As a developer I feel my career advancement stagnating in its current trajectory.

This feels silly to ask, but is there merit to obtaining a masters degree as a software/design engineer to get to staff level one day?

My gut says experience and street cred matter way more but I'm curious what others think of the ROI.

father, husband, css golfer, ux engineer, silently defining variables as /sdv sdv.wtf

Masters on its own is only a waste of time.

IMHO, you should jump into industry right after bachelor (if not during).

Or if you're not an indi researcher, you should follow to phd & postdoc to continue as an organization backed researcher.

THERE IS NOTHING NEW IN MASTER.

Esp w/ what we see nowadays & what one can foresee on the horizon, knowledge is accessible to everyone w/ a normal internet connection. So, I believe better not to waste time in academies/universities.