Masters or Startup?

Question

I have been working at a big company that does not challenge me for about 5 years. I have been meaning to make a change, now that the US is (sort of) coming out of the pandemic.Two things happened recently: I found a cool startup that is interesting to me, and pays more than my current company, and I applied to grad school.Assuming that I am accepted by both opportunities, I figure that I won't be able to do both. My current job is easy enough that I could take night classes and get a masters in a few years, but the startup is small, so I can't slack off with it at all. What sort of pros and cons are there for both paths? If you took one path, do you have any regrets?

injb · Accepted Answer

Interesting question! But without having a goal in mind, it's hard to comment on it. If you have some goal that you're shooting for regardless of which of these options you choose, and it's just a question of which option will be better for that goal, then explain what the goal is. If you don't have a clear goal, then I don't see how you can compare them.If you are a US citizen or permanent resident, then you have an opportunity to be involved in a cool startup that's closed to most people. And a the same time, you would probably be overpaying for grad school compared to most people. So choosing the startup would be playing to the strengths of your position imo.

quantumofalpha · Answer

What do you hope to get out of masters? After a few years in the industry employers stop caring much about your school and degree (unless it's PhD, that sticks for life). Work experience is a lot more valuable than another degree.