I got a Master's Degree in Computer Science for the Lulz.
Over the last two and half years, in my spare time, I’ve been working on an online Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech’s OMSCS program). I’m happy to share that I’ve finished. Spring 2024 Commencement for Georgia Tech is this weekend. Instead of heading out to Atlanta to accept my diploma, my wife, daughter, and I decided to bug out to Sante Fe for a few days (and visit Meow Wolf while we are here).
Occasionally, my studies have come up in conversation. Folks have asked me why I was in the program and whether it was worth it. My answers: for the lulz, and isn’t any autotelic pursuit worth it?
At the time of this writing, I’m 40 years old, a mid-career in tech, and I have a spouse and a child. Why did I go back to school? The honest answer is that I had no real reason other than curiosity.
Could I hang?
Wouldn’t it be neat to get a formal academic understanding of many of the technologies I work with daily?
Can I balance work, family life, and academic rigor?
What things might I be exposed to that I wouldn’t have otherwise?
I had no real plan other than it sounded interesting; I was able to get in, and it seemed like an interesting challenge that would push my boundaries. But this really isn’t new. I’ve always followed my curiosity first and sorted out the plan later. My lifelong Modus Operandi has been to spend as much time as possible working on interesting problems. So, in the endless pursuit of defining interesting problems, I sort of go with the flow, dive deep, and see where working on such problems takes me.
As a lifelong learner, I’m always reading, watching, listening to, or building something to push the boundaries of my understanding. So, adding an online master’s degree seemed like a natural extension to a process I’ve been engaged in for quite a while.
If you are thinking about a big stretch in your skills or ability, do it. You’ll learn so much about yourself along the way. I’ve never once regretted taking risks and pushing myself when it comes to working on interesting problems.
So yeah, I went to grad school in my spare time for the hell of it. I got to dive deep into many interesting topics. I’m glad I did it, and I’m excited about the weird and interesting things that might come next.