Is an online master’s worth it if my company pays for it?
I’m trying to think through whether an online master’s would actually be worth it for me long-term, and I’d appreciate some honest outside opinions.
Background: I recently graduated with a bachelor’s in Computer Science from Princeton, and I’m starting full-time as a software engineer. My company would cover the cost of a master’s program, so financially there does not seem to be much downside. My thought would be to take it slowly, probably one class per semester while working.
I’m not looking at a master’s because I need it to break into tech. I already have a CS degree and will be working as a SWE. The main reasons I’m considering it are that I enjoy learning, I want to keep growing technically, and I feel like taking structured graduate courses could help me stay current as software engineering continues to change, especially with AI becoming more important.
My rough plan would be to spend my first year focused on getting grounded in my job, becoming a better engineer, and adjusting to full-time work. After that, I might start taking online classes if it feels manageable.
For people who have done an online master’s while working full-time: was it worth it? Did it actually help your career, or did it mostly just take up time? Since the cost would be covered, is the main downside just the workload and opportunity cost? Would you recommend doing it slowly, or would you avoid it unless there is a very specific career goal attached to it?