I can't possibly fathom this to be true. Machine learning is one of the few fields where having the Phd is useful, but it's definitely not mandatory. (Same f

I can't possibly fathom this to be true. Machine learning is one of the few fields where having the Phd is useful, but it's definitely not mandatory. (Same for data mining) Get an entry level job, learn the technology and the theory behind it. Make yourself invaluable. Nobody will worry about the degree. A masters can be useful, but it can also wait until you have some experience. (And someone else can pay for it) One thing about data mining is it's helpful to know the context. If you're doing data mining for consumer products, it can help to learn some Marketing. If you're doing data mining in Finance, it can help to learn some Finance. This gets to a bigger point of the field - it's very much about breadth. Unfortunately Phds push you towards specialization rather than breadth. (Though it still can be useful)