Ask HN: Applied Computing MSc in U of Toronto | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Applied Computing MSc in U of Toronto

1 pointrmellow5 comments

I have applied to join the University of Toronto Applied Computing Masters program that starts in september this year. I do not come from a STEM background, but do work with data analysis and wish to develop ML skills.

There are a few questions that I could ask the admissions office, but I would like to read opinions from more neutral sources:

1. What kind of career prospects should I expect after graduating? I aim to work with Machine/Deep Learning, but I have no experience in Industry. I also have no idea how the Ontario market is, but am willing to move.

2. U of T is renowned in Computer Science, but this is a new course that has only been offered since 2010, and I believe it is a Professional MSc. Is this in any way viewed as "less" compared to a regular MSc by industry? Any other remarks?

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There is a huge problem in Canada with under employment and poor pay. A lot of young people with some serious skills are working away at jobs that could be done by Best Buys Geek Squad. You have guys with a MCS making 65k a year. You will need to focus on leaving Canada and finding work in the US. There is no future in Canada.

U of T is a great school. You will not have a problem getting a very respectable salary and a great job in the USA.

At the risk of sounding like a douche, I left Ontario many years ago for the US and have never looked back. Without getting into too much detail, I made more in the US in the first 10 years then I could have ever made in my lifetime working in Canada.

Good Luck...

I am guessing making money is important for you, may I know what kind of company did you work for? There are lot of companies in Canada now that have made some mark in last few years like HootSuite, Shopify & Slack(?). Also I know lot of Canadian tech workers (educated in Canada?) have founded startups in USA, which makes me think it's more of a ecosystem problem.

I have been in the Cyber Security Industry for the last 17 years. I have worked for large Tech Companies.

Since I and my children like to eat and no one left me any kind of large inheritance, money is a factor. If you feel that it is not important then there will be many opportunities for you to utilize your new skills after completing your studies.

My wife who is an expert in her field has spent time helping companies in a certain industry implement massive new systems. While on her many stints in Canada (GTA) she has noticed that there is an extreme level of under employment. CS Engineers from UofW working for 52k a year doing administrative type tasks. One Gentleman who had a MCS from UofT was earning a salary in the low 60's doing tech support for a system. In comparison I was earning over 6 figures in 2005 working as an Cyber Security Specialist. These are just a few examples and there were many more.

I envy you that you are able to live a care free life where money is not a factor in your pursuit of knowledge and survival. There will be many employers from you to choose from if this is the case.

Good Luck..

It's important to me as well but what's more important is the lifestyle and the amenities as well. For e.g living in Silicon valley with higher rents, child care, bad commute and on a work visa, one cannot really think of long term settlement. I have seen Amazon, Facebook, Google have offices in Canada along with these companies I mentioned and that's where I feel little confident that those guys should pay out reasonable wages. I would rather look at this at meta level instead of counting acquaintances here for this gentleman's question.

While this is not the first time I hear of Canada's tech scene being lukewarm, perhaps there has been a change since you have left Ontario? This program in particular has internships with Google, IBM, Amazon and others, and from what I have asked the admissions office, interns are usually hired by these companies. Then again, I am looking for a neutral opinion, so thank you.

The prospect of having to immigrate to the US does bother me somewhat, since it requires dealing with the visa lottery as a non-north american.

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