Linguistics and Computer Science

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<p>I'm considering switching my major to Linguistics and Computer Science at UCLA. How marketable is this degree right out of college? I've read several articles that say that computational linguistics is a field that's in high demand, but does anyone know where I can find statistics to back this up? </p>

<p>I really think that this major and a career in natural language processing would interest me; unfortunately, my parents are having a bit of an issue with the idea because they don't think it's in demand. Would it be more sensible to major in Computer Science with a minor in Linguistics?</p>

<p>But I figured that I could go ahead and major in Ling and Com Sci, and if getting a job directly related to it looks too unpromising, then I could pick up a minor in Applied Developmental Psychology and go on to get my masters to be a speech therapist. Is this too risky and a waste of valuable time?</p>

<p>All advice is appreciated. Thank you!</p>

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<p>It seems like you’re not quite certain what path to take.
If you love this linguistics stuff and you are certain you want to work in the field, do a double major and as a smart and ambitious person you’ll land a position eventually, though I doubt its a lucrative field with many open positions.</p>

<p>If you realize linguistics is more of a casual interest than a potential occupation, then just get a minor and proceed with your studies of computer science.</p>

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<p>Computational Linguistics.</p>

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<p>If there were any problem with CS + linguistics, making the latter a minor would not fix it. Having CS behind your belt is enough to be marketable; your parents can be at rest on that front. In fact, having linguistics as well makes you a more ideal candidate for computational linguistics (CL) jobs.</p>

<p>CL is the most lucrative field right now in linguistics, and one of the most for CS. Why? Because in the Information Age, people need to sift through information better (searching with natural language), communicate more quickly and easily (automatic translation), and communicate more efficiently with computers (speech recognition).</p>

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<p>[Linguistics</a> Major | What Can You Do With a College Degree in Linguistics?](<a href=“http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/social-science/linguistics-major.htm]Linguistics”>Linguistics Major | Degrees, Jobs and Careers)</p>

<p>Check out the industry applications of NLP research. Powerset is the perfect example:</p>

<p>[Can</a> natural language search bring down Google?](<a href=“Can natural language search bring down Google? - Ars Technica”>Can natural language search bring down Google? - Ars Technica)
[News</a> - Powerset](<a href=“http://www.powerset.com/news/]News”>http://www.powerset.com/news/)
[Xerox</a> PARC seeks collaboration partners - washingtonpost.com](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/23/AR2007092300023.html]Xerox”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/23/AR2007092300023.html)</p>

<p>Top companies like Microsoft and Google all have research groups focusing on NLP; for example:</p>

<p>[Natural</a> Language Processing - Microsoft Research](<a href=“Microsoft Research – Emerging Technology, Computer, and Software Research”>Natural Language Processing Group - Microsoft Research)</p>

<p>FWIW, symbolic systems is a major at Stanford that largely focuses on the interaction of computer science and linguistics, and has the second-highest average pay for grads at Stanford, only a bit behind CS.</p>

<p>Email your professors that focus on CL; they’ll probably have plenty of info on industry prospects for those in CL.</p>