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Comment by alanfranz | Hacker News Reader

Recent OMSCS graduate here, and I was already working as a software engineer. I learned a lot, I'm very happy with the experience, the price is totally reasonable (around $7k) and it's a kind of education which suits and is oriented to adults. I totally recommend the program.

But, I totally understand the issue with a $50k Master's.

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+1 for OMSCS. I’m about to start my final class of the program. The low relative cost and scheduling flexibility made it attractive. I don’t feel as though I’ve been scammed. I was exposed to a lot of computing topics I wouldn’t have been able to explore as easily and with as much depth or rigor elsewhere.

Would you recommend OMSCS for someone trying to switch into tech but has some only some CS coursework in undergrad (OOP, discrete, DS&A, an unrelated major like Biology) ?

It's one way to make the career switch but possibly not the best. As with most things, it depends on your circumstances.

What OMSCS offers imo is:

- an elite CS education

- specialize in topics that interest you

- very low cost (I'll have spent around $8k total by graudation)

- the flexibility that naturally comes with an online-first education

What it doesn't offer:

- a starting point for someone with near zero cs-background (if this is you, it will be a hard program)

- job/coop placement

- networking is hard imo

I feel like I have the necessary foundations of CS so I think it is a good starting point for me but the main goal is to maximize my time to get the necessary foundation in CS to do well at my job as well as open up my possibilities such that recruiters don't throw away my resume once they see "Biology with CS coursework".

In terms of networking and job placement, I am thinking of applying to in-person masters programs (USC, UCLA, Stanford, and Cornell) but that would put be in some debt (40-50k). After reading this article, I am utterly lost.

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