i didn't get a degree in computer science; my degree is unfortunately in business administration.
is it all over for me or will i be able to get into a respected masters program for computer science and then be able to focus on machine learning?
is this a common thing for people who have no background in computer science to get a masters degree in it?
No university would accept someone into a graduate CS program without fundamental courses like algorithms and data structures.
The amount of pre-reqs for a graduate CS course for a business administration major would be so substantial that you may as well just get the bachelor's degree.
Undergrad CS is a joke and everyone knows it.
Undergrad CS establishes basic computing knowledge and theories, algorithmic analysis, data structures, and the foundations necessary to continue the education.
If one lacks all of this, how do you suppose they will fare in graduate school?
Graduate school, depending on your end goal (Career or academia) is possible for you.
I had a professor who had a bachelors degree in Philosophy and on the side took some comp sci courses and Math (I think he said up to calc 2). He ended up going to an applied computer science masters program. Following that he taught for a few years and is pursuing his PHD now.
Like this guy said, you'd need a pretty good base before attempting to get into a graduate program.
It's possible, but you'd have to do a masters in something not theory heavy.
Also, whatever you choose to do is going to be super hard. So don't think this is just an easy out.
>professor
>pursuing his PHD now
Nani?
>will i be able to get into a respected masters program for computer science and then be able to focus on machine learning?
No, even you won't get into any computer science graduate program for that matter. Forget about getting into a "respected school," that's a concern for those with CS degrees above a 3.5. Even I'm not in a "respected" university, and I can tell you it's not a cake-walk, especially given you want to do machine learning.
>is it all over for me
It's not over for you and you still have a chance. You'll have to bite the bullet and go back to college and get an undergrad in CS, you'll be older than your average undergrad, but that's the price you gotta pay. I know it sucks, but it's not that bad being an oldie in college. This is just my opinion so ask around.
>is this a common thing for people who have no background in computer science to get a masters degree in it?
The only way this works is if you have some STEM background. I know math majors that attempt to go into CS grad school, but even they have to take remedial courses and fundamentals like OS and some systems course.
Ultimately, I have to ask you, why do you want to get a masters in CS? This is very important to answer and make clear.
I suppose the technical term was "Lecturer"?
IDK, never mattered to me. He operated the same as a PHD faculty member minus having to advise students.
>letting people without PhDs lecture
I know colleges are getting desperate for instructors to satisfy people falling for the CS meme, I was a TA as a second year, but this is a new low.
Also, I want to add, being in graduate school sucks. You'll be expected to TA courses that you should've aced when you were an undergrad. This means you'll be teaching undegrads CS "fundamentals" and be able to answer questions and help tutor them and such. On top of this, you'll be a slave for the professor, graduate school really does suck, not because of the low-pay per-se, but the awful treatment you get. If you drop out, you're just a statistic, there's a whole line of willing grad prospects waiting out the door, so they can just replace you. Finally, imagine the course and pacework of undergrad on top of all of this, add to this the vast disconnect you have from the undergraduate population and college culture. Being a graduate student, you're expected to focus on your academic work and take it very seriously, there's no room for goofing around and joining "clubs" and such like you did during undergrad. Don't treat graduate school as an extension of college, graduate school is like purgatory between college and the professional world where in the professional world you have freedom to quit your job (fire your boss) and get high pay and benefits, whereas in college you have the fellowship with friends and the comparative amount of free time and carefree fun and event that are catered for undergrads.
I got a degree in classics and bummed around 4-5 years before getting into a developer job. Not sure if graduate school is doable, but in any case you don't need it. Install git, pick a project that sounds cool, and learn how to contribute to it. Get a landing page to show off that and talk about what you're learning as you go.
I got hired about 1-1.5 years after I started from zero into a web job mostly doing SQL and misc. JS. Currently in a Java shop working on Spring and a little Node. Every job I have had in the industry came out of someone I met through github projects.
>Undergrad CS is a joke and everyone knows it.
Only if you go to a shit school. CS is one of those fields that can vary vastly school to school.
i'm just worried. ive been reading a bunch of other posts about how employers wont even give you the time of day if you dont have a degree in comp sci
>why do you want to get a masters in CS
i think machine learning is going to be a valuable field in the future but it looks to me like its impossible to get a job in that field without the relevant education. since i already fucked up by graduating with a degree in something else, i figured the masters is the only way i can get a respectable education in cs that will satisfy my future employers
They let any riffraff into IT. I taught a Masters student to program in my web programming (php/etc) course some years ago. She came from business or something. That may not be representative of CS but you could transfer or do a phd in CS.
You'd have better chances getting in outright (lol, un-american concept) if you pay for the degree yourself as opposed to government funding, meaning you can circumvent some merit based systems.
Despite all that you may be disappointed to discover how little mention machine learning gets. In my universities undergraduate program there is a single course in AI, which covers machine learning, but the course is all theory and you never program anything relevant. You can do a project in the machine learning space, but you're not going to get any guidance besides the aforementioned optional course.
>letting a university have ownership of its own product as a requirement for working there
>employers wont even give you the time of day if you dont have a degree in comp sci
This is mostly true if you're just cold calling and sending in resumes, but even with a degree that's a shit way to find a job, particularly if you're obviously older than a fresh grad.
As I said, I got my job(s) through people I worked with on open source projects. It isn't going to happen over-night, but neither does getting a degree and tbqh I can't even imagine how much more stressful a masters degree would be over and beyond just working on projects yourself. The biggest pitfall of the latter if you have to self-motivate. If you can do that, you have the doors to open. If you can't, well, I dunno how you'll get through grad school with no motivation either. Maybe grades would be enough kick to keep you running but I can't tell you for sure.
The only thing that's for sure is you can jump into projects without any expense to yourself within a short period of time and see if that works for you. Give it a month or two and try to get proficient enough to do minor things. If you hate it, then consider what you're getting yourself into with CS. If you like it but don't feel like you can keep going without direction, more school is probably a good path.
Good luck.
Hi OP, Comp. Sci grad here, I'm curious, why would you do a 360 like that? You could be managing a team of engineers making much more than they do
Thank you
I have no aptitude for management nor do I have the pedigree required. Also i'm more interested in building a product myself but I'll look into it more.
Didn't you say you had a degree in Business Admin. In my book, that's pretty much what's required to be a manager.
>degree in Business Admin
its useless.
how many managers ahve you worked with? you may have been one of the few who works with a capable manager but of the people i know and work with id say 9/10 of them are absolute garbage. myself included ofc.
also, if you are yourself a comp sci grad wouldnt your manager ideally be someone who graduated in comp sci but then went to bschool?
No self respecting developer would work for a non-technical manager. Enjoy working with Pajeets.