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Mathematics for the industry.
1 point by kombinatorics on Dec 20, 2012 | hide | past | favorite | 1 comment
Does a major in Mathematics AND Computer Science do better in the industry opposed to just a Computer Science degree or a Software Engineering degree?

Also, share what you majored in or what you are majoring in currently.



Depends on the job, and depends upon your aptitude and particular area of expertise. Most organizations will want a mix of expertise and experience, to make a "fully rounded" team, so people who are enthusiastic, can speak to a couple of different disciplines, and who can communicate effectively will always be in strong demand. Computer Science and Mathematics is a good combination to have. For example, for a lot of the stuff that I do, mathematics helps a lot, particularly demonstrable familiarity with statistics, linear algebra, basic calculus, and anything else relevant to machine learning. If you match that with good technical skills in C++ (or perhaps Java), you will have a highly marketable skill-set across a range of industries.

Personally, my undergraduate degree was in Artificial Intelligence, so I have ended up doing fairly well with quantitative developer & data science oriented roles, and have never found myself short of work, irrespective of the state of the broader economy.




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