[ashwinsundar]

I think you should do some more investigation and spend more time thinking about your "backup plan" - a master's degree is no walk in the park, even though it's "easier" than a Ph.D. Plus, it can be expensive. I'd consider staying in-state and going to a solid engineering school with good industry connections.

I don't know much about an MFE degree but it sounds rather specialized. Would you better served by just doing a broad Master's in Computer Science degree, and choosing a specialization? Finance is something you can easily learn on the side, I'm not sure how useful it is to go to school for it. Same goes for an MBA.

Another option worth consider is Georgia Tech's Online Master's in Computer Science (https://omscs.gatech.edu/). I've heard very good things about it first-hand from a colleague, and even considered it myself (before deciding I don't really need a second master's degree...). This would allow you to perhaps pick up part-time work/freelancing while doing your master's. Plus the degree is something like $10k all in, which is a huge bargain for how good the program is (top 10 CS I believe).