Confused if i should go for MS CS from USA or stay in India, how would you decide?
I have almost 5 years of experience as a software engineer in India.
Its been a long time now, that i am confused if i should go to US for MS considering i will have to take up a loan of 50 lakhs.
Also the layoffs are here, probably scenario will be good once the MS is over (May ‘24) , and i might be able to repay the loan.
It seems like a huge step and a risky one.
My motivation for US are
What are your thoughts on this, what factors should i consider?
I think this is how most Indians tend to think about MS in USA.
Let me lend you a different perspective, as someone who has had several family members go to the US along with several batchmates.
If you are going to the US for your stated reasons then they are much shallower reasons. It’s follows the same logic tree:
10th -> PCM -> BTech -> Work -> MS/MBA
Don’t do that.
The best mental model is, do it because you want to learn more. Don’t do it for the F1/OPT/CPT/H1B route.
Also, don’t go to some shitty university for the sake of it or to some sub-optimal university if you’re getting a scholarship.
Always go to the best possible university you can get into. The fees is marginal when you compare it to your earnings over the next decade.
Furthermore, once you graduate, that brand name will stick with you forever, so try not to go to some small town university.
You should go to the US if you feel that a Masters degree will add value to your professional journey and not to become another H1B monkey. Your post reeks of being stuck at a dead end job and want change.
Try to reason things through, do a Masters because you want to and not because it gets you out of this job to the next one.
I wish you the best. You’ll do what you want to but don’t mess with your career by going to a school out of top15 rankings in the US, because then be prepared to come back to India and pay all that fees in USD by working in INR.
Makes sense!
I like it here and work here is good. And I earn decent - 50+ lpa.
I have admit from Gatech, which is pretty good.
Honestly, I’m just worried that I’ll regret letting go of this opportunity :/
And major FOMO because most of my friends are in US.
@LongMeadow25 Don’t. Unless you are set on going, the ROI is just not there.
Unless you want to experience the wealth of an advanced economy then yes, you should be going.
But adjusting for average case scenario you’re better off here.
But be mindful that a moonshot scenario might uplift you crazily. Remember someone in my family being an early employee at a start up and made a fortune.
Most people don't end up doing any better job with an MS in CS (doesn't matter if it's from Georgia) than being a code coolie. Other than getting you the brand (not denying brand matters), the value add to you personally is minimal in the internet age. Grass is always greener on the other side. Do consider the other aspects like 31 trillion debt, a super high debt to GDP ratio, countries trading in bilateral currencies, revolutionary activists wielding a lot of power. The consequence being that free VC dollar and work culture in the US are on a downhill slope. The current downturn is going to be long lasting given the geopolitical changes you haven't seen since 1971.
Well, all of these would matter when you see young crowd flocking to Indian/Chinese embassies. Not happening.
Chinese have an educated pool. They don't need people from outside. They have other problems like declining demographics, something you will see hitting India twenty years from now with the westernised thoughts wrecking families. American youngsters are busy with Fentanyl and Meth, LGBTQ activism, dealing with broken families, paying off loans, living off credit. So they needed skilled labour, but that's only going to work until you could print something like 2 trillion dollars per year and OPECs listening to you, neither of which are going to be possible anymore.
I feel you should go to MS, even if you end up getting at similar level you’re at…the global experience and learning will be totally worth it. You can come back to India anytime but moving to US might not be an option later in life.
Thanks for creating this post.
US Ms in CS. Go for it hands down
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