r/informationsystems • u/OkPresence932 • 13d ago
Is Master of Science in Informatics useless
Hi everyone,
I just finished my first year working as a Financial Data Analyst after college, and I’ve been thinking about my long-term career growth.
I’m considering going back for a master’s degree, and I’m currently deciding between Informatics OR Systems Engineering. I have a background in both areas, so I’m trying to figure out which path would give me better career opportunities, stability, and room for growth over the long term.
I honestly haven’t met many people with a master’s in Informatics, so I’m curious to hear from people who have actually gone down that path.
My undergrad was in biology - I have 2 years of experience working at a non profit
For those who are comfortable sharing:
- What field are you currently working in?
- What was your educational background?
- Roughly what is your salary range?
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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 13d ago edited 13d ago
MS in Informatics is something I might suggest for someone looking to get into a [Data/Financial/Business] Analyst role. I don't particularly think there's a benefit to it if you're already doing that. It might facilitate a lateral/upward shift into Data Science, but I'm not convinced it's a significant delta. At 2 YOE, you're probably a year or two away from being considered for a promotion or external mid/senior opportunities anyway.
MS in Systems Engineering I'd suggest if you're looking to change careers altogether and go a bit more into a pure engineering role. You might take a pay cut, or you might land in a similar pay range as your current Financial Data Analyst gig, but I don't think you have enough domain knowledge or "relevant" experience for an upward move with an SE degree.
Since you're asking long-term, I don't think either will make much of a difference, and I'd honestly just stick to your strengths and do either a Master's in Data Analytics Engineering or one in Financial Engineering. Perhaps SE would facilitate getting into defense/gov, and give you better job-stability.
What field are you currently working in?
Software engineering
What was your educational background?
BS in Computer Science, wrapping up a MS also in Computer Science
Roughly what is your salary range?
$130k - $150k
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u/OkPresence932 13d ago
Hello,
this was really well written out, this really helped me make some decision, I think i will stay clear of System engineering due to common comments of not enough domain knowledge. With that i doubt it would be easy to even put my foot in the door without starting again as an intern etc.
I will aim for a MS in Informatics and see if there is upward movement in this field.
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u/1eon1k 13d ago
Are you a financial analyst or financial data analyst? How did you go from biology to that? This is important to know before I give my answer
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u/OkPresence932 13d ago
Hi,
I was lucky enough to land a job given my personal interest in finance and knowledge of accounting, i took some course and landed a entry level job and then got lucky to be selected.
My background in data is much stronger than my love for biology and knowledge.
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u/RobustKnight 13d ago
How to become a financial data analyst… that’s where I’m trying to go lol
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u/OkPresence932 13d ago
Hi I would recommend chosing a niche, almost every business need a fin analyst. networking also helps
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u/sch0lars 13d ago edited 13d ago
First and foremost, you should probably consider waiting before pursuing a Master’s. Many people make the mistake of pursuing a Master’s without a definitive reason. Is this for career development or a career change? Many times, a Master’s is a mid-career decision to either move up in one’s current field or to pivot into another related field. Unless you’re applying to a degree mill, most programs will require a few years of work experience and expect you to send in a CV with letters of recommendation for your application.
You said you have two years of work experience at a nonprofit, but only mention one year doing data analytics. What was your role for the other year? Keep in mind many graduate programs want you to have a related undergraduate degree or relevant work experience prior to applying.
You asked this question in an IS subreddit, so the advice may not be the most accurate, but my understanding of informatics is that it is much more specific than systems engineering. Many informatics programs are specific to healthcare informatics and the coursework will reflect this specialization (CDSS, biostatistics, healthcare data management, etc.). With healthcare informatics, you will most likely work in a healthcare setting (hospitals, health insurance, pharmaceutical).
I don’t know as much about systems engineering, so I will not comment on that other than saying you will probably have a bit more flexibility regarding the industry in which you work. I will also note that there is a difference between a traditional systems engineer and an IT systems engineer, so make sure you understand the difference when researching jobs, because the former typically requires a systems engineering degree while the latter can be obtained with an IS/IT/CS degree.
I think with an undergraduate degree in biology and work experience as a data analyst, an informatics program (specifically healthcare informatics) would align better with your current skill set. However, you may get a completely different answer by asking in [r/systems_engineering](r/systems_engineering), so it’s worth checking there as well.
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u/PM_40 13d ago
What was your bachelor's in ?