<p>Hi there, I am a junior at the university of Houston. I'm quite confused in making a decision for an appropriate minor. My case is kind of weird. I am A comp sci major but will be switching to math (as data structures weeded me out!) I realize that math is one of my strengths but I am not so sure of how marketeable it is being a math major.
Based on the research I have done so far, there are loads of careers one can branch into with a math deegree but having only this doesnt bring in concentration. Out of all the careers, I am Intrigued most by Operations research, acturial science and branching into the business/finance sectorThe last one seems to be where I am short of info..I will appreciate anyone who can shed math degree so I can of more light about it.
What may be the marketable careers for math majors in this industry?
I am contemplating on picking 2 minors to supplement my math so I can become more marketeable. Below are a couple of minor programs my schol offers that I am considering:
Management Info Systems
Supply Chain Management
Finance
Accounting
Computer Application technology
Risk Management
Supply chain logistics Technology.</p>
<p>Lastly is aminor at undergrad level even worth the hassle at all? ( at least in my case)</p>
<p>I’m going to first say that you shouldn’t give up on your CS major. Everyone is different, but I sure do regret not following through with engineering. I’m sure I could have found a job that I enjoy if I had followed through. Oh well, that’s my past. We’re focusing on you; if you really feel like CS is too difficult AND you won’t enjoy the field, then by all means follow through with this decision that you’ve just made.</p>
<p>Following up on that, the real question is where are you planning on applying your education? Are you planning on pursuing graduate school after? If you plan to go straight into work, then I’ll let someone else answer that because I honestly don’t know how to help you. If you’re going to graduate school, then it only makes sense to minor in what you plan to study.</p>
<p>I would honestly say to go the actuary route if you can handle/enjoy the statistics and probability. It seems more suited than going into business, or at least for you. My other suggestion is to follow through with CS and then choose one of those business minors to supplement it (accounting/finance/SCM), and then apply CS to business. You would probably end up working with business people, which it seems you now want that environment, and I think your graduation won’t be as delayed.</p>
<p>Don’t follow every bit of my words because in the end, you need to make your own decisions.</p>
<p>Thanks, I agree with you that CS would put me in a great position for a better job but the question I ask myself is that willl I be comfortable with the job (as I candidly accept I am very poor at it) Not giving it up though. Looking at it from an unbiased perspective you make a good point about that.</p>
<p>Regarding grad school, I plan to attend it but not immediately after college. I would like to go do some work first to at least earn some money. Hence, thats why I am worried about how marketable I may be after college.</p>
<p>Heard math majors can branch into things like accounting and finance just wit a Bsc in math. But I dont seem to know how to prepare for such careers if I want to consider that as an option. Just not sure how much a minor might help.</p>
<p>And for sure actuary is my 1st option just concerned if things dont work out in that area.</p>
<p>I understand how difficult it can be to make a decision at this point (I was in similar shoes and went through it like three times). You first need to make change to a more positive attitude; then you can see things more clearly. Don’t try something with the expectation that you might not do well in it, or you might not like it. That’s basically believing you have unlimited options (not bad, btw), but it also pushes back the idea of graduating on time and getting that experience early in compared to any competitors around you.</p>
<p>In terms of marketing yourself, I believe it’s going to take a bunch of networking and, if you can, minor in both accounting and finance. A strong GPA for those classes will show you at least have knowledge of the foundation of business.</p>
<p>In the end, sticking to CS or going the actuary route is the easiest and IMO best choice for you (in that order). If you choose against those fields, then you will have to push yourself and do a lot of networking in order to be on the same level as those going into accounting, finance, or whatever it is that you want to go into (it seems as though you want to go into something less quantitative than what you are studying).</p>
<p>Just woke up and on the train to school so if I said anything redundant or anything that didn’t make sense then point it out lol</p>
<p>BOY! it is certainly a difficult decision. But in my analysis I think it is better to play it safe to keep options open but there is a risk in that, i might just know a little bit of everything which IMO is not so good of an idea. What do you think about minoring in say accounting/finance and MIS. Acct/finance may give a background in business while MIS helps in programming and technology aspects in businesses. The math degree in itself will be a solid background for actuarial science( For the exams required). I dont know how much sense that might make.</p>
<p>I must confess that Networking is one of my weaknesses but i’ll never get a job if i dont turn it into a strength. So I think in most cases you just cant escape it( may be wrong).
I think you right about being less quantitative aspect. I am kind of rigid in my operations. Observed this about myself and when I took a personality test. It showed thesane thing. I am good at math and problem solving but I like following procedures, theorems rules etc. One might say thatts not a good sign for abstract math( as it requires a lot of spontaneouity and creativity) but I have done discrete math and I really loved it. Being rigid like that may be less quantitative. I keep using less because I think I am more in the quantitative area.</p>
<p>You didnt say anything redundant lol you have been a great source of help</p>
<p>On the topic of your minor, I personally don’t recommend MIS/CIS. I feel like CS with a business minor (accounting and/or finance) trumps both of them, so if you’re interested in either MIS/CIS, then there wasn’t much of a point of giving up on CS.</p>
<p>Thanks. I now having two minds about my decision. Even though I plan to change to math (havent officialy decided, I still have this semester to think), I feel like switching from a major mainly because of how scary and hard some courses in it are is not a good character towards work. (Even though math may be as hard as CS ).The prospects for CS jobwise and salary-wise also entice me a lot. I know; You can’t eat your cake and have it. The difficulty of your work is a function of your reward. </p>
<p>I am being cautious I dont wanna switch from compsci because i “think” I cant do it. On the other hand, maybe its always good to admit your weaknesses and turn to other things which may be your strength. I dont know. Need soome advice.I’m preety young I got into college when I was sixteen. I have spent two years in college . I’m now 18 and I’m a junior. Maybe I am just being young and immature.I dont know I would welcome your opinions and advice.</p>
<p>It’s all about commitment: if you are going to change, do it for the right reasons. Why did you begin CS at all? Why didn’t you do business or math first?</p>
<p>Sure, you can admit your weaknesses and turn to other things, but how do you know whether or not you will hold that attitude after one or two years of being a math major? Maybe at that point, you’ll say that you’re studying math for whatever wrong reason and will change to a business degree since that’s what you were going for in the end.</p>
<p>Do you see the mindset and pattern? Make a committed decision before you actually change something. This not only applies to college, but your life decisions (either social or professional) too.</p>
<p>If your university has advisors for the major I’d suggest talking to them about your difficulty in data structures before you give up on CS. If you are having difficulty in only one area of CS then it may be that you can overcome the issue. If there are problems in many of the CS areas then perhaps it’s time for something else. Keep in mind that some Math majors do wind up working in programming/software engineering so it’s not impossible to stay in the field.</p>
<p>Personally I think minors are overrated. If a company thinks that a Math major is suited to the task then they’ll hire you. It’s less likely that a company is looking for a graduate in xx and decides that your minor in the subject will qualify you for the position.</p>