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Is an MS beneficial for someone planning to return to India?

 
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Hi Friends,
It really hurts to know that majority of non-US students do MS from US just for the purpose of being able to get jobs & settle there, rather than for quenching their thirst for knowledge.

I am an Indian & currently work in an IT company since last 3 yrs. I completed my B.E.(Computers). My intentions are to actually educate myself in the IT field do as to equip myself to become a Java/J2EE architect in the future. Here, in India, we get to do masters in Comp Sci & not in fields pertaining to IT. So doing Masters here in India for becoming an Enterprise Architect don't really make sense.

So is it kind of of beneficial for spending 2 yrs n getting the masters degree rather that working & gaining the practical knowledge & experience?

Very unfortunately, my friends who have done Masters abroad have not done it to help their career back in India immediately, but rather for earning in dollars - so I am yet to meet someone who can say that, "Ohh yes, MS really helped me back here in India" or "Yes Yes, MS did improve my outlook towards problem solving in IT industry".

So friends, I ask you all for your advice - should i do Masters(after spending ks of $s ) or will my Bachelors degree with a list of certs & genuine IT knowledge suffice me towards my goal of being an enterprise architect ? Really, Really confused!!! I dread & fear the situation wherein I am denied opportunities & responsibilities just because I have not done Masters & only Bachelors ? I want to avoid the regret of not doing Masters - that Masters would have provided me more job security than bachelors in India.

Please friends, pour in your suggestions. I am pretty sure that there are many others like me having this doubt. Your contributions will even help those people.

Thanks All Ranchers!!!

(P.S. - In my current organization there isn't anyone who has done masters - including my seniors & technical architect himself)

 
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Sudhirma Mishra wrote:
So is it kind of of beneficial for spending 2 yrs n getting the masters degree rather that working & gaining the practical knowledge & experience?

Very unfortunately, my friends who have done Masters abroad have not done it to help their career back in India immediately, but rather for earning in dollars - so I am yet to meet someone who can say that, "Ohh yes, MS really helped me back here in India" or "Yes Yes, MS did improve my outlook towards problem solving in IT industry".

So friends, I ask you all for your advice - should i do Masters(after spending ks of $s ) or will my Bachelors degree with a list of certs & genuine IT knowledge suffice me towards my goal of being an enterprise architect ? Really, Really confused!!! I dread & fear the situation wherein I am denied opportunities & responsibilities just because I have not done Masters & only Bachelors ? I want to avoid the regret of not doing Masters - that Masters would have provided me more job security than bachelors in India.



Keep in mind that there are a lot less enterprise architects than there are programmers. In many cases, the enterprise architects work in the CTO/CIO office -- which is a much much smaller department when compared to the IT department. Only the best, the most experienced, etc., gets a shot at getting into those roles.

I agree that a MS degree in IT may not be useful as compared to practical experience, but it can help you get more benefit from the practical experience -- which may be the difference between being the best and being in the middle of the pack.


Anyway, IMO, an MBA may better in this case. First, you are already in the field working, so to go back for an IT master degree may not be that useful. However, an EA must understand both the technology and the business, as the role is to understand the business needs, to map an architecture/infrastructure that can achieve the requirements, etc. -- and an MBA could help with the business side.

Henry


PS... as always, it is opinion, and you should be the final arbitrator on how to proceed.
 
Sudhirma Mishra
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Thanks for the reply Henry!!! what would you comment on the same question if the role in question was for an Application Architect/Technology Analyst,etc. instead of an Enterprise Architect?

 
Henry Wong
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Sudhirma Mishra wrote:Thanks for the reply Henry!!! what would you comment on the same question if the role in question was for an Application Architect/Technology Analyst,etc. instead of an Enterprise Architect?



I think you missed (somewhat) the main point of my response.

The point is, a career last 30 to 40 years; sometimes even longer. The architect role (or any role) is just one link in the chain. One link depends on the other. It will be very difficult to get a senior level role, if you are only so-so doing the junior level role. In other words, there is nothing wrong with trying to improve yourself, to improve your skills, even though you plan to move to a new role in a few years (when those skill may not be used as often).

Henry
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