Do I Need an Advanced Degree?

I’m seeing more and more candidates with Master’s degrees, and even a few with PhDs. Does it make a difference to the hiring manager?

Not a whole lot. I evaluate candidates based on their performance, not what degrees are on their resume. If their Master’s Degree of PhD helps them answer the questions better, then great, but otherwise it doesn’t make much of a difference.

One possible exception is that with H1B candidates with foreign degrees, I may look more favorably upon people who have completed a Master’s Degree in the U.S. I think the more time they have spent in the U.S. the better, as it helps them adapt to the cultural aspects of this country. And if that time was spent studying technology in a degree program, all the better. I don’t particularly care that they might have done it just to get a visa.

Some people feel that there is a kind of degree inflation in the market. At one time you were considered well educated if you had a bachelor’s degree (or even an Associate’s), but now since everyone has a bachelor’s degree, you need a Master’s to stand out.

I don’t fundamentally disagree with the notion that Bachelor’s degrees are becoming commonplace. However, if a Bachelor’s degree is sufficient for a career in software engineering (which it is), then there is really no need to try and distinguish yourself with an advanced degree. It can be expensive, it takes a year or two of your life, and in the end that same amount of time spent in a job may look just as good on your resume.