Laptop advice for ML projects & learning — worth getting a high-end GPU laptop?

I’m starting a graduate program in Data Science and looking to get a laptop that will last me through the next 2 years of intense coursework and personal learning.

I’ll be working on:

Machine learning and deep learning projects Some NLP (possibly transformer models) Occasional model training (local if possible) Some light media/gaming Jupyter, Python, PyTorch, scikit-learn, etc.

My main questions:

Is it worth investing in a high-end GPU for local model training? How often do people here use local resources vs cloud (Colab Pro, Paperspace, etc.) for learning/training? Any regrets or insights on your own laptop choice when starting out?

I’m aiming for 32GB RAM and QHD or better display for better multitasking and reading code/plots. Appreciate any advice or shared experience — especially from students or self-taught learners.