Hi Reader,

Yudi here,

Before we start our newsletter, I have something to share with you.

Before you spend 40 to 50 lakhs on a US masters degree, I need you to read this.

Not because masters in the US is a bad idea. It is not. I came here myself and it changed everything for me.

But I am seeing a pattern right now that is genuinely concerning. And I have seen it from the inside, not from a blog or a forum or a random YouTube comment.

I have been in the US for 12 years. I have been a hiring manager in the tech industry for 6 years.

Last month alone I hired a reporting analyst, a UX designer, and a business analyst. I have reviewed probably a thousand resumes at this point. I have sat on more than a hundred interview panels. I go to conferences where I talk to other hiring managers about what they are seeing.

Here is what I am seeing.

Smart students. Hardworking students. Students who are doing everything right. But making one decision that is costing them everything.

They are choosing programs based on what worked 5 years ago. And 2 years later, when they graduate, they are stuck because the market has moved on without them.

If you are watching old YouTube videos or talking to seniors who graduated in 2022 or 2023, I want you to pause and think about something.

ChatGPT did not exist when they were choosing their programs. Claude did not exist.

AI tools were not sitting in every company's tech stack the way they are now. The ground has shifted completely under their feet and it has shifted even more completely under yours.

Right now, companies backed by private equity and venture capital are asking one question: how do we implement AI and reduce operating costs? That changes who they hire. It changes which roles they create and which roles they eliminate. And the roles being eliminated first are at the entry level. Which is exactly where most masters graduates are trying to break in.

So the real question is not whether a US masters is worth it.

The real question is whether the specific program you are choosing is sending you into a market that still has room for you.

The programs you need to think carefully about

I am not saying avoid these categories entirely. People are still getting jobs in all of them. But I want you to go in with your eyes open.

Data Analytics and MIS

Last month we opened a role for a reporting analyst. Within 5 days we had 6,000 applications. We had to close the posting.

In the interview process, we had a candidate who had everything. SQL, Python, PowerBI, Tableau, Advanced Excel. Every tool on the list. We brought them in because of it. And then we gave them a case study based on a real business problem we had faced internally. Why is revenue declining?

They could not answer it.

And that is the point. Knowing tools is no longer what separates you. Every single person applying has those tools. The baseline has risen so fast that having the skills is just the cost of being considered. It does not get you the job anymore.

If you are planning a masters in data analytics or MIS with the goal of becoming a data analyst, you are entering the most crowded layer of the job market.

That does not mean it is impossible. But you need to come in knowing that the competition is extreme, that AI is eating the entry-level layer of this field fast, and that you need to be able to do things that a tool cannot. Business context, storytelling with data, industry-specific domain knowledge. That is what survives. Generic SQL skills do not.

UX Design and HCI

This one is close to my work because I collaborate with UX designers daily as a product manager. And I want to be honest with you because I think a lot of people are choosing HCI without understanding what the market looks like right now.

The tools are doing what entry-level UX designers used to do. Wireframing, basic prototyping, simple visual work. If you do not have a strong portfolio, if you have not designed real things for real users, if you are coming in at the very beginning of your career with only academic projects, you are competing against software that is faster and cheaper than you.

The UX professionals who are thriving right now are the ones doing research-heavy work. Domain-specific design where you need deep context about a specific industry, healthcare technology, financial products, industrial systems. Or AI-focused design where you are thinking about how humans interact with intelligent systems.

If you are planning a masters in HCI with zero work experience and no portfolio, please think carefully before you commit.

Product Management

I understand why everyone wants to be a PM. It is one of the most attractive roles in tech. High salary, cross-functional influence, strategic work. I am a PM myself.

But here is the reality. There are almost no true entry-level PM roles.

Yes, companies like Google and Meta and Amazon have APM programs. Those exist. But the competition for those roles is extraordinary and the number of seats is tiny relative to the number of people chasing them.

Most companies want a PM who has already built products or has direct business experience. The typical path is you start in engineering or a closely adjacent role, you demonstrate business thinking over time, and then you make the transition. Masters in engineering management or information systems does not automatically get you there.

If your plan is to do a masters and step directly into a PM role, you need a stronger strategy than that. You may need to open up your thinking to operations, strategy, product marketing, or product analytics first.

The AIPM angle is genuinely interesting right now. If you can combine product thinking with hands-on AI tool building, you are in a much stronger position than someone who just has the degree.

Machine Learning Engineering

ML engineering is hot. But the barrier to entry is also very high. ML engineers are not just building models. They are writing production-grade code, designing systems at scale, and operating at the intersection of strong software engineering and statistical modeling.

If you do not have very strong software engineering fundamentals coming in, breaking into ML engineering as a fresh masters graduate is going to be difficult. This is also one of the most crowded job markets for entry-level applicants right now because everyone can see that it is hot.

Here's something for students planning their undergraduate applications to the U.S.

We're hosting a free live session on what U.S. admissions committees actually look for, how to build a strong profile, write better essays, and avoid common application mistakes. Register here.​

The programs and careers that are actually growing

Now here is the part I want you to spend the most time thinking about.

Data Engineering

Everyone talks about data science and AI. Nobody talks about who builds the infrastructure that makes all of it possible. Data engineers build the pipelines, the warehouses, the real-time systems that allow AI to function at scale.

As AI grows, and it will continue to grow, companies need more infrastructure, not less. Data engineering is not overcrowded the way data analytics is. If you are considering a data-focused masters, this is the direction worth thinking seriously about.

Cloud and DevOps

AI does not run on your laptop. It runs on massive cloud systems.

AWS, Azure, GCP. Someone has to design those systems, maintain the pipelines, ensure scalability, and make sure they never go down. Site reliability engineering, cloud architecture, DevOps. These roles are only going to grow as AI adoption deepens across every industry.

If you can come in with one of these cloud platforms mastered, you are in a strong position.

Software Engineering with Depth

Software engineering remains the most reliable long-term path. But what has changed is that basic coding is no longer enough. Everyone can code. AI tools can write code faster than you. What makes a software engineer genuinely valuable right now is understanding system design, architecture, scalability, and the business context around what they are building.

If you can do that, you become an asset that is very hard to replace.

Cybersecurity

More systems, more vulnerabilities. AI governance and security are becoming critical concerns for every company building on AI infrastructure.

The demand in cybersecurity is increasing and the field is not as saturated at the advanced level as some of the others I mentioned.

The entry point of basic governance work is crowded. But if you go deeper, red teaming, AI security, cloud security, you put yourself in a much smaller and more valuable pool.

Robotics and Autonomous Systems

This one most people overlook. Amazon, Tesla, Walmart are all expanding their robotics and autonomous systems operations. Someone has to build the sensors, control systems, and autonomous decision-making pipelines.

If you have interest in robotics, IoT, or autonomous systems, this is a genuinely underrated path with real and growing demand.

Supply Chain and Operations

I know this sounds like an odd one to include. But AI is transforming logistics, delivery, and operations at a pace most people are not tracking. If you are interested in operations, supply chain analytics, or project engineering, you are entering a field that is growing and not yet as saturated as the pure tech fields.

The three layers you need to understand

Here is the framework that I think makes all of this clearest.

The job market right now has three layers.

1. Layer one is basic skills, tools, a degree, and some coding ability. This is what most people who do a masters end up with. This is also where the most competition is and where AI is doing the most damage to entry-level opportunities. If your plan is to land here and hope for the best, the ROI on your degree is genuinely at risk.
2. Layer two is where you start to stand out. You understand systems, not just tools. You understand business context. You can connect your work to revenue, to impact, to something the company actually cares about. You think about problems differently than someone who just learned the software.
3. Layer three is where you become genuinely hard to replace. You have solved real problems. You have built things that real users or real customers touched. You have created documented impact. You think in terms of outcomes, not outputs. At this layer, companies do not just hire you. They fight to keep you.

The question you need to ask before you choose your program is this. Which layer am I aiming for and is this program actually going to get me there?

If the answer is layer one, please think harder. Layer one is expensive and increasingly risky. Layer three requires intention from day one. Not from the day you graduate.

What to do with this information

First, stop taking advice from people who graduated before 2024. The market they navigated does not exist anymore.

Second, look honestly at the program you are considering. Is it sending you into a field that is growing or shrinking at the entry level? Is the career you want accessible to someone with no work experience or does it typically require prior experience to break into?

Third, think about what you can do before you even arrive. Build something. Get some real project experience. Start writing or speaking about your area of interest publicly. The more real work you have before you step on campus, the better your starting position when you graduate.

If you are serious about building your full application strategy for US universities, the Study in USA Accelerator covers everything from choosing the right program and shortlisting universities to writing your SOPs, getting application fee waivers, navigating the visa process, and preparing for what comes after you land. You can find the details here.

Watch the full video here for the complete breakdown including which specific questions to ask about any program before you commit: Watch it here​

And send me your program name by replying to this mail. I am reading every single reply and I will tell you honestly what I think.

And if you have a specific cost question I did not cover, reply to this email. I read them and it helps me figure out what to cover next.

Note: If you want help thinking through whether the program you are considering is the right fit for your profile and your career goals, I offer free 30-minute strategy calls with my team for students who are still in the planning stage. No obligation. Just clarity. Book your free call here.​