Graduate School hesitation - MBA or CS/Data Science?

[Merlin]

I have a (soon to be completed) BACS from TESU and I am looking at grad school options.

Data science, machine learning, AI... are fascinating to me, and the jobs should be plentiful, but I'm concerned about starting from scratch in a brand new field, having to work my way up from nothing, and possibly encountering ageism, which seems to be an issue in tech. I also do not want to be a software developer. 

The other option would be to get an MBA from a good school, and parlay my way into a non-customer service executive job, possibly going after a C-suite job. The money and perks do sound good, but does an MBA still open doors? Plenty of evidence that it might be outdated.

I've been in technology for a few decades as an engineer, manager, and executive. If you want to get out of your current role and into something else, you should start by determining where your passions lie. You mention data science, machine learning, and AI... those are great and very popular right now. Though if you don't want to be a software developer you are going to have a hard time in those areas since that is what employers want. In my experience, you'll really need a doctorate-level degree in data science if you want to be hired into a purely analytical data science role. If you want to do machine learning or AI, you'll need to be a software developer... there is no way around that.

An MBA can still open doors, but the majority of its value stems from the reputation of the school and the connections you make while earning it. It also looks good on a resume, particularly for people who are looking for management or consulting gigs. An MBA won't open executive-level doors unless you have significant experience in your domain to back it up (and you know the right people, of course). But it can help you get you a solid mid-level management role somewhere.

Honestly, having a master's degree from GA Tech will likely open more doors than an MBA. Particularly if the MBA isn't from a top 10 rated school or if it's from an online-only degree program.

As for ageism, you'll find most of that in technical roles. Particularly the more hands-on of a role you are trying to get into. If you already have a great resume in the field that is one thing, but if you're a new grad without industry experience at 40+ you're probably going to have trouble being taken seriously in a lot of technical fields. If you do get hired, it will probably be in project management or people management rather than an engineering role similar to a younger graduate, though that will also depend on what your degree (or area of focus for an MBA) is in.

Keep in mind that regardless of ageism, it becomes much harder to switch careers the older you get since you won't have much (or any) experience in the new field and you probably won't be willing to work for peanuts like an early 20's college grad will. In this case, I recommend trying to find a good mentor in the industry or field you're most passionate about moving into. The right mentor can open a lot more doors than any degree.

Maybe it’s me but I feel agism is going more and more away as this industry is maturing. Very anecdotal, but I don’t feel you will encounter this as much as you think.

Oh, ageism is very much alive and well. Particularly in highly competitive areas like San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Although it depends more on the particular type of company and role you're trying to fill. Once you're hired though, that becomes less of an issue as long as you're a good cultural fit and work well with the younger staff. The people who usually have the hardest problem with ageism are folks switching careers and those who don't mesh well with younger generations.