[stagger87]

I started an MS in applied math in my very late 30s only having a BS in CS. I did it one class at a time, and it was relatively easy to juggle with work and family. At the time, I was looking at a lot of jobs that required an MS, which was the original motivation for starting it. I ended up not needing it in that way, but it has still been instrumental in my career and I don't regret it.

I paid out of pocket and it has financially been worth it. A lot of companies will pay for it, but I wasn't in that position. If a company pays for it they might want you to agree to work for them several years after you finish.

If you don't love learning and being in school, it's going to be a long unenjoyable slog. If you're only doing it for money or vanity, that may not be enough to carry you through the hundreds to thousands of hours of study and homework you will have to do.

You will encounter a lot of naysayers, as you have already seen in this thread. This includes family and friends.

You will also get better advice in a different forum. A sub reddit dedicated to your industry for instance?

[maCDzP]

I am 34 years old and thinking about doing the same. I have an degree in civil engineering but the last couple of years I have a big interest in CS and math.

If you wouldn’t mind - could you elaborate how it was instrumental in your career and how long it took?

[stagger87]

As far as being instrumental, it's the usual suspects. Better role, salary, respect, job satisfaction, confidence, etc. It doesn't happen overnight, you still have to consistently perform. It's also what you make of it. If you get a degree that you never use and no one knows about, your life might not change much. I personally used my degree to help me tackle more challenging projects and work towards being an authority in my field. I found success in that, not everyone does.

It took about 3 years to complete the degree.

[brailsafe]

I like this approach, but find it hard to deal with the somewhat inefficient tuition fees that you get doing one course at a time, at the school I've been to. The one course ends up costing quite a lot