Off topic: one of my secret regrets in life is that I am not smart enough to be a mathematician. I watch the popular channels, I read about the new discoveries, I drunkenly explain some of the fancy concepts to my friends after the fourth beer. I wish I could understand higher mathematics.
Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?
71–80 of 152 posts
Re: Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd actually be interested in your experience. Personally I have a degree in Physics. Only two classes in programming (majorly self taught) and work in simulations. How does the software engineering field see people like me? I've applied to programming jobs in the past and just never knew if I was under qualified, didn't stand out, or just slipped through the cracks in the large amounts of applications places get. An…
I did a double major, math and physics. I was basically self-taught with respect to computers ( one CS class on my transcript). I got hired as a programmer by a lady with a Master's in math, who was largely self-taught with respect to computers. That first hire is all it takes - after that, I had experience. I graduated in 1984, though, so this may not be very applicable to the current situation...
Well that sounds reasonable to me. First job was hard to get though. I can completely understand where the OP is coming from.
Re: Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?
#73Please also look at genomics/bioinformatics. Lot's of mathematics + software involved.
Re: Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?
#74Off topic: one of my secret regrets in life is that I am not smart enough to be a mathematician. I watch the popular channels, I read about the new discoveries, I drunkenly explain some of the fancy concepts to my friends after the fourth beer. I wish I could understand higher mathematics.
You are and you can! Mathematicians often do a poor job motivating what they're doing, which creates most of the confusion. There are great examples and intuitive concepts behind most of higher math. Many mid-level mathematicians are either unaware or reluctant to admit to what a great extent their intuition and heuristic understanding informs the more rigorous treatment. There is more to it than the examples, but the examples lead you naturally to the more general case.
Re: Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?
#75I recently got a PhD in pure mathematics, and also recently started my job as a junior developer in a large consultant firm in Norway. I only knew basic Java and Python, but coming from mathematics, I find learning formal stuff quite easy.
I've been working now for 4 months, and I really enjoy it. I'm still learning something every day.
Re: Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?
#76Data science, data science, data science. The company I'm involved has some blog posts you might find useful: - https://www.dataquest.io/blog/how-to-get-a-data-science-job/ Feel free to email me if you want to chat more about data science careers, etc (srini at dataquest.io)
I concur. The OP says data science doesn't sound like feel like doing math. On the other hand, job postings for "data scientists" where I live don't sound like they have much to do with programming. They have long lists of math and other theoretical requirements, and throw in "oh, and by the way it would be nice if you had basic Python skills".
Re: Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
I did a double major, math and physics. I was basically self-taught with respect to computers ( one CS class on my transcript). I got hired as a programmer by a lady with a Master's in math, who was largely self-taught with respect to computers. That first hire is all it takes - after that, I had experience. I graduated in 1984, though, so this may not be very applicable to the current situation...
Well that sounds reasonable to me. First job was hard to get though. I can completely understand where the OP is coming from.
The first job was the grace of God. If I interviewed with someone else, I'm not sure that I would have been hired. ("You taught yourself? Sure you did, kid. Run along and play, now.")
Re: Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?
#78I did the same thing, and ended up working for an early-stage biotech company doing some combination of hardware design, signal processing, machine learning, and experiment design. For better or worse, people generally seem to think a math degree implies "smart" and tend to be willing to overlook a lack of any specific skills...
Which company is that if I may ask?
Re: Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?
#79Machine learning is actually quite math-lite in comparison to "math" like PhD math. Most masters/PhD math stuff just isn't required or used in the discipline at all. You can get away with undergraduate analysis for pretty much all of it. But it builds off of undergraduate math. So in that sense, you're not really looking for a position for "mathematicans", rather a position for "data scientist" or "quantitative ...",…
This was very informative, thanks. I am perusing postgraduate studies. I've been accepted into an Honours degree in Applied Mathematics so I am not hanging up my academic hat yet. My reason for asking the question is two-fold: some badly needed reassurance that I have not rolled myself into a hole (I think it was a design flaw that we cannot re-roll characters in real life) and getting a broader perspective on potent…
If it is reasonable for you to continue with postgraduate studies, I would recommend that you do that. The more math you can do or know the better. And it is going to be harder to gain those skills once you leave university.
You haven't mentioned any software skills. I would recommend develop whatever skills you have in that area. The ability to program is becoming as important as literacy and numeracy. Even more so for a mathematician.
My bias is that I have a PhD in math and have been a software engineer for the last 10+ years. I have worked in a lot of different areas and that has largely been because of the combination of math and software (and luck).
Re: Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?
#80Off topic: one of my secret regrets in life is that I am not smart enough to be a mathematician. I watch the popular channels, I read about the new discoveries, I drunkenly explain some of the fancy concepts to my friends after the fourth beer. I wish I could understand higher mathematics.
I am going to share a secret with you, I am not all that clever either. I just substitute it with stubborn doggedness to figure out a problem, a willingness to be wrong often and a slight dash of creativity. This has so far made me reasonably successful. If you can get past the necessary, but confusing symbolisms and formalisms, its pretty good.