Hmm, this is an interesting take on graduate school. I'm not convinced that graduate school is the only or best way to accomplish your goals. Why not move out

Hmm, this is an interesting take on graduate school. I'm not convinced that graduate school is the only or best way to accomplish your goals. Why not move out to CA and join a startup? Assuming you mean a PhD, I'll give you the following advice: If you really don't love what you're doing, graduate school hurts. Personally, it would have been hard for me to come into a program, thinking that I was going it to start a startup and not do research for the rest of my life. A masters will certainly help your career within bigger companies, but do startups care? Does one or two more years of courses really teach you anything? I'm inclined to say no. Finally, you realize your question is kind of absurd? If you mean a PhD, you should think about what excites you, figure out what labs are doing what you are interested in, and go work for those labs. The school is secondary. I'm sure you'll find good labs at stanford, mit, cmu, caltech and berkeley.