Ask HN: How to convince parents that half-hearted MS is worthless?

They just want the certificate. I have work experience of few years. And now I am preparing for government IT job.

For them, masters degree is just a piece of paper that will improve my social status. And it is like "mission completed" type for them. A milestone for Nepali parents. But their constraint is that it should be in Information Technology/Computer Science.

I hold a bachelors degree in Computer Engineering. I have noticed a need of masters degree if I want to pursue advanced topics in computer science like "computational geometry", "advanced cryptography", "algorithmic mathematics", "high performance computing", and so on.

Otherwise to work in private sector in Nepal, masters degree is just a waste of money and time. I might only need masters degree if I succeed in entering government jobs and that too after 5+ years of experience. Specially when I would be eligible for promotion.

(Education is cheap in Nepal compared to West. It costs 2000$ for masters degree in Tribhuvan University. It is still a lot of money for Nepalese families but my parents are obviously willing to sponsor it.)

For me, masters degree is a way to broaden my vision on computer science. I do not want to do a degree for the sake of it. I want to do it full-time with it being the only thing in my life. At least at this point of time.

Since I am preparing for government IT job full time, I do not want to add extra workload.

My initial motive was to do masters in foreign Nordic countries for example.

Honestly, my inner passion is to do a PhD from decent university of USA.

But I feel too old (27). Yes, 27 might not be old but it seems like I do not have time for processing my visa(might take over one year), etc. I do not know where will I be in Nepal after I return after the completion PhD. I do not plan to work as a professor anywhere because they are not well respected and not well paid. There will not be a set career for me at that time. I will probably be 35 at the completion of my PhD. I might well be overqualified for anything in Nepal except academia.

What about marriage? Due to biological constraints of women, it is recommended for men to marry before turning 31/30. So that age gap is minimal between man and woman. It does not look nice to have a huge age gap in 21st century.