I'm looking for some honest advice from people who have done an MS in CS in the US after several years of industry experience.

my_qualifications:

• Bachelor's in CSE from reputed private college.
• 8.7 CGPA, graduated in 2021
• ~5 years of experience currently (will be ~6 years by the time I start an MS)
• Currently MTS Salesforce in India
• Earlier worked at startups on microservices, distributed systems, and scaling backend systems
• My interests are currently around distributed systems, AI/ML systems, agentic AI, and large-scale software systems

I'm considering applying for Fall 2027, so I'd probably have around 6 years of experience when I start.

My main question is: Does doing an MS at this point make sense?

For example, if I spend 2 years doing a top MS, I'd potentially graduate with ~8 years of total professional experience. Would US companies actually value that experience and consider me for a higher level, or could I effectively end up "resetting" and joining at MTS anyway?

I'm also considering the MS partly as a way to enter the US tech ecosystem and potentially move into higher-end roles in AI/systems. I'm not looking to do an MS just for the sake of having a master's.

Financially, this is also a major consideration. I don't have the ability to comfortably pay the full cost of a US MS, so I'd be heavily prioritizing scholarships, TA/RA opportunities, and universities with good ROI. However, if I got into a genuinely exceptional program (CMU/Stanford/Berkeley/MIT/UIUC/UCSD/etc.), I'd be willing to take considerably more financial risk.

So I'd really appreciate advice from people who have been in a similar situation:

1. Is ~6 YOE too late for an MSCS?
2. Does prior industry experience meaningfully help with post-MS leveling?
3. Is it realistic to graduate after 8 YOE and target senior-level roles rather than MTS?
4. Does an MS make sense if you're already at a good company like Salesforce?
5. Would you personally choose 6 more years of industry progression or 2 years at a top US MS + US job search in this situation?
6. Are there particular universities/programs that are especially good for someone with a distributed systems + AI background and a strong focus on funding/ROI?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who did their MS after 4–7+ years of experience, or who went from India → US MS → senior engineering roles.

Thanks!