It seems that the bar for education has been getting raised over the past centuries. In the 1800s, any obedient person who was physically capable could become a factory worker while any form of education was a privilege. In the 1900s, a high school diploma was enough to get a job and support a family. By the 2000s, a bachelor's degree had become the minimum requirement for employment. Over the last decade, a graduate degree has established itself as the new standard.

In my senior year, I was unsure about pursuing further studies. Halfway through my second year, I switched to computer science and felt exhausted from the heavy coursework required to graduate on time. My course planning was considered unrealistic by my CS advisor. Even though I gained straight A's in my next two semesters and worked as a Teaching Assistant for two classes, the uphill battle of managing condensed CS degree requirements and summer coursework didn't significantly boost my GPA as I had hoped. Additionally, I lacked internship experience. But the biggest turn-off for me was not really knowing what a master's is supposed to mean for me. The idea was usually presented to me as a way to get a higher salary, social status, or just as a means to stay in school for a little longer. That was not motivating enough for me to go through the application process and spend another two years in school as I wanted to start working and put my life together.

I decided to go directly into industry and gain some experience for a year or two before thinking about applying to graduate school. This seemed like a sound plan because all I had to do was getting the first job, in which I could display my skills. But then, it also seemed highly challenging to allocate time for LeetCode and job applications while taking multiple advanced CS classes. Fast forward to late April 2022, two weeks before graduation. Fortunately, I found a summer research position, which set the stage for my comeback.

This was a fantastic opportunity. Despite being on minimum wage, I finally began supporting myself, gaining work experience, and taking the summer off to recover from the heavy coursework. It was a period before the latest AI boom when GPT-3 was still only on the OpenAI playground. People were just discovering DALL·E and starting to use public alternatives like Hugging Face's DALL·E mini. My tasks included creating a dataset of synthetic hand images using the Unity game engine, and I managed to make significant contributions. At the same time, we were working on a virtual avatar that can engage in various conversations which used GPT-3 API to facilitate the dialogue. These 3 months were when I found a deep passion for AI/ML. I was obsessing and thinking about my projects after work hours and using numerous resources to build the foundation to understand the field better as I wanted a career in it. Towards the end of August, my student research position turned into a permanent role. I was learning a lot, had connections with amazing people at the lab, and was encouraged to apply to graduate school.

I finally had found my reason to pursue a master's as well as the courage to apply. It was my desire to learn more and to be challenged as I think the self-study I conducted over a year felt equivalent to earning three-quarters of a degree. I found out that some of the textbooks I was using to teach myself were being used in actual classes, and I wanted to take advantage of the established structure of a class and the support of the professors and TAs. By late 2022, I began seeking recommendation letters from professors, drafting my personal statements, and preparing for the GRE. Despite having no publications, I was able to discuss the research projects in my personal statement. I know most grad programs have a minimum GPA requirement, thus I had to show that that number does not define my capabilities. I wanted my professional identity to be about my experiences, skills, and passion for the field. During this time, I was making the most of the opportunities I had at the lab by applying the knowledge I gained from self-studying AI, engaging with the other grad students, making use of the university's career center resources, and joining weekly workshops and lab meetings. Additionally, I made a personal website, revamped my LinkedIn, and was in a constant state of polishing my resume.

I submitted my first application in December 2022 and completed the rest by June 2023. I was accepted into two of my top three choices, with Georgia Tech as the first. My initial reaction was a mix of excitement and relief. I was excited because I was going to be a graduate student at a top CS school, and relieved because I was finally done with the application process and could dedicate that time to my personal studies. In just one year, I had transitioned from being unsure of my place in the field despite my CS degree to discovering my true passion. I also gained confidence and began to envision prospects for my future. I intend to keep building my knowledge in the field, aiming to become a Machine Learning Engineer and utilize my skills to make a positive impact.

Education requirements have been amplified over the years, but it shouldn't serve as checkboxes or certificates of compliance. The decision to pursue graduate studies should be driven by an intrinsic desire for knowledge and progress, rather than societal expectations. Traditional markers of achievement such as GPAs can be outweighed by practical experience, passion, and commitment to continuous learning. It's about aligning our educational pursuits with our ambitions and dedicating ourselves to becoming better learners, thinkers, and problem solvers. After all, that is the true essence of education.