in. For me I don't want to give as I don't do well in exams otherwise I perform extremely well so I'll make a decision based on that. If you want we can connect and go from there
Hey @Licht following this thread again. Were you able to figure something out? Would love to connect if you're open to it as I have a similar journey.
Hi, I have decided to pursue MS in US as a priority. I’ll be writing my GRE in a couple of months then applying to universities.
I see. Thank you for the response. Appreciate it a lot. How did you decided for US against EUR given all the visa constraints US has to offer. I've a similar journey, over 2 years of work experience in a similar role where I'm involved majorly in backend and some data science oriented work but whatever people I have networked with or whatever positions I come across, they ask for a postgrad or a much higher experience no matter how strong the profile is.
Don't just wait for an l1, make it happen, ask for a timeline, ask what's needed. Then get a master's. = much better profile. Compare US vs EU and see what matches your needs.
Honestly they seem hesitant to send devs to US. My coworker, a data scientist was sent as she had 10 years experience more and worked with folks in US time zone often so it made a sense from business perspective.
I’m more of a hybrid between the two roles but leaning more towards dev so I was told there couldn’t be any guarantees and may take at least 3-4 years more.
Masters in US followed by staying in India. Strongly advise against Germany/Ireland if your current package is decent
Hey I have started working as a data scientist and even i observe that all the jds for ds/mle require ms/PhD Should I shift to sde for more openings? I am equally good at dsa/swer and ml so it doesn't matters for me as long as I am earning well and have growth
This is why I work as a MLE, work is hybrid of data scientist and backend dev so I can easily keep up to date with both while being easy to switch between any in future.
And yea, long term you do need a masters or PhD otherwise your salary and opportunities will stagnate.
Which company?refer me also
I'm honestly in the same boat. I have couple of years of experience in same domain and I'm very confused for a MS/PhD as I don't have a very prominent research profile (still working). Waiting for some relevant guidance to the op
Is it possible for you to get an MS online while working? A few American Universities offer such programs
It is indeed possible for me to do so, however online MS are looked down at in India. My manager has also done his MS online and heavily regrets it, when I asked about this 2 years ago he mentioned to avoid online MS as well (you miss out on networking with online MS which is a critical part in your future)
Don't choose Europe if you are only expecting a high salary but if u are just interested in obtaining a master's degree none can beat Europe. Although the living costs are quite better, compared to the US. And I don't think u can enter ivy unis in the USA with your GPA. Good luck on ur journey.
