> Working full time and taking classes is not easy. Consider quitting and doing it peacefully.
Nope, it's definitely not easy. I take two classes full terms, one in the summers while working a full-time day job. I easily spend 20-30 hrs/week on coursework + readings + lectures during full terms, only ~10 hrs/week during the summers. Anything more than that would definitely require a rethink and time off. But it is entirely doable if giving up two years' pay isn't an option.
"How long does it take to complete and receive a degree?
We anticipate the typical time for students to complete the OMS CS will be about three years, though we will allow for longer enrollments—up to six years—for those students who need greater flexibility."
I had read somewhere (can't find it at the moment, maybe the limit has been removed?) that you had to wrap it up within three years or apply for an extension - which is "we will allow" sounds like above.
As I recall, you have to complete (2) "foundational" courses (there is a list on the main OMSCS website) within the first 12 months with a grade of B or better. After that, you need to graduate within 36 months after you started.
I had been out of school for 12 years when I started the OMSCS program (and my last degree wasn't in CS), but have also been working in the field for a while. I'd strongly suggest brushing up on:
* Linear algebra, matrix arithmetic, some calculus (you run into differentials occasionally, esp in ML coursework).
* Be comfortable with basic algorithm analysis, namely "Big O" assessment. (There's a course for more in-depth analysis of algorithms should you choose that path...)
* Bone up on Python, Java and C if you're not already proficient. Some classes occasionally use R as well (mostly data science).
* Be comfortable with Git. It's used by almost every class for group work and distribution for codebases. I always see a lot of folks battle with this every semester.
I'm about to start my 5th semester (one more to go after this!) in the OMSCS program while working full time. From my perspective, this totally depends on several factors:
1. Your background. This will seriously affect your time spent in many classes. For example, if you don't know C and take a class that uses it, you're going to spend way more time than someone already comfortable.
2. Level of effort. Most projects have a rubric where you know what to complete for what kind of grade. If you do the least to pass, that's obviously going to take a lot less work than going for the A + extra credit.
3. Interest level. I find myself spending more time (sometimes more than I should) on the classes I really get into than ones I have to take to complete some MSCS specialization requirement.
4. Instructional team. As in traditional programs, some course teams are better organized than others which can impact how much time you have to spend staying on top of material or actually getting ahead.
In the end, it would be good to check out the OMSCS Course Surveys (https://gt-course-surveys.herokuapp.com/#/) to see what people report for weekly hours spent vs the factors above.
It dynamically created a message board for geolocations and anyone was free to post to it. It got a bit out of hand with spam and cyber-graffiti... Looks like the service is long gone (some random housecleaning blog is on the domain now). A big limitation to the app's usability was you had to be within a certain distance of a location to access the "chalk" for it.
It sounds like a cool service to try out, just not an iOS user...
Nope, it's definitely not easy. I take two classes full terms, one in the summers while working a full-time day job. I easily spend 20-30 hrs/week on coursework + readings + lectures during full terms, only ~10 hrs/week during the summers. Anything more than that would definitely require a rethink and time off. But it is entirely doable if giving up two years' pay isn't an option.