Berkeley CSUA MOTD:Entry 45180
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2025/07/09 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
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2006/11/6-7 [Academia/GradSchool/MBA, Academia/GradSchool] UID:45180 Activity:moderate
11/5    Anyone here get an MS in CS? Did it help your career advancement
        or earnings? Do you wish you would've gotten a different MS
        degree instead? Was it worth the time and expense?
        \_ I was working on a MS in EECS when I went to a law school open
           house for the free pizza. Switching to ls has been the best
           decision I have ever made. My starting salary (w/o bonus) is
           1.5-2x what I could have made as an engineer w/ a MS. [ I know
           that you asked wrt another MS degree, but if you are considering
           grad school, I think you should keep an open mind re the subject ]
           \_ Well, assuming you could make $150K with the MS, are you
              saying you are *starting* at $200+K, because I find that hard
              to believe. If true, maybe we're all in the wrong field.
              Also, did you go to a top-ranked law school? What about the
              loss of earnings while going to law school? Most of the
              better ones are full-time, unlike, say, MS EECS.
              \_ $150K w/ a MS EECS? I think you are overestimating the
                 starting salary for a MS EECS. I'd say it was closer
                 to $100K (at least that is what we would offer to new
                 hires w/ a MS EECS).
                 Re loss of earnings: You can do part-time at many ls.
                 I worked part-time as an engineer and did school full
                 time to avoid loosing money. Its harder but at least
                 I'm graduating w/o any debt.
                 Re top rated law school: I went to a mediocre ls, but
                 I was near the top of my class and I went into patent
                 work (which pays more than say a DA or transactional
                 work b/c of the initial burden). The salary is even
                 higher if you were to go to a really good ls. The main
                 problem is that you have to deal w/ a lot of jackasses.
                 work). The salary is even higher if you were to go to
                 a really good ls. The main problem w/ the law is that
                 you have to deal w/ a lot of jackasses.
                     \- so how annoying are the legal people? ... like
                        annoying face to face or keep you up at night
                        grinding your teeth annoying? also do you think
                        this is just the personality of some of the people
                        in the field or a product of the nature of the
                        field ... e.g. rather than cooperating to find an
                        efficient solution, people pointlessly being
                        difficult, or shoudl i say dillatory, just to
                        be a pain in the ass and raise costs to the other
                        side.
                        \_ Some are keep you up at night grinding your
                           teeth annoying, some are just annoying in
                           that the way they practice law is to be as
                           difficult as possible on every single thing.
                           I think that the profession attracts people
                           who are agressive and egotistical and rewards
                           that type of behavior in many cases.
                 \_ I didn't say *starting* salary for a MS EECS. If you
                    meant that, I apologize. I took "what you could make"
                    to mean "what you could make" and not "what you would
                    start out at with no experience".
                    \_ Sorry, I misunderstood. I agree that you might be
                       able to make ~ $135-$150K w/ MS EECS + experience.
                       But that is about as high as I've seen people go
                       (principal engineer, sr. staff eng., &c.). In
                       comparison, $135-$150K is what one makes right out
                       of LS and it keeps going up after that. Even if
                       you decide to not work at a firm and go to work in
                       gc's office of a decent sized co. you will be making
                       approx. what a sr. staff makes but w/ 9-5 hrs.
                       \_ Don't IP lawyers make quite a bit more money than
                          your average corporate law drone?
                          \_ Corporate law drones may make less than
                             the number above, but if you already have
                             a BS EECS, why would you do anything but
                             IP (Patent) Law?
                             Not all IP Law pays as well as Patent.
                             Trademark, for instance, pays somewhat
                             less and there isn't as much job security.
                             Copyright is okay, but you pretty much
                             have to live in LA or NYC to get really
                             good work.
                          \_ The range I gave above, is for patent
                             work. Sorry for not making that clear.
                             You are right, not everything pays as
                             well as patent work. Copyright, Trademark
                             and IP licensing (all "IP"), pay a little
                             big less.
                             bit less.
                             Corporate can pay the same as patent, but
                             it really depends on how well you did in
                             school and whether corporate law is in
                             vouge when you graduate. There are lots of
                             of other practice areas that pay less than
                             being an engineer (Crim, Transactional,
                             Estate Planning, Family Law, Real Estate,
                             Civil Rights, &c.), but if you have a BS
                             in EECS, there isn't really a financial
                             reason to go into something other than
                             patent/copyright practice.
                             \_ Does a phd give you a bump in pay as a
                                patent lawyer straight out of school?
                                \_ Depends on the field. PhD in any
                                   pharma related subject (o-chem,
                                   immunology, &c) can give you a $10K
                                   or more edge. In EECS, materials,
                                   &c. I don't think so.
                       \_ $140K right out of law school? That seems high
                          compared to the salary calculators on the web,
                          unless you went to Harvard Law. What about law
                          school vs. MBA?
                          \_ I don't know what the salary calculator say
                             but this is the starting rate at most reasonable
                             sized firms in the Bay Area and NYC.
                          \_ Please see above. The number I gave was for
                             patent work. I'm guessing the salary calc.
                             are based more on general practice at mid-
                             to large sized firms, which doesn't really
                             pay as well.
        \_ I'm in business school but will probably make <= when I
           graduate. I was making $87k + ~$10k bonus/stock before I went back
           to school. But I'm getting my MBA b/c I don't want to be an
           engineer anymore. What's the ROI/payback of my MBA? I don't know,
           I could probably have transitioned into business at my old job,
           but getting the MBA is more general and involves more drinking.
2025/07/09 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
7/9     

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