Having a masters will definitely unlock more opportunities for you (both academia and industry) but there are other ways of achieving it. You can take courses

Having a masters will definitely unlock more opportunities for you (both academia and industry) but there are other ways of achieving it. You can take courses online and see how you like the courses (don't have to go full throttle just check if you find it interesting enough). If you find it right fit you can go for full-fledged masters program. You can also earn certificates and try for a position in a startup which is willing to bet on you solving hard problems for them. I have a masters degree and while I enjoyed my masters work I learnt a lot more in same period (~1.5 yrs) in industry. YMMV as I have always learnt more outside classroom by self-learning/hands-on. Btw I have seen a lot of higher degree holders also work on CRUD apps at BigCos. Those jobs will always outnumber niche jobs.