u/EchoZhao1998

I’m currently doing the Master of Data Science at Monash University Malaysia and I’m considering whether to choose the research stream or industry stream.

I want to hearing from students who have gone through either path, especially in Data Science/IT-related programs.

A bit about my situation:

I’m in the 2-year program.
Due to health reasons, I took an academic intermission during my second semester, so I had to restructure my course plan.

My current GPA is around 3.75/4.
I’m Deaf and also living with a chronic rare disease, so workload management and sustainability are very important factors for me.

My biggest concern is the workload if I choose the research stream.
Because of my restructured study plan, I may need to take FIT5126, FIT5127, and FIT5128 together in my final semester.

From what I understand, the minor thesis component is already very demanding on its own, so I’m worried whether handling all of them simultaneously would become overwhelming — especially if my health condition fluctuates again.

At the same time, I’m strongly drawn to research for a few reasons:
I’ve had positive interactions with several professors, and they already know me reasonably well.
I genuinely enjoy deep thinking/research-oriented work.

My lived experience as a disabled person also makes me interested in research with meaningful social or accessibility impact.

However, I also need to think realistically about finances and employability after graduation. As a person with disability (PwD), finding a job is not always straightforward, so part of me feels I should prioritize entering industry earlier.

I’m also unsure whether the industry stream’s collaboration/project components might actually be harder for me in practice due to communication barriers.

So I wanted to ask:
How intensive was the research stream in reality?

Would taking FIT5126/27/28 together in the last semester be manageable, or is that a bad idea?

Did the research stream help with employability or PhD opportunities?
For anyone with health conditions/disabilities, did you find research or industry stream more sustainable?
Any regrets choosing one stream over the other?

I’d appreciate any honest experiences or advice. Thanks a lot.

Hi, I’m currently a master’s student and was diagnosed with NF2. I’ve lost my hearing and deal with ongoing communication challenges, and I’ll likely need multiple surgeries over time.

I believe all you are willing to communicate, but it still takes a lot of effort to sustain conversations, work, or daily interaction. Over time, it becomes exhausting and isolating.

I’m trying to better understand this from others’ experiences.

A few questions:

• What has helped you reduce the effort of communication in daily life?
• How do you manage work or study with these challenges?
• Are there any practical strategies (not just emotional support) that actually made a difference?

I’m also thinking about whether there are better ways to design communication or work setups for people in similar situations, but right now I just want to learn from real experiences.

Would really appreciate any insights. Thanks.

👋 Hello, I am diagnosed with NF2 8yrs ago. Hearing loss on both sides, and bificial paralysis. I am now studying in my master’s degree in data science.

I am wondering to do some projects that can help ppl like us. What are urgent needs of you on daily life? Or the most challenging you face due to NF?

Looking forward to any insight. As long as they are manageable (e.g. I can’t hear in the future due to removing acoustic tumor 😟)

I am a master student at MUM. and I feel the most of lecturers of mine are really bad. And really casual. I ask them for one question. And either they don’t know or cannot explain the solution, and ask me to google myself, then bring the answer to find them. I don’t think it’s fair that we pay so much tuition fee and can’t get better education.