Job prospects for an MS in CE (need to act fast)?

Question

My bachelors unfortunately was not a hard CS but rather CIS (I was trying to graduate early and I did but I wish I just finished up the CS). Anyways, I've been in a cool tech company for about 1.5 years doing something close to development (for the sake of privacy I won't mention my position). I was now accepted into a MSCE program and was curious how the job outlook looks for graduates of a MSCE versus let's say a MSCS. Here is the program:

http://www.stevens.edu/ses/ece/Grad/masters.php

I was also accepted into BU's MSCS program:

ttp://www.bu.edu/met/adult_college_programs/graduate_school_program/post_graduate_degree/computer_science_master_degree/index.html

I actually don't even mean generally in the USA. I actually love travelling and would love to work in some foreign countries as well, especially if I could gain citizenship into Canada. Beyond that, I look forward to anyone's help as I need to make a decision within a day or two.

Thanks guys

Answer 1

the job market is all about skillset, not degrees. a person looking at your application will really only look at what you know, not why/how you know it. if your resume gets past the initial look, you'll be phone screened, and ALL questions will be centered around demonstrating technologies, absolutely no questions of import about your formal eduaction.

Answer 2

Personally, as having interviewed a decent amount, a degree is simply a method by which I determine some aptitude of the candidate.

It's really the technical interview that determines the hire for me.

The 'outlook' depends on market, geographic area, etc. You'll get a lot of subjective answers here with good advice, but I doubt you'll see a X > Y for degree answer.

Added
Keep in mind, this completely reverses if you're wanting to go into Academics.

Answer 3

I'd first ask what job prospects are you looking at where your current degree is the limiting factor?

You have a job at a place that you like, so I would say that you're ahead of the curve. Unless you're trying to change into a specialized field which requires Masters level work, you may want to re-evaluate your current plans.

Answer 4

While it's true that what you know is very important, nearly always more important than your formal education, it's also something that can vary depending on where you want to work. For example, just a few years ago, it was difficult to get a job at Google without a doctorate. The same is still true in research intensive places such as Microsoft Research, and the various labs for IBM, Intel, etc. If these sorts of opportunities interest you, it's something you should take into consideration.

Answer 5

Guys, some of you are on the offensive about degrees. In other countries, it's not uncommon you understand for many to go for further education simply because it's done this way and people are happy to learn new things (not to mention it's cheaper). It seems as if in the USA, it is frowned upon.

It comes down to a few things. I'm very unhappy with the degree I received for my bachelors and there is more pressure in my family for further education. Again, I work and there are two brilliant programmers who dropped out of college entirely and the rest usually have a BSCS.

Finally, I am more interested in the hardware arena which is why I asked for the job prospects of an MSCE.