Indian Data Scientist’s Dilemma: Master’s in the USA with a 25 LPA Salary?
I'm a 28-year-old data scientist with approximately five years of experience, and I'm considering the pursuit of a Master's degree in the USA. My plan involves participating in a pathway program, beginning with three months of coursework at IIT Jaipur, followed by one year of studies at Drexel University in the United States, with a focus on Machine Learning Engineering. However, it's important to mention that Drexel University is currently ranked 98th in the United States. What are your thoughts on whether I should proceed with this plan, considering my age and experience?
Furthermore, I'm curious about your perspective on the expected salary range for someone of my age and experience in the USA, given my current salary of around 25 lakhs per annum (LPA) in India.
imo there are 3 reasons to go abroad: money, education and prestige
Money post-grad should be ~$120k=₹30lpa (ppp), so that's not a reason Education doesn't seem to be reason coz you're not interested going to the top schools Prestige - one for you to answer
Money is the reason. I feel PPP is sham. I have my friends buying swanky cars and indulge themselves in luxurious vacations.
You seriously feel PPP holds true?
Yes. Net-net PPP holds, sure buying an expensive car or phone is easier in the US but cost of labour in India more-than-negates that. You can get a driver+maid+cook+nanny in India at >₹15lpa salary itself but in US you can't even dream about that any one of those at <$200k salary
B/G: I moved back to India from UK
Drexel is not that great of an option really, try getting into a better university with a good research faculty. Do a masters with a thesis that you can discuss in interviews post masters completion, there is usually a research seminar interview round for coveted ML research positions in the industry. If you really want to go into MLOps/MLE then Drexel is probably fine, but still a better ranked university will generally have more tailored courses for that. PPP is as real as it gets, don’t trust insta posts
Drexel only because it has a pathway program. So I can just spend 1 year studying in USA
Appreciate your response