My Experience in OMSCS (So Far)

I've recently had a few discussions with coworkers about the Online Master's of Computer Science program that's offered by Georgia Tech. It's a pretty revolutionary program that puts a top-10 graduate degree within the grasp of many, many more people than previously possible. There are many articles and blog posts written about it. PBS even highlighted it in a recent episode. There have been some people that have written about their experience in the program and even created a flowchart to help you decide if it's for you or not. I wanted to take a moment and capture my experience and answer some common questions I get about the program.

Backstory

First, let me start by telling you my story. This section should help you understand some of my reasoning behind selecting the OMSCS Program. Honestly, you can skip this section if you'd like and jump straight to the FAQ at the end.

I grew up in a somewhat non-traditional home. I had a dad and a mom but my dad stayed home to raise the kids and my mom worked. That's just how it worked out for our family. My dad had actually received an MBA and worked for a number of years before having kids. Shortly before having their first child, the company my dad worked for went under (the technology was ahead of its time) so they decided to have my mom be the breadwinner. She just so happened to work for IBM, so I got to play with computers in my youth. Even though my dad didn't "work," I always thought it was cool he had an MBA and thought that one day I'd like to get a Master's degree as well.

Fast forward over a decade and I'm graduating college with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. At the time that I graduated, I was ready to put school behind me. I was tired of the long hours spent on assignments and tests. I was tired of the imposition it was and the control it had on my life. I wanted freedom. I was ready to toss my cap and never look back. Thoughts of a Master's degree had faded into the background giving way to the sweet, sweet freedom I thought was opening up for me and my little family.

A few short months into my new life as a college graduate, I started to have the feeling that I should look into Master's programs. I guess the sweet freedom of school-free life didn't have as lasting of an affect as I would have hoped. So, I looked. I found a lot of programs, but they all had a few things in common: first, they cost too much; second, they took too much time away from my life outside of just school work; and, third, many of them would have necessitated moving to a new state. If I were a young, single person, none of those things would have been too big of an issue (except maybe cost). But as a father to a small family, all of those issues were deal-breakers for me. So, I gave up. I'd looked like I felt I needed to, I didn't find anything. I was again ready to put formal education behind me.

.... Until.... Until a few more months had passed by. That darn feeling came back again suggesting that I should look into higher education again. So, I looked and found a lot of the same. $40k+ price tags with significant life disruptions. Wasn't there anything out there that wasn't so expensive? Wasn't there anything out there that wouldn't disrupt my life so much? Around the time I was about to give up again, I started seeing articles and news about this new program put out by Georgia Tech. Some sort of Computer Science program that's all online and super cheap.

Wait, what? The Georgia Tech? The one that's super well known as a great Computer Science school that's hard to get into and very rigorous? Yeah, that one. And it's all online? Yep, all of it. Never have to go to campus for anything. And how much does it cost? Oh, only a cool $7k. Total. Over the course of 2 or so years.

I couldn't believe it. I kept trying to find more about it because it seemed to good to be true. I could keep my job so I could still support my family. I could afford to pay for the entire program if I had to. I didn't have to move my family across the country. I could study and do assignments from wherever in the world I happened to be. Minimal life disruption. Minimal cost. This was sounding pretty good... I mean, as good as more formal schooling could sound.

So, I decided that that's where I needed to go. If I were going to get a Master's, that's where it was going to be from. The OMSCS Program at Georgia Tech. Over the next few months I completed the application (with some great assistance from the USU Career Services department), stressed a lot about it, got ready to start school again, and read as much as I could about the program. I got accepted and started this new chapter of my life.

My Plan

Once I got accepted, I needed to make a plan as far as what classes I'd take and how much I thought I could do in a semester. I decided to keep the impact on my life minimal and to take only one class a semester. After 6 semesters of doing that, I can say I'm very happy with that choice. Sure it'll end up costing a little more ($8,333.00) and taking a little longer (3 years, 3 months), but it hasn't been too disruptive to the other things in my life. For the most part, I still get to spend time with my family, I have time most weekends to do what I'd like to do, and I'm never too overworked. Sometimes it's still challenging and some sacrifices need to be made, but, for the most part, it's been very manageable.

So, I made a plan and for the most part I've stuck with it. A few classes in I decided to switch my emphasis to Interactive Intelligence which required a minor tweak to my plan. The materials provided from Georgia Tech are fantastic. It's pretty easy to figure out what's required and what courses are available. The advisers are helpful and knowledgeable as well when you reach out to them.

FAQ

Now, the part that you've been waiting for: Frequently Asked Questions and my answers to them. Here we go! (I'll continue to update these questions as I find others that I'm frequently asked.)

Q: How do you like the program?

A: As far as schooling goes, I really like it. It really is a high quality program. The lectures are well done, the assignments are normally well put together. The material is interesting and challenging. I've really enjoyed my time and would highly recommend the program.

Q: What is the format of the lectures?

A: They're pre-recorded and available at the start of the semester. If you wanted to, you could probably watch the entire semester's worth of lectures in the first week (I don't recommend that). If you've ever seen a lecture on Udacity or Khan Academy or the like, it's very similar to that. Each professor does it differently, but they're all pretty polished and professional.

Q: Is it weird being all online?

A: Short answer is, "no." Surprisingly it feels a lot more natural now. It took a little getting used to, but it's almost no different from being on campus. The one thing that can be lacking at times is the responsiveness of the TA's. Where everyone is remote, the TA's can't possibly be available 24 hours a day. Sometimes you need to wait a few hours or a day to get an answer to a question. The good thing, though, is that other students are very supportive and helpful. So, while official answers may only come daily, your fellow students can be very helpful and they're on nearly 24 hours a day.

Q: How's the quality of the courses?
A: For the most part, they've been fantastic. The lectures are well done. The courses are just as rigorous as in-person courses. The assignments are normally pretty well done and valuable. As far as academic work goes, this program is in a great spot balancing academic work and how the real world operates.

Q: Is it accredited?
A: Yes, it is. In fact, there's no distinction on the diploma at all that it was online. It's just as rigorous and high-quality as their on-campus degrees. You can expect the same quality of education as a "normal" degree but enjoy all the benefits of being 100% remote.

Conclusion

Overall, I've really enjoyed my experience in the OMSCS Program. Yes, it's school and school isn't nearly as fun just about anything else, but, if I have to be in school, I feel like this program has been perfect for me and my life. I honestly don't think I would have been able to get a Master's degree if it weren't for this program. There's no way I could have disrupted my life as much as a normal program would have required. I'm very grateful that I've had this opportunity to be in the OMSCS Program and look forward to finishing strong and visiting Atlanta to finish things off.

For more of my thoughts on OMSCS, visit this blog post: Why I'm Getting a Master's in Computer Science.