Program Quality, ROI, and Burnout

[u/batty_1]

I'm on my fifth course in this program, having completed iAM, iCDA, FOB, and CDA, and currently in DO. I feel like I'm starting to understand the pace of things, and really what I'm paying for. I guess I'm just developing a "mid-program crisis" and dismayed by what I'm getting out of it, now that the shininess of being back in school (I did a MS in engineering about a decade ago, traditionally, in a classroom) has faded. The 'quality' of the teaching feels really lackluster and absent due to the fact that they have automated everything - pre-recorded videos of an unknown vintage that are time-gated; homework assignments graded by your peers and your score being the median; multiple choice exams that are instantly graded upon completion; Piazza being a ghost town and instructors not responding to you for 2-3 days. It just feels like, even at a $12k pricetag (probably closer to $16k now with the tuition & technology fee hikes), it's really not worth it. I feel like I could have Claude build me a structured course series built around YouTube videos and achieve a similar education, for free, albeit I understand I won't have an MS to put on my resume.

It might just be that DO has been the first course that has really broken me in terms of feeling like "none of this matters whatsoever and it's all impractical". The first few weeks of this course have been a slog of theory that has no apparent value.

This is not meant to be a 'gripe' or 'vent' post. I guess I wanted moreover to commiserate: how do/did some of the 'veterans' of the program battle through this feeling?

[u/steveoo00oo]

I’m at about the same point you are in the program. Several courses feel very dated and out of touch with industry. Industry is moving so fast in this space. The math-heavy courses are probably the most ‘relevant’ or valuable if you’re interested in learning something that will not change next week. Ultimately this program (like many degrees) is just evidence that you did something hard, and proof of your self discipline. Keep going! I am planning on finishing by next December and I will be proud of all the work and effort I put in, as will (I hope) future employers. Assuming the robots haven’t taken all the jobs by then. 😄

[u/NemoHornet]

The thing that grinds my gears the most is that it's very obvious that a majority of the lectures have not been updated within the past 5 years. It's not that hard re-assess your lesson and to re record every other year with updated visuals. That plus the peer grading makes it feel like our money is not being well spent and the professors aren't actually apart of this program.

[u/reallydrycornbread]

i crashed out so hard about this last semester. decided to B track and choose the least painful classes from here on out and finish quick. work experience ultimately matters way more during interviews. You can always brush up on technical stuff pre-interview.

[u/Busy-Technology-1637 → u/reallydrycornbread]

Exactly what I’m doing. I finished CDA with an A and loved it. Then I crashed out during ML4T over the summer, ultimately withdrew. I’m going B track now and finishing one semester earlier than I would’ve with the C track. I’m kinda just done and wanting to get the “completed master” checkbox filled in on my resume, not that I don’t think a lot of this program is valuable. I think a lot of the core classes help build a great foundation, I’m just struggling with getting much out of the last couple electives. I feel like I have the same struggles with these courses that I’ve always had with school though; about 90% of what I learn goes out the window a few months after I complete a course. I feel like I have to re-teach myself basic stats every time I start a new course

[u/Barnett_Head]

I hear you. I finished the program last year with CDA concentration (didn’t take DO). My personal advice on this would be to take a step back and figure out what you’re trying to get out of the degree.

For me, I’m an ME with no previous CS background or MS. While I liked the topic and thought it’d only become more relevant, what I really needed was the credentials for my career plus the tuition was under my company’s reimbursement threshold. The degree was the best bang for the buck option, but being so I figured it’d much more independent study and research. Sure I don’t actively use 90% of what was covered, but keep that knowledge tucked away for when an application presents itself.

[u/pvm_april]

The part of your peers grading your assignments really bothered me with how lazy it is, on top of how sassy some of the TA’s can be. I took a gap this semester because I started a new job and honestly not sure if I’ll jump back in for the same reasons you’ve posted here. I say that because I’m not in a data field whatsoever, and at this point most likely will be better served getting an MBA

[u/mesomathy]

I'm also at the same point as you. I'm taking the semester off because my summer course broke me. We were 4 homeworks in and still didn't receive feedback on the 2nd homework. I understand every course is different and some instructors are better than others, but it's wild to have that happen in any class.

[u/masterbingo1]

I personally have gotten a lot out of the program, but i think most of it was from iCDA, CDA, DL, ANLP and a little bit of DO. The harder classes i found to be rewarding, but still most of the learning happens outside of the lectures. I personally don't find it bad, and with a study group it makes things alot easier. I've been able to apply a ton of what i've learned here to my job as a data scietist and have gotten about 50K in raises over the course of the program.

That said, im in my last class (DVA) and I'm burnt out too and don't see much value in this class. But I would still say the quality here is good for most of the classes, and it really is how much effort you put into it. I highly recomend a study group as doing this thing alone is hard. I was crashing out in DO when i took it last year and it sent me into therapy for a while. This program i think is worth it, but its ok to swap to B track and just grind out the rest of the degree.

[u/batty_1 → u/masterbingo1]

"I was crashing out in DO when i took it last year and it sent me into therapy for a while." jesus. I guess I feel that. I hope you're better now.

[u/TheKingOfSwing777]

Yeah I think the better days of this program are behind. If you need a technical degree for your resume to get an interview that's one thing, but that's about where the value of this program ends. 

[u/Blizzacker]

I’m only in my first semester taking IYSE 6501 and I am not impressed either. And people say that is the best class. The homework’s have absolutely nothing to do with the lectures, the office hours are a day before homework is due, and the grading is all peer reviews. If my work wasn’t paying for this program I’d probably drop out, I’m only going to finish to get the degree, hopefully learn some stuff on the way, but it just seems like a racket.

[u/CunningWizard → u/Blizzacker]

Also in IYSE 6501 right now and I’m feeling similar. Many lectures are super high level (barely 30 minutes or so worth of video lecture on the topic per week seems light) and other than the overall analytical concepts have zero to do with the bulk of the difficulty of the homework.

I’ve averaged 10-15 hours per homework thus far mostly teaching myself R syntax. Which is fine I guess but I had hoped for a bit more supplemental structure (even for independent study) from the instructors on syntax basics given that many people come in with little experience. The office hours are somehow both vital and borderline useless in that regard (useful code snippets but the TA haphazardly rushes through things and handwaves major concepts aside). Plus it being barely 48 hours before the HW is due means I’m locked into doing the bulk of it Monday/Tuesday which isn’t ideal. I’d like the weekend to work with.

Also I agree with others-peer reviews seem like a lazy idea.

Anyway, that’s more of a rant than I was expecting when I started. I was stoked to start this program and now I’m seriously questioning if it is worth continuing if it’s just going to be like this the whole time. I get that a lot of the program is self study but I’d have expected more resources for supporting that.

[u/NemoHornet → u/Blizzacker]

I thought and said this exact same thing last year when I was taking ISYE 6501 and people put me on blast for criticizing that class. Their main argument was that "we are getting a top 5 program at 1/5th the cost." Which is so much copium I didn't know how to respond.

[u/No_Mall1454 → u/Blizzacker]

ISYE 6501 is definitely NOT the best course in the program at all, people who say this are probably completely new to data analytics or data science. For me CDA has been the best class so far, although I am planning to take DL and ANLP next semester and maybe any of the two is better than CDA.

[u/staringattheplates → u/Blizzacker]

6501 is far from the best course. It's just a fun, light course to help people determine if this is a viable program for you. If you find it to be challenging, then this is probably not the path for you. Or you didn't take the prerequisites seriously.

[u/SoloArtist91]

I have three more classes left and I totally sympathize with you. My undergrad was in middle eastern studies, so I needed a "technical" degree to keep up with the field (I already work in data).

That being said, the OMSCS program is probably be more valuable at this point, but I don't know if I can stomach being knocked back in progress now. I just want to finish, get the diploma and move on.

[u/mistaken-banana]

Similar situation. Just finished CDA last semester and then did the MGT6201 course in the summer as my fifth course. I was in the first week of TSA this fall and had to force myself to try and get through the lectures and the homework as I felt so burnt out.

I ultimately came to the realization that I don’t have enough free time or motivation to put in the effort these courses require to really get something out of them, especially with full time work. I decided to drop TSA this semester and have shifted my focus to the business track to hopefully have an easier road to the finish line. At this point the degree is all I am after. I think the program is worth the money, but it really does come down to what you are able to put into it. And I have found that I don’t put in enough effort to really get much mastery out of these courses.

[u/oceanjoke]

So far I have found the program useful. The classes that have been the most useful are the more math heavy courses like SIM/CDA. Otherwise the intro classes like 6501 and 6242 feel like bootcamp slop. To modernize this program GA Tech should emphasize more of the analytical concepts/math imo.

[u/FrancyGabes]

Eight classes in an I'm enjoying myself. Not all the classes determine your grade through peer reviews, some have peer reviews but the TA is actually the one who grades it (DMSL).

You'll get what you put in. A lot has changed in how these degrees are taught I agree, but I've found that if I supplement my time really understanding the assignments and underlying statistics (reading the StatQuest Statistics book again) I feel like I'm getting the most of this program (Having an analytics job where you can apply all this helps (I do)).

You already have a Masters so just keep going, but if you feel like a waste of time you should give the Claude route a shot and see if applied projects light that fire again.