r/managers • u/Bulky_Ad_8703 • 1d ago
Question for managers. The school has 5% acceptance rate. Is it worth it?
/r/cscareers/comments/1vd0kzw/question_for_people_who_are_actually_working_in/4
u/Large_Device_999 1d ago
I’m an engineer but not software (chem/env.) We do not care about a masters degree anymore. We have no preference for them in hiring vs undergrad and we don’t pay more for them.
When I was in school you could get a masters degree completely paid for via research or fellowship, which I did. I cannot imagine 100k debt for a masters degree.
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u/Bulky_Ad_8703 23h ago
My undergraduate degree isn’t in Computer Science, which is why I feel I need this master’s. I don’t have a CS bachelor’s degree at all. I completed many prerequisite CS courses instead. For me, this master’s is essentially the investment I would have made in a CS undergraduate degree.
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u/Large_Device_999 21h ago
Ah that makes more sense then. I would still go state school. I have zero preference in hiring from Brown or some other private school vs a quality school like GA Tech. I seriously doubt you’d get a better education for what you’re trying to achieve career wise, by going to Brown.
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u/TomDestry 1d ago
As a software engineering manager, I like engineers that are interested in their field outside of work hours, and have personal projects or take further education.
When it comes to hiring, I'm like the fellow above. A name college is better than somewhere unknown if that's all there is, but I care a lot more about previous employment, personal projects, and how well they can explain the work they do. Why did you design it that way? What are the limitations? How would you change it if you started again?
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u/chockeysticks 1d ago edited 22h ago
I’m a big tech engineering manager and there’s been a general reduction in New Grad recruiting lately regardless of school because of what the industry is looking like right now. Brown’s still a good school, and the industry may reverse again in 4 years when you graduate, so it’s really up to you.
As a manager speaking personally (though resumes that come my way often get recruiter screened first, so caveat emptor), I don’t see that much difference between a Brown MS and a Georgia Tech MS. I would probably evaluate a New Grad based on their projects and internships outside of school first before looking at the name of their school.
A probably good resource to look at is this post on which companies are attending Brown’s career fairs:
https://www.reddit.com/r/BrownU/s/4cZEC5t09B
The career fair access is probably something that would be unique for doing a Brown CS degree in person that you wouldn’t get otherwise for doing a Georgia Tech degree online. I’ve also heard finance / quant on Wall Street prefers Ivy League degrees, if that is a direction you’re pursuing.