Should I pursue a PhD Degree in Engineering of Liberty University. My goal is to find a great job, like SDE

Question

Thanks for your help! I am an international student from China and have only received a PhD offer from liberty university. I have a Pegatron and a Master's degree in computer science. I have some publication and I like to do some research. Because the PhD is free,I have no money to pay the tuition of other  course, and the oppounity to get H1B work visa and NIW visa. It doesn't seem like the Liberty University has a very good reputation, but I feel like they have a great variety of facilities. I don't know if this will affect the future job search.I don't know if I can achieve my goals by coming to this university? Could you give me some advice?

divver · Accepted Answer

If you want to do research or a research scientist role then do a PhD. If you want to be an SDE you do not need a PhD, just leetcode practice.

The visa is tempting though, maybe you could use it to get into the US and then apply from there. You can always quit PhD if you need

dsswe · Answer

I agree that Liberty University does not have a good reputation

DocNobody · Answer

If you don’t need a PhD for what you want to do, then don’t get one, coming from a PhD.But as others have said, if it gets you here and then you find the role you want, maybe. You can always quit the PhD.Understand for hiring, they  don’t always associate PhD work as actual added years of experience. You lose out on years of higher pay, industry experience, and investment compounding (you’ll barely have enough money for living expenses).Even at a top university, unless maybe Ivy League, it doesn’t really improve your odds, sometimes it becomes harder to get a job. (Unless specifically required for the job, but even then, pay attention to how many PhD applicants are out there and how few positions there are)It might be different for SDE , but across my network, this is common.

Should I pursue a PhD Degree in Engineering of Liberty University. My goal is to find a great job, like SDE

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