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Don’t go for masters in things that are not foundational. Most (if not all) experts in data analytics or science are from a comp sci and math background. People who jump ship from other fields can definitely talk the biz but when it comes to optimization and algorithm design, it’s only comp sci trained professionals who can cut through the BS and deliver. Same with cloud technologies, same with anything IT. You have to have the foundational comp sci knowledge and if you don’t I would first start with the basics. Do online courses to see if you have the learning capacity to learn the basics first. Then go ahead and invest in the masters program for comp sci. Data analytics or science masters programs are great for marketing but lack substance (not all but most - Georgia tech is great but getting in is hard)
I wouldn’t recommend it. Nothing they teach in data analytics masters cannot be learned online. Start with online courses.
Accredited cs programs often leans academic, meaning you’ll need to brush up on your calc 1, calc2, and linear algebra to follow along in some of the math heavy classes
Bowl Leader
It really depends what you want it for. Is it a career goal or personal development?
Bowl Leader
Since you already have a job at IBM, I personally don’t think you need to go back to school for your career. A coding boot camp or similar depending on your aptitude is good enough. Then you can maybe take one step back from your current role to get your foot in the door. It’ll be cheaper and less time consuming than going back to school.
If it’s mainly for personal development, then shoot. Follow your dream man. I still think it’ll pay off for you if you have the time and resources.
OP, masters in CS are no joke. I’ve worked in the mathematics field for several years and while good nontechnical management can make or break even the most sophisticated optimization projects, there is no substitute for hard fundamentals. Think about an example from ur own company: IBM CPLEX is an extremely complex product and people spend years to earn their math or CS masters to eventually help make even marginal contributions to the performance of that commercial solver. The beginner technical skills you have described (while invaluable as a manager or consultant) would barely get you through the first years of an undergrad CS curriculum (without serious commitment), nevermind get you into to a decently rigourous CS masters program. If you want to manage developers more effectively, self study the languages, environments, and coding patterns your desired teams are using. Think about what your developers wish you knew so that your managerial decisions can be of higher quality. CS masters are theory heavy as per D1 D2 and may not be conducive to your medium term goals. Data analytics may make more sense for you if you need a credential or identify as a lifelong learner. This masters in Data Analytics will most likely not improve your ability to work with developers, however.